NOVEMBER 2021 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 23
PRESS BUSINESS
While the times are changing, so are shopping patterns, which are different from pre-pandemic trends. (Getty Images)
SPENDING HABIT SHIFT
RETAIL RECOVERING, ALTHOUGH PRE-PANDEMIC HEIGHTS REMAIN ELUSIVE
BY CLAUDE SOLNIK
You don’t have to be a weathervane to know which way the wind is blowing or an economist
to get a sense of how the economy is doing. Just stop by a store. In Plainview, Trio Hardware
is seeing more customers stream in. P.C. Richard and Son, which offers fi rst responder
discounts, is getting busier. Restaurants are getting more crowded along with more takeout
orders: You may need a reservation where until recently you did not. Barbershops are
busier. Long Island is recovering as we head into the holiday retail season, although it’s
hard to say what the new normal will be and what will happen in the winter.
Numbers and predictions paint pictures in ways that individual experience cannot,
when it comes to the state of the local economy. Stores don’t expect to be spooked
by soft sales. Deloitte predicts holiday retail will surge 7% to 9% while e-commerce
sales are expected to grow 11% to 15% over 2020. E-commerce holiday sales are
projected to grow 11% to 15%, compared to 2020. Black Friday, Cyber Monday and
Small Business Saturday on Nov. 27 could boost sales.
continued on page 24 WHAT’S INSIDE
CORNER
25OFFICE WHOLLY
27 MOLI MOVERS
26 & SHAKERS NONPROFIT
28 FUNDRAISERS CHARITY
29 SPOTLIGHT LI
31 WORKS
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