Hy-Vee notes 11th-hour shoppers this Christmas
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Store directors at Hy-Vee said they noticed customers delay to purchase certain items until Christmas Eve.
Specialty items, including such products as cocktail sauce, heavy whipping cream and batteries; stock-up items, including beverages and eggs; and gifts and entertainment items tend to be purchased in the 11th hour.
What could be motivating these last-minute shopping trips is the fact that most stores are closed on Christmas Day, the Hy-Vee store directors noted. "That seems to be their motivation — go to the store on Christmas Eve, or else you do without for a couple days," said Bob Trader, Hy-Vee store director in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Hy-Vee operates 231 retail stores in eight Midwestern states.