Local Bismarck businesses prepare for early holiday shopping

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - Saturday marked the first day of fall, which means the holidays are quickly approaching and stores are getting ready for the season of giving.

The sights of Christmas are already present in some stores across the area. Seeds of Hope Thrift Shop has already started to put its holiday section together. With the holidays fast approaching, it means it’s time to hire seasonal workers. The thrift shop says it has not done a lot of holiday hiring, but focuses more on seasonal volunteers.

“We put a bigger investment into volunteers. We bring more volunteers in for our holiday store, holiday grand opening, and that kind of thing,” said Lisa Ternes, manager of Seeds of Hope Thrift Store.

Red Wing Shoes has also been getting ready for its busy holiday season and says it has actually seen an uptick in people toward the end of summer.

“We stay busy starting probably about the end of August all the way through the holiday season for us. We have our hunting line and we start selling our hunting boots at that time,” said Troy Barber, manager of Red Wing Shoes.

Seeds of Hope has noticed people taking an interest early on in holiday shopping.

“We are always getting questions, whether they are calling on the phone, or coming in and saying when is your holiday store opening?” said Ternes.

Financial advisors say it is smart to shop early for the holidays as it gives someone time to look at what they want to get and put a budget together for their shopping. Advisors also say that people will probably spend less this year due to not having the disposable dollars they had over the past few years.

“COVID stimulus packages have ended, inflation has hit pretty hard, things are more expensive, so they have been dipping into savings and now the next stop is the credit cards,” said David Wald, managing partner of Lux Wealth Advisors.

Businesses are asking people to buy locally.

“For us as a local business, you’re helping not only our store and our employees here in the store, but the money stays in a local setting for us,” said Barber.

It doesn’t matter what someone buys, businesses will be ready to assist in finding that perfect gift.

According to a Bankrate survey, 50% of holiday shoppers will begin before Halloween.

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