Holiday Shopping Trends

The holiday season is finally here!! With the new winter season, comes new gift ideas, and lots of new holiday trends! At this time of month, it is estimated that most shoppers will do their buying online using their smart phones to detect the sales and compare prices for the best deals. More consumers are looking for a good value for all of their holiday shopping.  The economy has many retailers thinking outside the box this holiday season in order to get people to shop in stores and not online.  Stores in the mall are using large displays and bright colored signs to catch your eye and bring people in from the outside. In Fayette mall some noticeable holiday shopping trends are creative ads, promotions and sales. 

Lots of stores have stands that have the words FREE or SALE in bold, that catch the consumers eye when they are walking by.  Putting these signs up gives the stores an opportunity to showcase all the sales they have available.  Wet Seal did a great job of stationing their signs in the middle of the doorway so that customers walking in have to walk by it.  A lot of businesses will be selling the same holiday products for the Christmas season and need ways to set themselves apart from everyone else in order to gain sales.  In Express they put a sign in the middle of the doorway along with one in their window display and inside their store. Their glitter Christmas decorations were also a fantastic eye catcher for consumers passing by. Every consumer likes a good sale, so by displaying it in the front window of stores it gets people into their stores.

Dear Santa...

Even though many college students are a little too old to be writing letters to Santa, many still make a mental list of what they would love to see under their tree on Christmas morning. The past years have seen a rise in handcrafted gifts, since many students have been on a tight budget. While the economy is starting to look up, this trend is still pretty popular for this season. For those times when you are walking around campus and get a little thirsty, what is a better companion than a nice personalized tumbler? Another good idea would be a decorated ornament or ceramic tile capturing a fun memory with you and a friend. However, for guys getting a tumbler or ornament probably wouldn’t go on the top gifts received that year. Now a warm plate of fresh baked cookies might just do the trick! It is expected this year that we will see a huge rise in baked goods as gifts. After all, they say the quickest way to someone’s heart is through their stomach.

While homemade gifts are still a good choice, this year we will see the comeback of discretionary gifts. With the economy starting to look up, who wouldn’t want to splurge on their loved ones? The more popular gifts include the new E-Readers like the Amazon Kindle and Nook Tablet. For the college freshman new to town, what better gift to see under the tree than a new Garmin or TomTom to make sure they never get lost. And of course the newest IPad, IPhone, or IPod would make the top anyone’s list. But in the end, you can never go wrong with a gift card!

Back in Black (Friday)

Get your coffee and Redbull ready!!! The shopping season has begun with the infamous Black Friday shoppers. Thousands of crazy shoppers form lines outside of stores starting Thanksgiving and November 25. Stores have been opening earlier and earlier as the years pass. People are even cutting Thanksgiving dinner short just to get a good deal on a TV. Stores such as Walmart and Target opened up at 10 pm on Thanksgiving! While Fayette mall opened at 4 am on Friday morning and at an unusual 7am on Saturday morning.  This is a picture of the line to get into Walmart at 10pm in Maryland.

With so many people fighting for the same deals a few quarrels are inevitable; someone even broke out their pepper spray to get a deal! In order to get more customers to the Nicholasville Walmart the Kentucky Basketball team made an appearance. People left their spots in the long line just to get a few autographs from the players.  

 This is a picture outside of Macys waiting for the midnight opening in Maryland! Although Black Friday is over there will be plenty of deals continuing throughout the holiday season.

Cyber Monday is another big Internet shopping day for those who are out to get the deals! About 8 of every 10 retailers posts sales on their website starting Sunday, November 27 and continuing through Monday. Cyber Monday is a great day to shop because you can purchase items on sale from work, at home, or even on your phone now. Whether or not Black Friday or Cyber Monday is your thing or not its time to shop, shop, shop because Christmas is just around the corner!

Forever 21 is Finally Here!

The wait is finally over! On Saturday November 12^th, Forever 21 opened their doors in Fayette Mall for their grand opening. The mall was very crowded as people from all around Lexington anxiously awaited the arrival of this beloved store. The new Forever 21 is definitely eye catching for mall shoppers walking by. The bright lights and vivid colors draw attention and invite you in! You could spend FOREVER in this store because of its wide variety of merchandise and its open floor space. The chandeliers and sparkle floors make it the perfect girly destination. 

Forever 21 is great for the college student’s budget because the clothing, shoes, and accessories are inexpensive but trendy.  After choosing an outfit, you can make your way to the middle of the store where there is a great assortment of accessories including everything from watches and earrings to scarves and socks. The shoe selection goes from day to night with everything from flats and boots to dressy pumps. With the holiday season quickly approaching, this retail store is a great place to get holiday gifts for friends and family without spending a fortune. You can find something for just about everyone on your list.