About 12 percent of shoppers are going to wait to finish their shopping until Dec. 23, a National Retail Federation survey shows. Most retailers are closing around 6 p.m. on Dec. 24, and will shut down completely for Christmas Day.
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In these last hours leading up to the holidays, consumers are more likely to head out to brick-and-mortar stores since most shipping deadlines have passed for online shopping. Gordon Gough, the president and CEO of the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants, told this newspaper that retailers do considerably well in the week before Christmas.
“We’ll get to a point … where expedited shipping may not get the items to someone’s house,” Gough said. “Their only option is going to be getting their gifts in the brick-and-mortar stores.”
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Retailers are estimated to bring in more than $655 billion in revenue — and a portion of those sales will happen in the coming days. Holiday spending in Ohio is expected to grow slightly this year compared to 2015, bringing in an estimated $22 billion statewide.
In 2015, holiday sales resulted in more than $21 billion in revenue throughout the state, according to the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants.
Locally, the Dayton Mall and the Mall at Fairfield Commons will open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Dec. 23, and will stay open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve. An official for the malls said they’ve already seen thousands of visitors this holiday season. The malls are closed on Christmas Day.
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“We expect to finish the season strong as thousands more visit each property following Christmas to cash in their gift cards and take advantage of the great deals offered by our celebrated retailers,” said Shelley Sloan, regional marketing manager at Washington Prime Group.
The Greene Town Center in Beavercreek also offered extended hours for the season, and will remain open until 10 p.m. on Dec. 23. The center closes at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, and opens back up on Dec. 26.
“We had an extremely strong turnout on Black Friday and the following weekend at The Greene, and we believe this trend will continue throughout the holiday season,” said Steve Willshaw, general manager of The Greene. “During Thanksgiving weekend, we saw the highest vehicle traffic since the center opened a decade ago.”
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Though local Target stores have varied hours before the holidays, several locations will stay open until midnight on Dec. 23. The retailer also will have locations remaining open until 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Local Best Buy stores will open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Dec. 23, and will close at 6 p.m. on Dec. 23.
In Ohio, all indicators show that sales are up and retailers should finish the season strong. The Ohio Council of Retail Merchants and the University of Cincinnati Economics Center found that the state is likely to see a 1.54 percent increase in holiday retail spending this year.
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Shoppers shouldn’t expect retailers to open on Christmas Day. In the Miami Valley, most pharmacies like Walgreens and CVS will remain open. Gas stations like Speedway, 7-Eleven and Circle K will also open for the holiday. Most stores return to normal business hours in the week after Christmas, until New Years Eve.
QUICK HOLIDAY READS:
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