Maryland Holiday Shopping: A Tale of Dashing Through the Coupons

On a recent weekday afternoon, young mother Shamia Jacobs walked out of the Walmart in Owings Mills with a large box cradled in her arms.

Her purchase--a desk and easel set for her 3-year-old son—the perfect gift with the added bonus that it had been on sale.

Like many Marylanders who are dealing with the continuing effects of the recession, Jones is on a tight budget—and is in search of the best bargain she can find.

In addition, she's making sacrifices to provide for her family this Christmas.

“I’m definitely going to hold back on things like going out,” Jacobs said.

According to the American Research Group, Inc., shoppers nationwide plan to spend an average of $646 for gifts this holiday season, down 2 percent from $658 in 2010. That’s nearly half of what shoppers planned on spending in 2001, when the average amount people shelled out for the holidays was $1,052.

Even as businesses did aggressive promotions after Thanksgiving and saw better yields than last year, many Maryland consumers say they are spending more time seeking out bargains than ever before. They are also skipping out on making non-essential purchases, and are on a mission to stretch the dollar as far as it will go from taking advantage of sales and promotions, to buying discounted items online.

Lynda DeFord, 56, who was interviewed for this report while shopping at the Mall in Columbia, said she won’t buy anything unless it’s on sale.

“I had coupons today for everything I bought,” DeFord said proudly.

DeFord, who is retired from the Social Security Administration, said that since she is on a fixed income, she is more wary about her holiday spending.

“Expenses have gone up while my income has not,” she explained. “I haven’t had a raise in two years; because of the economy there has been no cost of living adjustment in my pension.”

DeFord says she offsets her income gap by sticking to couponing sites like Living Social and Groupon when she wants to go out, and she makes small lifestyle sacrifices when she can.  However there is one sacrifice this year she is unwilling to make—her annual holiday party.

“It gets me through the year,” she said with a smile.

Another Columbia Mall shopper, Kristine Freund of Elkridge, said she, too, is sticking to essential purchases this holiday season.

”I’m trying to stick within a limited budget,” Freund said. “I’m not spending frivolously like in years past.”

Shopper Carolyn Jasmin had similar sentiments.

This year Jasmin, who recently missed out on a consulting job, hopes to spend about $500 less than she usually does for gifts.

“I’m not doing as much impulse buying as I normally do, and I’m just thinking about the purchases I have to make,” Jasmin said.

However not everyone is changing their spending habits as they relate to the economy.

Suzanne Caruso of Catonsville, a mother of two, said her family hasn’t changed its consumption in recent years.

“I don’t think the economy has changed the way we’re shopping,” Caruso said while she lunched at the mall’s food court. 

In the meantime, the local Toys for Tots Foundation, which serves Baltimore city, Baltimore County, Howard County, and Carroll County, has an increased demand for donations this year.

According to the organization’s coordinator, Sgt. Johnny Kline, there is a demand for 75,000 toys. Last year the organization distributed 58,000 toys.

Kline said that he has seen a number of people this year make toy requests because they have fallen on hard times. 

“There are some people who are barely making ends meet, and barely have enough money to put food on the table,” Kline said.

Those like Vicki and Benjamin Shiro, a young couple from Jessup who were recently spending time together at the Columbia mall, have switched from giving gifts to family members to giving cards instead.

“We can’t afford to buy gifts for everyone, so we buy cards,” Benjamin Shiro said. The Shiros, who have a 1-year-old daughter, had to move back in with their parents this year because of budget constraints.

But despite their financial struggles, the Shiros say they are still excited about the holidays.

“The holidays are about spending time with family—that’s it,” Benjamin Shiro said.