You Better Buy Your Christmas Presents a Lot Earlier This Year

It's only the beginning of August and you may not be ready to think about your Christmas shopping but you better start early this year. Here's why.

It seems like every year you start seeing the next season's merchandise coming out earlier and earlier. Just this past weekend I saw some big box stores already getting the Halloween candy ready at the end of July. Pretty soon we'll be seeing Starbucks rolling out their Pumpkin Spice products and Spirit Halloween store signs going up.

One thing you should be thinking about already is Christmas shopping. If it's too early to think of Halloween you may be wondering "How is it not too early to be thinking about Christmas?" But if you want to make sure your loved ones get the presents they really want this year, you need to start shopping soon.

According to Fortune, retailers are anticipating a toy shorage this holiday season and are urging parents to start their holiday shopping early so they can make sure they get their gifts without any delays or issues. Industry experts are pointing to shipping issues that are causing disruptions and could cause months-long delays for some products.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

On top of the delays in shipping, some products could also go up in price and that's being seen for some toys. Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz said on an earnings call that it's "hard to tell what the future may hold." The price of Barbies, Hot Wheels, American Girl, and Fischer Price is expected to be higher in the second half of this year.

Holiday toys are usually rolled out during the Fall season and if the shipping delays continue, Christmas toys may not hit the shelves until the end of the Fall season. So if you are a person who loves to get their holiday shopping done early, you may want to start earlier than ever this year.