The National Retail Federation says the holiday sales season will be robust, noting a record 197 million Americans shopped over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
The NRF projects that retail sales between November and the New Year will be at least $942 billion, nationwide. That’s up from 2021, in another sign that Americans are ready to shop after the pandemic’s crippling economic effects.
KLCC talked to a local business representative on the 2022 retail outlook for Eugene.
Brittany Quick-Warner of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce said local businesses are seeing mixed sales so far.
“Inflation has a lot to do with that,” she said. “There is also a lot of the health issues starting to come back up in our community. So I think the crowds are just a little smaller than what people had hoped for and expected this holiday season.
“However, I qualify it by saying some places are doing great, right? So that is kind of the struggle with the small business community is that, it is really hit or miss sometimes.”
In the final days leading up to Christmas and New Year’s, Quick-Warner said area stores, eateries, and services would definitely encourage Oregonians to “shop local.”
©2022, KLCC.
