Holiday shopping gets a pandemic reboot

BOSTON — The pandemic is going to make many of this year’s holiday traditions a little untraditional. Shopping is one of them.

Antoine Abeddy, one of the owners of Date & Time in Sudbury, is hoping this season is more about Santa and less about the Grinch. “We still think people like to keep these habits and shop for the holidays. It’s a tradition and I don’t people want to forget these traditions.”

One of the things that will be different this year is Black Friday. Instead of being just a mass dash after Thanksgiving, many retailers are spreading it out over several days.

The goal is to avoid large crowds of people fighting over items that are marked down for just a short period.

“We’re worried about crowd capacity for our stores," said Paul Cox, the director of store operations for Ocean State Job Lot. "We’re worried about people’s safety and how they feel about the shopping environment. So, we spread it out more.”

Cox expects many shoppers to focus on items that make their homes more comfortable this year. “Whether that be a blanket, a pillow, something for the yard, something for the TV, something to work within the kitchen.”

One thing that’s out is “experience gifts,” like gift cards to fancy restaurants or a luxurious spa day.

Babson College marketing professor Lauren Beitelspacher expects much of that money to now be used online. “I think this year that’s going to grow exponentially. People don’t want to go to a store, definitely not into a crowded mall, or wait in lines if there are restrictions as to how many people can fit in a store.”

Shipping time needs to be factored into the online strategy, as the nation’s shipping system is already over-burdened delivering packages.

“I think people are still going to expect things on demand like they have in the past, and with the current delivery system and the state of the world, and COVID-19 providing a lot of working restrictions, I think that’s going to be really hard to deliver on,” explained Beitelshacher.

Shopping at smaller locally owned stores could be the best approach, said Beitelspacher. She believes it’s a great way to avoid large crowds while supporting local merchants.

That would keep a store like Date & Time ticking while preserving a tradition that Abeddy loves. “It’s really an enjoyable time of year that I think we should hold onto it, and try to make the best of it, as long as we can stay safe of course.”

Here’s one more change that you might notice around your neighborhood: more holiday displays. Cox expects people to spend more on home decorations this year because homeowners might have more time on their hands and they’re also looking for ways to be festive.

Cox Media Group