• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
RetailChristmas shopping

Here’s How Many People Are Already Done With Their Christmas Shopping

By
Martha C. White
Martha C. White
and
Money
Money
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Martha C. White
Martha C. White
and
Money
Money
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 29, 2016, 4:21 AM ET
Retailers Open On Thanksgiving Evening, Starting Black Friday Sales Early
(Photo by Kena Betancur/Getty Images)Photograph by Kena Betancur—Getty Images

This article originally appeared on Money.com.

Stores roll out holiday sale ads and merchandise earlier every year, and American shoppers are playing along — although we are still complaining about it. According to a new survey from CreditCards.com, 34 million people, or 14% of Americans, have already started their holiday shopping — and 1 million say they’ve already finished.

The majority of shoppers, though, say they won’t finish until December, and a surprising 30% admit they won’t be done until Christmas Eve — a figure that goes up to 37% for shoppers under the age of 30.

People are more in agreement regarding their collective dislike of “Christmas creep”: About three-quarters of survey respondents agreed that the practice is “annoying,” and nearly half of respondents strongly agreed with that sentiment. (No word on how many people find those early-bird shoppers annoying, though.)

“The majority thinks stores should begin putting up their holiday displays and advertising holiday sales around Thanksgiving,” CreditCards.com senior industry analyst Matt Schulz said in a statement.

Despite the hordes at the malls, almost six in 10 people say they prefer to shop in stores, while about one in five prefer shopping online using a computer, and about one in 10 say their phone or tablet will be their main shopping vehicle this year. Surprisingly, it’s not the youngest shoppers who rely most on their mobile devices: shoppers between the ages of 30 and 49 have the highest percentage of mobile use, at 18%.

About the Authors
By Martha C. White
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Money
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Retail

Sarandos
CommentaryAntitrust
Netflix, Warner, Paramount and antitrust: Entertainment megadeal’s outcome must follow the evidence, not politics or fear of integration
By Satya MararDecember 12, 2025
31 seconds ago
InvestingMarkets
Retail investors drive stocks to a pre-Christmas all-time high—and Wall Street sees a moment to sell
By Jim EdwardsDecember 12, 2025
45 minutes ago
Five panelists seated; two women and five men.
AIBrainstorm AI
The race to deploy an AI workforce faces one important trust gap: What happens when an agent goes rogue?
By Amanda GerutDecember 11, 2025
14 hours ago
Oreo
RetailFood and drink
Zero-sugar Oreos headed to America for first time
By Dee-Ann Durbin and The Associated PressDecember 11, 2025
1 day ago
RetailGrocery
Instacart may be jacking up your grocery prices using AI, study shows—a practice called ‘smart rounding’
By Dave Lozo and Morning BrewDecember 10, 2025
2 days ago
Doug McMillon, president and chief executive officer of Wal-Mart Stores
SuccessCareers
Walmart’s retiring CEO Doug McMillon spent 40 years climbing the ranks—he reveals the one thing he’s most looking forward to is a ‘blank calendar’
By Emma BurleighDecember 10, 2025
2 days ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
At 18, doctors gave him three hours to live. He played video games from his hospital bed—and now, he’s built a $10 million-a-year video game studio
By Preston ForeDecember 10, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Investing
Baby boomers have now 'gobbled up' nearly one-third of America's wealth share, and they're leaving Gen Z and millennials behind
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 8, 2025
4 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Palantir cofounder calls elite college undergrads a ‘loser generation’ as data reveals rise in students seeking support for disabilities, like ADHD
By Preston ForeDecember 11, 2025
21 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
‘We have not seen this rosy picture’: ADP’s chief economist warns the real economy is pretty different from Wall Street’s bullish outlook
By Eleanor PringleDecember 11, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Uncategorized
Transforming customer support through intelligent AI operations
By Lauren ChomiukNovember 26, 2025
16 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
‘Be careful what you wish for’: Top economist warns any additional interest rate cuts after today would signal the economy is slipping into danger
By Eva RoytburgDecember 10, 2025
2 days ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.