CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The holiday season is approaching and businesses are gearing up for extra sales. The Southern Christmas Show kicked off on Nov. 10 and people showed up in droves to do some early holiday shopping.
For a lot of small business owners, this year is like a perfect symphony. For Scott Morgan, one of the vendors at the show, he said he's liking the tune of it so far.
“I’ve had to restock, that’s a good thing," Morgan said.
Products have flown off the shelves weeks before the traditional start of the holiday season. People told WCNC Charlotte they wanted to shop early this year and plan to spend quite a bit.
“I’m not sure why, but we’ve doubled our sales from last year," Morgan said.
Other vendors also echoed that. They told WCNC Charlotte their sales have tripled.
"COVID is down the road, people want to spend money," Morgan said.
But amid the notes of constant credit card swipes, inflation proved to still be a Scrooge.
Jennifer Smetana, Southern Christmas Show show manager, said some sellers are already breaking records when it comes to sales, and there might be another reason why shoppers are already checking things off their Christmas list.
“We know there are issues with that, but you wouldn’t know that when coming in here," Smetana said. “Shipping is still a concern, getting presents here on time.”
Joseph Von Nessen, a research economist with the University of South Carolina, said people have more money in their pockets compared to 2020 even with inflation nipping at their toes.
“This will be a good holiday season overall in the Carolinas," Von Nessen said. “It’s just the question of how much they are willing to spend given the high prices because they are more budget conscience.”
Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.