Holiday shopping in full swing for Illinois retailers

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Some of you may braving the frigid cold to shop til you drop, but others are deciding to stay inside and shop online.

Illinois retailers make the vast majority of their sales from now until the end of the year. Black Friday and small business Saturday are huge opportunities for struggling stores to recover.

The Illinois Retail Merchants Association says Black Friday is recognized as the point of the year when retailers' books went from red to Black with increased sales.

"Given this year and all the impacts with tariffs, inflation, and the government shutdown, this actually might be a year in which the holiday shopping period is really vital and will determine their future," said IRMA President and CEO Rob Karr.

Many stores started their Black Friday deals early in response to consumer trends, according to Karr. There has been a high demand for expensive products like jewelry and electronics, as consumers have been worried about the impact of tariffs on the supply.

Families with kids also drive most of the holiday spending.

"For boys, indications are that Legos, Hot Wheels, and Nintendo sets are big on the asking list," Karr said. "For girls, we're seeing Barbies, Legos, and then Labubu."

Small Business Saturday is critical for mom and pop shops and independent stores, but Karr said many small businesses have added online shopping options out of necessity.

"Many like to shop online and then they might go buy locally," Karr noted. "Or they might research while they're standing in your store, whether it's a large store you're in or a small store you're in."

The National Retail Federation expects overall holiday sales to surpass $1 trillion for the first time ever. Yet, Kar explained this would be the second-highest spend over the past decade.

"We have to keep in mind the impact of inflation and tariffs on that, right? The cost of products are higher," Karr said. "So, that's the spend. It's not necessarily the individual number of products being sold."

Gift cards, clothes, and unique handmade gifts are also expected to be top items people buy over the next few days.

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