MINNEAPOLIS — It's a busy weekend for stores, and experts say it will be a good holiday season for retailers.
The shopping season has already had a strong start. The Census Bureau says overall retail sales in November were up 4.1 percent this year compared to last.
The National Retail Federation predicts a similar increase into December, with more people willing to shop.
It was a busy weekend on 50th and France in Edina as shoppers were out buying gifts for their friends and family. The Edina Chorale sang Christmas carols as folks walked by.
"They asked us to come out here, their main shopping area," said Nancy Hanson, the carol coordinator.
"It's my favorite time of year," said Olivia Page, who bought her sister some workout gear. "I love shopping for other people. So it's really fun being out here and there's so many fun places."
"I thought maybe I'd stopped by a couple of the shops get some last-minute Christmas gifts," said Tori Zachman.
Online shopping is predicted to surge as well. In the last quarter of 2022. It accounted for 16.3% of all retail sales according to the Pew Research Center. Another recent survey by Shopify Gallup says almost half of GenZers will do some of their holiday shopping on social media platforms.
"I live more in the suburbs so I'm not very close to the downtown area," said Page. "Online shopping is definitely more prevalent for me."
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