The coronavirus pandemic is upending the way U.S. consumers shop and the holidays will be no exception as major retailers and shippers roll out their earliest-ever shopping season, Reuters reported. Target, Best Buy and Kohl’s have moved winter holiday promotions up to as early as October. They also joined rival Walmart in announcing store closures on Thanksgiving and plans to bypass the midnight Black Friday door-buster sales that traditionally mark the start of the holiday season but are incompatible with the pandemic’s social distancing recommendations. Kohl’s Chief Executive Michelle Gass said on Tuesday that “a holiday season like no other” means emphasizing comfortable apparel, home essentials and kids’ toys, all categories that have performed well as shoppers largely opt to remain at home. Target CEO Brian Cornell on Wednesday said the retailer will stress same-day delivery and add thousands of items available via these services, including more gifts and essentials during the “very different holiday season.” One supplier to a big box retailer told Reuters that the chain is bracing for a 30 percent decline in holiday spending this year, though the National Retail Federation (NRF) trade group has yet to release its holiday forecast.
