Supply chain issues pushed up holiday shopping but Pittsburgh shoppers are still picking up gifts

The dreary weather has not kept shoppers away from malls around the region and parking lots are packed.

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Headed into this holiday season, the National Retail Federation reported that the total number of shoppers and average spending dropped during the extended Thanksgiving weekend.

Experts say early shopping and supply chain concerns pushed up the holiday shopping, with some starting and finishing as early as October.

Major retailers are hoping to keep the holiday sales going strong until next week.

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We spoke with a few shoppers Saturday who say while they’ve done the majority of shopping, they’re still picking up some last-minute items. And from the crowds, they’re not alone.

“They have every register open. Usually I’m in here in the evening when there’s almost nobody shopping so it’s a lot more crowded in there than normal,” explained Richard Koehler.

The National Retail Federation reports holiday sales have risen 4.4% on average over the past five years.

Last year, they hit an all-time high of $777.3 billion.

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