By George Anderson
The official holiday selling season has just begun and, Black Friday and Cyber Monday reports aside, it's too early to predict how it will all turn out, say retail industry experts.
Michael Niemira, chief economist for the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), said only six percent of U.S. households have completed their holiday shopping, "So there's a lot more to see before we write the history of the season."
Jacqueline Bass, store director for a Burlington Coat Factory store in Oklahoma City, said it is the end of the season not the beginning that matters most.
"Holiday shoppers really haven't even gotten started," she said. "The week of Christmas is normally the heaviest for us."
Moderator's Comment: Are consumers shopping differently, in terms of when, for this holiday season than they have in the past? Is there a most important period (days/week) during the retail holiday sales season? - George Anderson - Moderator