The early results from the weekend, which has traditionally kicked off holiday shopping in the United States, show how the season is being upended by the pandemic. Chains have replicated deals once limited to stores on their websites and canceled visits with Santa Claus to minimize crowds. Americans were already spending online before the pandemic, but the crisis has accelerated the trend. About 59 percent of shoppers had started their holiday shopping by early November this year, the National Retail Federation said. “The ability to pull the holiday forward may linger with us,” said Simeon Siegel, a retail analyst at BMO Capital Markets.

Source: New York Times November 30, 2020 22:18 UTC