Inflation means holiday shopping is starting sooner for some

Stubbornly high inflation is changing the way people are shopping for the holidays.

People are recalculating how much they can spend on gifts and spreading out their Christmas shopping, meaning they’re starting sooner. Consumer Reports says that’s led retailers to start offering deals earlier than ever.

September’s Consumer Price Index showed we’re still paying around 6% more for commodities than the same time last year. That has holiday shoppers nervous.

"One of the reasons that people are shopping earlier is they’re afraid that things might become more expensive," says Consumer Reports Deals Editor Samantha Gordon.

Big discounts are coming this holiday season

Gordon says the other fear is things may sell out.

"Especially video game consoles," she says. "We see year, after year, after year they’re always going out of stock. So those are the things that you want to grab as early as you can."

Retailers have responded to the change.

"It’s not even Halloween and there have already been some major sales at major retailers with Black Friday level pricing," Gordon told 5 On Your Side.

However, Gordon cautions not to expect the biggest deals to actually fall on Black Friday.

"They’re better than other times of the year for sure, but they’re not rock bottom prices. They’re not those doorbuster lineup-at-4-am-prices anymore."

So, if you see your prized holiday gift on sale now, Gordon says go ahead and buy it.

And don’t forget about the major shipping delays of the last few years. Gordon says things should be better this year, but shipping will slow down the closer we get to Christmas.