Americans Fret the Most About Holiday Shopping

By Trey Thoelcke Published Oct 17, 7:50AM EDT

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One in four Americans are worried about the cost of the upcoming holiday season, according to results of a study released by RetailMeNot.com, the largest digital coupon website in the U.S. That put the United States at the top of the list of the 11 nations studied.

However, nearly half of U.S. holiday shoppers (48%) expect to spend about the same as they did last year on the December holidays. Only about 8% believed they would spend more. The international average was 9%, though more than one in four holiday shoppers in China (29%) and India (27%) said that they likely would spend more.

More than a third of respondents in the United States (35%), France (35%) and Great Britain (36%) said they expect to spend less in November and December this year than last year.

The National Retail Federation had forecast holiday season sales growth of 3.9%, which is higher than in the past few years. However, the recent political wrangling in Washington has given both retailers and consumers plenty to be concerned about.

The survey also showed that 40% of Americans planned to start shopping before October. Furthermore, about 22% holiday shoppers in the United States buy holiday gifts all throughout the year to spread out the cost.

And approximately 90% of Americans plan to do at least some of their holiday shopping online. The international average was 84%, with online shopping particularly popular in China, Great Britain and Germany.

About the Author Trey Thoelcke →

Trey has been an editor and author at 24/7 Wall St. for more than a decade, where he has published thousands of articles analyzing corporate earnings, dividend stocks, short interest, insider buying, private equity, and market trends. His comprehensive coverage spans the full spectrum of financial markets, from blue-chip stalwarts to emerging growth companies.

Beyond 24/7 Wall St., Trey has created and edited financial content for Benzinga and AOL's BloggingStocks, contributing additional hundreds of articles to the investment community. He previously oversaw the 24/7 Climate Insights site, managing editorial operations and content strategy, and currently oversees and creates content for My Investing News.

Trey's editorial expertise extends across multiple publishing environments. He served as production editor at Dearborn Financial Publishing and development editor at Kaplan, where he helped shape financial education materials. Earlier in his career, he worked as a writer-producer at SVE. His freelance editing portfolio includes work for prestigious clients such as Sage Publications, Rand McNally, the Institute for Supply Management, the American Library Association, Eggplant Literary Productions, and Spiegel.

Outside of financial journalism, Trey writes fiction and has been an active member of the writing community for years, overseeing a long-running critique group and moderating workshop sessions at regional conventions. He lives with his family in an old house in the Midwest.