While it is still too hot outside for most people to get into the holiday spirit, new research suggests that more people are already trying to beat the Black Friday rush by getting a jump start on their holiday shopping.

According to a survey conducted by CouponCabin, 13 percent of American consumers have already began making purchases for the 2012 holiday season, and nearly 20 percent plan to take full advantage of Christmas in July sales.

Surprisingly, out of the almost 2,300 consumers over the age of 18 who participated in the survey, 11 percent claim to make holiday gift purchases all year long.

It appears as if the majority of pre-holiday shoppers are those who have children 6 years and younger, trying desperately to get ahead of the game before being forced to succumb to the perils of last minute shopping.

While nearly a quarter of those who participated in the survey reported that they have already done at least some shopping in preparation of the upcoming holiday season, a whopping 36 percent said they planned to take advantage of those ever-so-popular Christmas in July sales going on this month.

“Every year we see holiday shoppers getting a jump-start earlier and earlier,” said Jackie Warrick, president and chief savings officer at CouponCabin.com. “For many families, planning ahead for holiday shopping is the best option, as it gives them plenty of time to buy gifts and to find the lowest prices possible.”

Out of those participants already claiming to be a ahead of the holiday game, 15 percent say they have already made most of their Christmas purchases, while a shocking four percent claim to be completely finished with their shopping.

If you are one of those people who has not even started thinking about holiday shopping, don’t feel bad. The survey uncovered a solid 36 percent will not even begin to look at a Christmas list until September, while 21 percent say they will wait as long as November.

 

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