Nov 24, 2009 6:10 am US/Eastern
Holiday Shoppers On Fence Over When To Start
Experts Warn If You Think You'll Find Better Deals Closer To Christmas You Should Think Again; The Time Is Now
UNION, N.J. (CBS) ―
Shop now or later?
With the struggling economy some holiday shoppers are wondering whether there will be better deals out there after "Black Friday."
CBS 2 HD saw one Target all decked out with holiday decorations, getting ready for the busiest shopping day of the year. But some shoppers told us they may not be doing the bulk of their gift buying on that day.
"I'm going to wait closer to the holidays," said Miriam Lederer of Union.
Why? Because shoppers believe they may be able to get better deals closer to the holidays.
"As the retailers become more desperate the prices become more attractive," said Aaron Abramovitz of Millburn.
Seton Hall University business professor Scott Rothbort said that may not be a good idea this year.
"What I would say is you don't want to wait until the end of December," Rothbort said.
Rothbort said the deals aren't going to get any better and that if you want a bargain you'd better get it now because stores haven't stocked up on inventory in order to save money. So, there's less out there.
"You'll probably get some of your best shopping in perhaps from Saturday on through maybe the 10th of December," Rothbort said.
Shoppers seem to understand what's at stake.
"If I see a bargain today I get it," Pearl Johnson said.
"Like they call it a sale. They raise the price up and then they give you a discount on that," added Jaliyl Norman of Newark.
But shoppers also said they are seeing discounts on electronic goods.
"I see TVs, cameras. That's what I was looking for, the bargains," said Elaine Lloyd of Orange.
Except for BlueRay DVDs and iPhones there doesn't seem to be a hot item this holiday season. That's why shoppers said they're not rushing to the stores just yet.
Asked if she found any good deals online, West Orange's Azalea Jenkins said, "Dynex TV 32 inches. I'm interested in TVs."
With that in mind, retailers are doing whatever they can to get shoppers into their stores early. Some are even staying open on Thanksgiving Day.
Other stores open on Thanksgiving Day include Banana Republic and Wal-Mart.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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