More shoppers are using holiday deals to buy necessities rather than gifts
Dec 4, 2024, 10:00 PM | Updated: 10:42 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — Normally, this time of year is when great deals mean great presents under the tree such as that toy for Billy, those socks for mom or a new smoker for dad. But this year, more folks say they are relying on deals to catch up on some of their necessities.
“I have been waiting to buy a new pair of shoes since August,” said Clay Cary, a senior trends analyst at CouponFollow, the coupon and deal website.
In addition to being a man with worn-out treads on his shoes, Cary is a professional penny pincher. It’s his job to study spending trends for CouponFollow, which recently conducted a survey and found he wasn’t the only one shopping for necessities.
In fact, 62% of deal hunters stocked up on essentials, not gifts, on Black Friday.
“I think Black Friday has kind of gone from this fun shopping thing to kind of this necessary holiday,” Cary said.
Necessary, because the dollar simply does not go as far as it used to.
There are solutions for buyers willing to work for it a bit. Cary says there are legitimate deals out there right now.
A couple of years ago, KSL producer Sloan Schrage and I tested browser extensions like the one offered by CouponFollow, which searches the web for coupons and discounts and then alerts you at checkout. At the time, we had wants in the cart. This year, people are hungrier for needs.
“They’re more likely to buy groceries and household supplies than they are Christmas presents,” Cary said.
CouponFollow also found that a fair number of people will go deeper into debt to capitalize on some of the savings. Those savings, of course, quickly evaporate when you carry a balance on your credit card and have to pay it back with interest.
