How Much Will Louisiana Residents Spend Shopping for Holidays?

How much do you plan to spend this holiday season? Louisiana residents will likely spend about the same as others across the country.

The National Retail Federation says consumers will spend about $1,000 on gifts and other holiday goods for the 2021 season. This spending which is expected to be about $997.73 per shopper is close to what we spent in 2020, but it’s about $50 less than what each American spent in 2019.
What do we spend the money on? About $650 will be for gifts. We will shell out $350 on other items like food, decorations, cards and candy.

But we will be facing a big problem this year with the supply chain. Nearly half of all shoppers are concerned they might not be able to find what they are looking for this year. Some of the items that might be in short supply are toys, electronics and clothes. These supply chain troubles could bring bad news for local merchants. 57% of consumers tell the National Retail Federation they plan to shop online this year. But they will be looking for deals including free shipping. And many have already started doing that holiday shopping because of supply issues.

“Every year retailers plan their seasonal inventory, staffing and product promotions well in advance for the busy holiday season,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “Consumers are ready to celebrate, and gift-giving is high on the list. The retail industry is working diligently with ports, labor, shippers and transportation providers as well as government officials to overcome supply chain challenges and make sure consumers have access to the gifts they want to give and, just as important, receive.”

49% of those surveyed say they plan to start doing holiday shopping before November rolls in.

The NRF surveyed nearly 8,000 consumers from Oct. 1 to Oct. 10 about holiday shopping plans.