Santa's Coming in Three Months

Today is three months until Christmas, and Retail NZ says it marks the traditional retail start of the Christmas shopping season.

"Retailers are already well into planning for the Christmas and summer season," Greg Harford, Retail NZ's General Manager for Public Affairs, said today. "Christmas stock is already appearing in store, and customers will start to notice Christmas decorations appearing over the coming weeks as retailers get into the Christmas spirit.

"In New Zealand, Christmas coincides with the summer holidays, which means that it is absolutely peak shopping season for Kiwis. Over the next three months, we predict that, as a nation, we will spend about $26 billion as we sharpen up our outdoor living, enjoy barbecues and socialising with friends and, of course, buy Christmas gifts. Spending during the period is likely to boosted by deals and sales around Chinese Singles Day and Black Friday in November.

"The shops will be at their busiest in December, with the week before Christmas being pretty frantic. Many customers have already started stocking up ahead of the Christmas and summer period, and it's a good idea to plan ahead, especially if you want to shop around or order specialty goods.

"Retail NZ recommends that customers shop local to support local businesses. Most importantly, if you're buying online, you really are best to buy from a Kiwi business so that you are fully protected under the Consumer Guarantees Act and the Fair Trading Act in case anything goes wrong."

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