Independent retailers work to beat big-boxes to the punch

Small shops that rely on seasonal sales are looking to avoid deep discounting by ushering in the holiday season early, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Even more than in previous years, small shops have to worry that penny-pinching consumers will go elsewhere, experts say. Customers have “shifted a lot of their spending away from the specialty retailers and moved toward mass value centers like Wal-Mart,” says Frank Badillo, senior economist at Retail Forward, a research and consulting firm specializing in the retail industry.

Ellen Davis, vice president of the National Retail Federation, says small businesses and specialty stores stand to be passed over this holiday season. “When price becomes a priority, other factors take a backseat,” she says. “A consumer might be less concerned with quality, service or convenience.”