WILKES-BARRE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — 'Tis the season to shop. Customers emerged from stores in Wilkes-Barre Township with bags full, some also walking away with a sour taste in their mouths.
"Can you say, 'sticker shock' at a department store?" asked Chuck Hess. "We were just getting little things, and it was over $150, and I said to my wife, 'What was the big-ticket item?' A Britta pitcher was the big-ticket item, so it adds up."
Dawn Shook of Noxen notices prices going up even on the small items.
"Just now, I was buying my granddaughter fruit snacks, and they went up like almost $2.75 a pack. So you're careful what you buy right now."
This Christmas, Shook plans to give her relatives the same amount of money she always does, but she's making adjustments elsewhere.
"It has affected it, you know. Like our travel and stuff, we're not doing that as much, and we're not going out to eat as much."
The increase in prices hasn't deterred shoppers. At Target, the lot's full, and over at Marshall's, it's more of the same.
"I was surprised to see how many people were here too, but we're getting close, you know. About two weeks now," Hess said.
There was a sea of vehicles outside shops around the Arena Hub Plaza. The hustle and bustle fall in line with the National Retail Federation's projections for this holiday season, forecasting the highest sales ever, an 8% to 10% increase from last year. Still, individuals are projected to spend less than in 2019.
Dave Moran and his fiancée started their holiday shopping in late October, concerned about shortages and price increases.
"We kind of had an idea that it was going to be like that, so we figured, start sooner and get things done instead of last-minute trying to get everything all at once," said Moran.
Shopping for three kids this year, they've found it hard to stay on budget.
"We don't want to go over a certain amount. For the past couple of Christmases, we kind of stayed in the same ballpark. For this one, we went a little over, but not crazy."
But at this time of the year, shoppers say there's just no way around it.
"I hate paying the high prices, but if you want it, you're going to pay it," Shook said.
"Just want to have a special Christmas for everybody," Moran added.
Time is running out to get your shopping done before Christmas. We're now just two weeks away from Christmas Eve, and with the supply issues we've seen, shoppers tell me this year is not the year to wait.
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