Forget Halloween. More than 30 million Americans have already started Christmas shopping, according to a new report from CreditCards.com.
The report finds that about one in seven adults have already begun holiday shopping, and 15 percent of Americans will shop earlier this year than last. Shoppers who have already started working on their Christmas list are more likely to be wealthy and more likely to be white. Parents and those who prefer to shop online are also more likely to shop early.
“We love to complain about store putting up holiday displays earlier and earlier each year, but the truth is that millions of Americans start holiday shopping long before the first Christmas tree appears in a store,” CreditCards.com industry analyst Matt Schultz said in a statement.
Related: Americans Just Went on a $32 Billion Credit Card Shopping Spree
About 2 percent of shoppers have already finished their shopping, while more than 20 percent expected to finish by the end of November.
While many consumers think of the holiday shopping season as traditionally starting after Thanksgiving, today’s shoppers are eager to get a head start on playing Santa.
About 80 percent of holiday shoppers start shopping before Thanksgiving, although 15 percent won’t start until after Cyber Monday, according to a 2014 report by Russell Research.
Starting shopping earlier can be beneficial to consumers on a budget, since it allows them to spread out the expense of buying presents. Last year the typical shopper planned to spend more than $800 on gifts for friends and family, a figure that may grow even higher this year as unemployment continues to fall and the economy keep improving.
