The Fall Season is all About Holiday Shopping, Football, and Preparing for a Family Filled Thanksgiving
The temperatures have dropped, leaves are on the floor, and the winter wardrobe is making its way to the front of the closet.
Fall-elujah, the fall season is here, and it’s a beautiful time of the year. Hillsides are painted in all kinds of amazing colors, harvest and wine festivals are on the schedule, and exciting NFL and college football are now in week nine and ten, respectively.
The season began on September 8, 2022, with the defending Super Bowl LVI champion Los Angeles Rams falling to Buffalo in the NFL Kickoff Game and will end on January 8, 2023.
The playoff picture is finally taking shape. In week eight, the Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, and Tennessee Titans all picked up big wins to improve their playoff positions.
Going in the losing direction have been the New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
For college football, the playoff picture is also looking brighter. The season has had several key upsets, massive comebacks, and big plays. Sixteen teams in the latest college football AP Top 25 are now on the road this week including 7 of the top 10.
ESPN’s writers have chosen their four playoff teams and two things have remained consistent: Georgia and Ohio State have made every ballot, every week.
One fun highlight of the season happened this past Saturday when Maryland offensive lineman Johari Branch, at 6 foot-3 and 330 pounds, did a graceful cartwheel across the goal line after teammate Roman Hemby scored a 75-yard touchdown against Northwestern in the fourth quarter.
While the fall season is highly recognized as football season and a time to meet up with friends in living rooms or at the stadiums, it’s also a time to get lost in a corn maze, get hot chocolate anywhere you can find it, and go apple and pumpkin picking.
It’s also the time to prepare for the big holiday sales. Fall represents an exciting holiday season from the end of September to the end of December.
Halloween has wrapped up, and now Thanksgiving and Christmas are around the corner, which means holiday shopping is about to go into full speed as Black Friday sales fast approach.
Some Black Friday deals are arriving earlier than ever this year with deals popping up left and right on everything from 4K TVs to air fryers.
Consumers are rushing to get an early start while retailers, including Walmart, Target, and Amazon, try to unload their excess inventory.
In 2021, supply chains were battered and had made it difficult for retailers to adequately stock their shelves. 2022 is a different story as retailers have amassed massive inventories. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. retailers had a record $732 billion of inventory as of July. That’s a 21% uptick from last year.
It’s no surprise that several of the nation’s top retailers are running big promotions ahead of the holiday sales.
On Oct. 11 and 12, Amazon ran its second Prime Day event and is now routinely discounting items. Target ran a Deal Days promotion from Oct. 6-8 and now has many Black Friday deals being advertised on its website, from weighted blankets to robot vacs. The e-commerce giant is now offering the iPad mini w/ 64GB for $399 when it’s regularly priced at $499. The company’s Echo (4th Gen) is also selling for $49 when it usually goes for $99.
Walmart, the top retailer in the U.S., has also recently announced plans to offer many holiday discounts beginning in early November.
Electronics retailer Best Buy is too offering up scores of early bird deals, which includes an LG A2 48″ 4K OLED TV for $569. The original price is $1,299. The company is also offering a MacBook Pro 14″ (M1 Pro/512GM) for $1,599, regularly priced at $1,999 and a Ninja Foodi 10 Quart 6-in-1 Air Fryer at $129, regularly priced at $249.
Ealy holiday shopping has become a priority for many shoppers. According to Salesforce, 37% of US shoppers (and 42% worldwide) plan to buy gifts earlier this year. Getting holiday shopping done in November could take a lot of stress off the plate and offers a way to capitalize on some great deals. It’s also a great excuse to buy that fabulous new coat.
Especially as Thanksgiving approaches and families across the U.S. want to focus their attention on preparing for the holiday. It’s time to make grocery lists, check the server and cooking ware, and book tickets for college kids to return home.
Whether it’s with a cup of hot cocoa or a seasoned cocktail, fall is the season to cozy up and start celebrating the magic of the holidays. And don’t forget to “fall” back this Sunday. On November 6th at 2 a.m., we will fall back one hour and get an extra hour of much-needed sleep.
Sources:
https://www.tomsguide.com/deals/live/black-friday-deals-and-sales-2022-live-blog
https://www.insiderintelligence.com/content/holiday-shopping-season-starting-earlier-than-ever