It’s a wait-and-see attitude regarding Christmas holiday spending across the Commonwealth. That's according to officials with the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. Kate Shanks is the senior vice president for public affairs with the Chamber. She said the business umbrella group leaders know consumer sentiment is low with both individuals and businesses concerned about the economy.
“But at the same time people are still spending and businesses are still hiring. So, we have a real interesting economy right now that we’re dealing with and I think there’s going to be a lot of attention this holiday season to see what kind of spending comes of it,” said Shanks
Shanks noted many businesses are trying to ramp up employment while consumers are trying to keep up with inflation. And the Chamber official added shoppers have lots of options with both online and in-store buying.
Shanks said the Commonwealth is a logistics hub for the nation and even the world when it comes to online purchasing.
“If you’re shopping online, there’s a good chance it’s going to run through UPS World Port. You’re going to be possibly shopping from Amazon which has a big hub in northern Kentucky. So, we put a lot of people to work in Kentucky within our logistics industry in sector of the economy,” said Shanks
Shanks said holiday shopping options are important to combat inflation figures. She noted the COVID pandemic has been a substantial factor in the past couple of Christmas seasons. Shanks added the Chamber follows the jobs report month by month.
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