Holiday shoppers, stores try and stay ahead

Get it while you can.

That appears to be the sentiment this year of holiday shopping in Creston.

“There is a lot of shopping,” said Lori Means of Lori’s Boutique.

Means said the holiday buys started in early November in her clothing store. She speculates the troubles with the supply chain, including items for holiday gifts, are what is fueling people to buy sooner. The long lasting COVID-19 pandemic around the world has slowed down production of products in other countries and the delivery of the items to their destinations.

Means said she had one customer who was not going to get picky.

“She knew what she was buying for. She was going to take what was available.” she said.

Even with the potential disruption of the production and delivery of gift items, Means still expects some annual shopping habits will never go away.

“There will be last minute. Some people wait,” she said. “We get both ends of the spectrum.”

Bomgaars store Manager Wendy Toogood said her store had a strong start to the season.

“We had a great black Friday,” she said. She credits store administration for being prepared.

“Our buyer have been amazing and went over the top. They have been working hard to keep us supplied. They reached out to other vendors, not just our normal ones, to buy additional products. Our buyers are have done a phenomenal job. Without them, we couldn’t,” she said.

Toogood said Bomgaars wants to be the “to go” place knowing their locations.

“We are in a a lot of small towns where people have to travel. We do what we can to keep our customers so they don’t have to go,” she said.

Even with the warm weather, Toogood said people are also thinking winter.

“We already have people buying snowblowers and shovels. On black Friday, it was ice melt,” she said.

Creston Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ellen Gerharz said she has heard from members holiday sales have been steady since Black Friday.

“Black Friday was very busy. People said they were really busy with traffic,” she said. “And they hope it will continue.”

Other than the supply chain, Gerharz said people don’t want their item, should they have to send them elsewhere, to be stuck behind.

“It’s the shipping. I think that has forced people to purchase earlier,” she said. “Gift cards are much easier,” she laughed about alternative gift options.

With a weekend that kicked off Thursday with the town’s annual Lighted Parade, more events are in the coming days.

“This weekend should be great. These are the things that will get people out,” she said.

Other organizations that provide during the holidays have been proactive.

Toys for Tots, the nation’s most well known toy donation drive run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve, is not expecting shortages, said David Cooper, the organization’s vice president of operations. He said the organization purchased about $16.5 million worth of toys this spring to mitigate any impact supply chain issues might have on donations.

There are concerns more families might register to receive toys from them this year due to higher costs. However, a Toys for Tots spokesperson says early indicators for their holiday collection efforts point in a positive direction.

Some of their donations in the past have gone towards The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program, which also collects gifts for children and families in need during the holidays. The organization estimates about 5 million gifts are donated each year though the program. Though this year, Kenneth Hodder, Salvation Army’s commissioner, says there are concerns many kids might not receive their gifts on time.

At the Christian relief charity Samaritan’s Purse, the concerns center around shipping delays. David Thompson, the senior director for the international portion of the group’s “Operation Christmas Child” project, says the organization is aiming to send 9.7 million shoeboxes filled with Christian materials and gifts to children in more than 100 countries. But a shortage of truckers, delivery equipment and other factors have slowed things down.

“We have to be flexible,” Thompson said. “But our in-country teams, volunteers and logistical networks are strong. And we’re confident that the program will be carried out at the same level of excellence in scope that it has been in the past.”

Associated Press contributed to this story.