Forget Halloween, it's Christmas already for some American shoppers

Yes, we're just past Labor Day and we've already heard about some stores putting up Christmas trees before stocking the Halloween candy.

But as early as it may seem for retailers to be shifting to holiday shopping, when Back-to-School season just ended, they're actually on to something.

Almost half, or 48%, of holiday shoppers surveyed by Bankrate say they are planning to begin their buying by Halloween.

Why is the holiday shopping season starting already?

Though some lament that the holiday shopping season starts earlier every year, retailers are responding to demand, said Ted Rossman, Bankrate senior industry analyst.

"It's true, the season has gotten stretched out,'' Rossman told USA TODAY, adding that the latest survey results are mostly consistent with what Bankrate has seen the past few years.

"About one in eight early birds have already started and about one in eight are planning to start sometime this month. October in particular, has become the unofficial holiday kickoff," he said.

Special retailer sale events like Amazon Prime Days, Target Circle Week and Walmart's Holiday Deals are contributing to the early rush, encouraging early holiday shopping. That trend developed during the Covid-19 pandemic when Amazon first moved Prime Day from the summer to the fall, said Rossman.

Amazon recently announced it would have a second Prime Day in October, but the date has not yet been released.

Rossman also said supply-chain problems during the pandemic caused holiday shoppers to start earlier for fear of losing out on the gifts they wanted to buy. Now, even though the supply chain is better, the shopping habits persist, he said.

"Some of it's actually morphed into more of a desire to spread out your cash flow," Rossman said. "With high inflation, people are very price conscious, and to the extent that they can spread it out, that's a good thing."

Will people spend more or less on holiday gifts?

The economy is affecting people's budgets and holiday shopping plans this year.

According to the new survey, 24% of people said they plan to spend more than last year. Meanwhile, just over a third of holiday shoppers said inflation will change the way they shop this season (34%).

Here are some other highlights from the study:

• One third of holiday shoppers, or 33%, said they expect to spend less than they did last year.
• Just over 2 in 5 shoppers, or 43%, said they expect to spend the same as last year.
• Younger holiday shoppers said they are more likely than older shoppers to spend more this year than they did in 2023. Here's the breakdown by age: 40% of Gen Z (ages 18 to 27) and 31% of Millennial holiday shoppers (ages 28 to 43) expect to spend more. Nineteen percent of Gen Xers (ages 44 to 59) and 15% of Baby Boomer shoppers (ages 60 to78) say they'll spend more.
• While nearly half, or 48%, of shoppers surveyed said they plan to start their holiday shopping before the end of October, 12% said they were starting before Aug. 31 and 13% planned to start in September. Almost a quarter, or 24%, said they'd wait until October, while 37% would wait until November and 15% would wait until December.
• Overall, about a third, or 34%, of those surveyed said inflation will affect the way they shop this year.
• More than 1 in 4 shoppers, or 28%, said they were stressed about the cost of holiday shopping.
• About 3 in 10, or 29%, plan to have money specifically set aside or budgeted for their holiday spending and more than 1 in 4, (28%), say holiday shopping will place a strain on their personal finances. Sixteen percent of those surveyed said they feel pressured to spend more than they are comfortable with.

How are people going to holiday shop this year?

• Some 42% of holiday shoppers said they will shop online this year while 23% plan to shop mostly in-person. 
• Debit cards will beat out credit cards as the most popular payment method this holiday season (58% to 54%) while 48% of people say they will use cash and 11% say they'll use buy now pay later services.
• More than a quarter, or 27%, of shoppers are expecting to take on debt this holiday season, which includes using a credit card and paying the balance over multiple billing cycles and those who will use buy now pay later services. 
• More than 1 in 3 parents with children under 18, or 36% are expected to take on debt this holiday season compared with 24% who have adult children (ages 18+) and 25% of non-parents.

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Tips for your holiday shopping

Check return policies: A lot of retailers have extended return policies so your loved ones can return the gift after the holiday. Many retailers seem to have extended those return policies beginning in October since many shoppers are starting their holiday shopping by then, said Rossman. But if you shop really early, that holiday return time period may not have started, so ask the retailer, he said. Also, check your credit card for potential extra return protections, he said.

Check price-matching: Retailers may price match if you buy something and see it cheaper later or at another retailer. But check the fine print; many don't price-match special sales, or Black Friday-type deals, Rossman said. Some credit cards also have price protection, but many card companies have reduced those perks, he said.

Stack discounts: Combine a store promotion with a rewards credit card and a digital coupon or a third-party browser extension that helps you find deals, said Rossman.

Spread out your buying and your budget: Sketch out a budget, sketch out a gift list and use technology tools to comparison shop, said Rossman. Then "set money aside from every paycheck between now and the holidays, so that you're not going into debt and to make sure that you have money budgeted for this."

Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] or follow her on X, Facebook or Instagram @blinfisher. Sign up for our free The Daily Money newsletter, which will include consumer news on Fridays,here.