Last Minute Holiday Shopping May Cost You

Analysts Recommend Buying Early...

November 2003 (Newstream) -- Analysts predict this Christmas will be the most lucrative shopping season for retailers in four years. The expected boon in spending is attributed to a healthy stock market, low interest rates, and tax cuts expected to put more cash in consumers' pockets.

But analysts say most retailers haven't been so optimistic, and that their caution may leave consumers empty-handed this holiday season. Analysts fear that if store inventories can't meet consumer's demands, the good deals on hot products will go fast.

Smart consumers are beating the rush by starting early and avoiding crowded stores altogether. Instead, they're purchasing from catalogs and/or websites. Research shows that in addition to the long-standing tradition of catalog shopping, Americans have embraced on-line shopping.

Catalogs and Websites typically offer more variety than retail stores and usually have the items available before you see them in stores. But the key is to order early and try to confine your shopping to one catalog and/or website, to avoid paying multiple shipping charges.

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Produced for JCPenney

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