OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Despite warnings from state and local officials to stay home Thursday, shoppers in Overland Park showed up with clear goals in mind.
Whether it was acquiring an ornament as part of a holiday tradition or replacing presents that won’t arrive on time, Kansas Citians seemed unbothered by the cold.
“Saturday, I don’t want to do anything. Tomorrow, I don’t feel like doing anything,” said father Dwight Shakespeare. “I just got a five-day break, so might as well do it and get it done with.”
Shakespeare said he got a message from Amazon stating some of the gifts for his children would not arrive before Christmas, so he decided to find replacements.
“For the most part, yeah, this is going to be a hit,” he said.
The Prickett family also woke up with a mission on Thursday, an appointment they did not intend to cancel.
Showing off this year’s portrait with Santa, Brian Prickett admitted the drive was not ideal.
“It looked like a blizzard out there,” Prickett said. “But we’ve been blessed to have an SUV with 4-wheel drive. Took it slow and careful. Not worried about passing anybody or anything like that.”
With completion of the meeting, the Pricketts are now focused on the holiday itself.
“We will be around our family, and that’s more memories to share,” Brian Prickett said. “I’m looking forward to it.”
The National Retail Federation expects this holiday season to see a 6-8% increase in holiday purchases compared to 2021, amounting to around $950 billion.
Online sales are expected to increase by 10-12% compared to last year, meaning online sales are growing at a faster rate than overall sales.
