NEW YORK -- The Ah Louis Store in San Luis Obispo, California, turns into a winter wonderland every holiday season.Green garlands, giant nutcrackers, baubles and bows go up in early November on the historic downtown building that houses the gift shop.Inside, customers can choose from over 500 different types of ornaments and a variety of holiday gift baskets.“We really just make it a magical spot,” co-owner Emily Butler said.
“Whether you come in or not, we want to make sure that we’re spreading that holiday joy.”But Butler says she and her twin sister-business partner had to work harder this year to turn browsers into buyers and to make a profit.Many of the decorations and stocking stuffers they sell are made overseas and either did not arrive or got more expensive when President Donald Trump imposed unusually high taxes on imported goods, she said.
In response, the sisters focused their selection on more profitable items like nutcrackers and gift baskets.They've also noticed customers cutting back, selecting a $100 gift basket over the $150 version, or buying one ornament instead of several, Butler said..“We’re definitely seeing more cautious spending this year,” she said.
Along with the unpredictable tariffs, stubborn inflation and weak hiring have shaken consumer confidence in the U.S.economy.
The vast majority of U.S.adults say they’ve noticed higher than usual prices for groceries, electricity and holiday gifts in recent months, according to a December poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.A Gallup index that summarizes Americans’ assessments of current economic conditions fell to a 17-month low in November.
Consumers also indicated less enthusiasm for spending money on holiday gifts; their estimated gift budgets decreased $229 between October and November, the largest drop Gallup has recorded at that point of the holiday shopping season.The survey was conducted in November, partially during the govern...