Retailers Gearing Up for Important Holiday Shopping Season

UNDATED -- As the holiday shopping season gets into full swing retail groups say they are seeing a "solid shop in your community" message.

Bruce Nustad is the President of the Minnesota Retailers Association. He says store owners have gotten creative to serve their customers amid COVID-19 concerns.

A lot of curbside, a lot of delivery, a lot of shipping, and of course when it comes to in-store we're actually seeing some hour expansion, the idea being that you spread your customers out a little bit more over a longer day.

Retails sales in the United States grew just .3 percent in October. In a normal year, Nustad says that number would be closer to two percent. He says he'd like to see Congress pass another stimulus bill, including stimulus checks for Americans, yet this holiday shopping season.

Not only oriented toward businesses but again maybe something oriented toward the consumer to spur that consumer spending as well.

Nustad says the retail workforce is a pinch during a normal holiday season, which is also going to be more of a challenge this year.

He says in each community there is a retail ecosystem and it relies on retailers of all different sizes to draw customers in.