If you believe the holiday movies, songs, and Charlie Brown Christmas specials, the holidays are a time for rejoicing, for family and friends, and for introspection.
But it’s also a time for over-the-top consumption.
Although this year, analysts with the National Retail Federation say most average Americans plan to spend about the same year as the last holiday season – except younger adults. 43% of people between the ages of 18 and 24 and 38 percent of those 25-34 say they’ll spend more.
The Nielson Global Survey of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability says millennials are willing to pay more for products that come from brands they consider socially and environmentally sound.
With us to explore the changing practices of holiday consumption – both the opportunities and the challenges facing consumers:
John D’Ambrosio, President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Coastal Carolina which serves 15 coastal counties in North and South Carolina
Shane Elliot, Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina Wilmington in the Department of Sociology and Criminology
Resources:
Avoiding scams: https://www.bbb.org/us/nc/charlotte/news
Protecting Consumers, NC Attorney General Josh Stein:
https://www.ncdoj.gov/getdoc/5145428e-d9e9-4dc1-8e5c-20d04e515a50/Protecting-Consumers.aspx