Black Friday and Cyber Monday are long gone, but retailers continue to pump deals through the pipeline, and the last chance for major deals, on a weekend at least, is tomorrow. It's called Super Saturday.
Super Saturday is the last Saturday before Christmas. Although Black Friday is the most publicized shopping day of the year, it's really, according to Snopes.com, Super Saturday that is the busiest shopping day of the year, as people begin to panic. In fact, it's been the biggest shopping day of the year in sales since 1995.
A survey conducted by the National Retail Federation from Dec. 1 through Dec. 9 showed U.S shoppers were waiting until the last minute, as usual. That survey showed that U.S. shoppers still had more than half of their holiday shopping to do, the highest percentage at that time of the year since 2004.
The theory behind the high percentage of gifts to be purchased is that people are waiting, and waiting, and waiting, hoping for better deals. Of course, both brick-and-mortar retailers and online retailers continue to publicize deals for Super Saturday.
As with Black Friday, a key to Super Saturday shopping will be focus. Find out the deals you want, and don't be sidetracked by things you don't really want or need, or by substitutions if items sell out.
One problem, however, is that consumers on the East might be "frozen out." The mid-Atlantic region of the country is getting hit by a storm expected to dump more than a foot of snow. This same storm has already hit the south and parts of Florida with heavy rain. Retailers in that part of the country are concerned that a snowy, rather than Super Saturday, might freeze out some customers.
There's the possibility that some could hit online sites, like Amazon.com, if they can't get to brick-and-mortar stores. Shipping is a concern for shoppers there, as Christmas is closing fast.
Meanwhile, some retailers in the path of the snowstorm are considering Super Sunday to supplement Super Saturday. Some sales will inevitably be lost of people can't make it on Saturday, however.
The hardest hit by a Super Saturday snowfall will be regional stores, particularly regional department stores. Some might see a boost, however. Those selling cold-weather gear might see some higher-than-expected sales of those items.
Written by Michael Santo
HULIQ.com
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