With Thanksgiving falling on Nov. 28 this year, retailers are faced with the shortest shopping season possible, with only 26 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Partnership for Haddonfield coordinator Remi Fortunato said she believes most businesses are not focusing on the negative aspect of the short season. Instead, they are looking forward to the season with numerous initiatives in place to help keep the holiday shopping momentum continuing throughout the season. Included was Small Business Weekend, which was held from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1.
“Last year, we really did great on Saturday, and it was really a great promotion,” Fortunato said.
With booming sales for businesses in Haddonfield’s downtown shopping area on last year’s Small Business Saturday, Fortunato explained that the hope was to continue the momentum throughout the entire weekend.
“Each year, we’ve seen it grow,” she said in regard to Small Business Saturday. “The merchants are enthusiastic to see how much it will grow this year.”
This year, Small Business Saturday was nationally observed on Nov. 30. Starting as a movement by American Express, the U.S. Senate officially recognized the Saturday after Thanksgiving as Small Business Saturday in 2011, according to the American Express website.
Fortunato added that a sizeable number of small businesses in Haddonfield are already registered with the American Express website.
“We encourage all small businesses who take American Express to register,” Fortunato said.
Jack Whitcraft, owner of The Candy Buffet, also agreed with Fortunato, as he said he has watched his revenue on Small Business Saturday grow every year. With a stronger advertising campaign, he said the movement is effectively making people more aware of small businesses during the holiday season.
“It’s a conscious effort by people to shop small in town,” Whitcraft said.
Instead of just being observed on one day, the borough held Small Business Weekend for three days to continue the shopping momentum.
“Small Business Weekend can be compared to big box store’s Black Friday promotions,” Fortunato said.
In addition to the number of discounts and trunk sales, which were hosted by small retailers and businesses throughout the weekend, there are also several others that are ongoing, such as 10 percent off Haddonfield gift certificates and the borough’s Candlelight Night, which will held every Friday night until Christmas.
Karen Morgan and Pat Catalini, owners of Pearl Clutch, also plan to host their own events during the shopping season to help promote business even more, with a customer appreciation night on Dec. 5 and guy’s night out for Dec. 19.
As a relatively new business in Haddonfield, Morgan and Catalini explained that this will be the shop’s first full holiday shopping season, but recalled last year’s Candlelight Nights.
“We did really well with it, and I think we’ll do well this year,” Morgan said.
To prepare for the short season, Morgan said that while the shop is open seven days a week, Sunday hours have been extended.
“We actually moved into Christmas very early,” Morgan said.
She explained that holiday items were set up in the shop after Halloween this year.
Catalini said most of their customers have seemed aware of the short holiday shopping season, but said they are also expecting to see a decent number of last-minute shoppers.
“We’re going to be very prepared for the last 10 days,” Morgan said.
Whitcraft said he has also noticed chatter from patrons in regard to the short shopping season, but said he has not seen a change in purchase patterns.
“I’ve been here 10 years, and it’s just business as usual,” Whitcraft said.
While Whitcraft’s daily operations have remained unchanged, he found that with Thanksgiving falling during Hanukkah, the store had to be more Hanukkah oriented than usual for this time of year.
From his years of experience in retail, Whitcraft said people are more likely to shop impulsively due to the shorter shopping season.
“When there’s a long season, people shop,” Whitcraft said. “When there’s a short season, people buy.”
Whitcraft also said the weather plays a large role in sales during the holidays, as he recalled a past year when 15 inches of snow kept customers out of his store for the entire weekend before Christmas.
“Those are the things that impact small business,” he said.
Whitcraft added that there is a large population within the borough that consciously makes an effort to shop at local businesses.
“Without question, I see people in Haddonfield shop small,” Whitcraft said. “It’s appreciated.”
