“Despite the shorter window of time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, retailers are prepared to meet the needs of consumers by providing holiday shoppers with earlier deals and sales and by ensuring inventory is available for the most in-demand items this year.”

Katherine Cullen, National Retail Federation vice president of industry and consumer insights, commented on the NRF’s latest consumer survey showing consumer spending on the winter holidays is expected to reach a record $902 per person on average across gifts, food, decorations and other seasonal items.