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Most Americans are stressed over holiday spending, inflation, new survey says

By Finn Carlin, Action News Jax
By Finn Carlin, Action News Jax

JACKSONVILLE, Fla — It’s the gift giving season, but a stressful feeling is more present for shoppers this year.

A new Ohio State University survey says high prices due to inflation, travel and our political climate are leaving 81% of Americans on edge.

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This comes as shoppers, like Jana Revels at the Orange Park Mall, are noticing less people flocking to Black Friday deals in stores.

“It’s definitely not crowded at all,” Revels says, “It’s kinda sad, we like it when it’s crowded.”

Revels and, at least some of, her family have been shopping on Black Friday every year since 1993. She showed up to the Orange Park Mall at 5:30 this morning, but never noticed too large a crowd.

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The new survey from Ohio State’s medical center points out a few reasons more shoppers are ditching the stores on Black Friday. The survey finds:

  • 75% of Americans are stressed over holiday spending and high prices at stores
  • 53% feel nervous about getting sick with illnesses like the flu or COVID-19
  • 44% are anxious about traveling after last year’s Southwest travel meltdown

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New Pew Research Center numbers show more of a shift toward online shopping, too. The center says online sales are already $56.9 billion higher than last year, which is expected to get even higher after December.

To limit some of the stress from holiday shopping, Ohio State psychologists encourage you to take charge of what you can control, rather than trying to tackle everything on the list at once.

But for longtime shoppers like Revels, some of these stressors aren’t stopping her family.

“Everybody’s excited about Christmas and being together, so I say come out and try it,” says Revels.

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