RETAILERS PLAN AN OCTOBER CHRISTMAS

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving that marks the beginning of Christmas shopping when millions stampede big stores to get big savings on specials, will kick off earlier this year.

Calvin Klein, Guess, Kohl’s, Macy’s, and Target are among the retailers planning to stuff their financial Christmas stockings by launching the holiday buying season earlier “than ever,” according to Target CEO Brian Cornell.

With unemployment high and pay checks dwindling, this year retailers will launch Black Friday early, playing Christmas carols in their stores before Halloween.

The 248-store Urban Outfitters fashion chain is prepping for an “extended holiday shopping period, with sales beginning earlier, reaching a plateau sooner, but missing the peaks characteristic of prior years as consumers seek to avoid crowds,” said co-founder Richard Hayne.

TREND FORECAST: The longer selling season will, at best, marginally help struggling retailers recoup sales volumes lost during the shutdown and to e-commerce. With fear spreading of a second COVID Wave, masked consumers will not be in the mood to rush into malls or big stores.