AccuWeather has announced a 2017 holiday sales forecast that exceeds National Retail Federation estimates by as much as $4 billion. Founder, President, and Chairman of AccuWeather Joel Myers joins Cheddar to discuss how much of that spending is weather-related.
He says that people get into the holiday shopping mood when the weather gets cold and snowy. And because of that, this has been a positive year for the retail industry. As for those last minute shoppers, Myers says he doesn't see a weather forecast that will impact shipping. He does foresee some delays due to the bottleneck of ordering last minute.
Plus, will you see a White Christmas? Myers predicts no extreme cold or heavy snow in the heavily populated areas around America. Montana and Wyoming will see some snow on Christmas Day, while towns north of Chicago and Detroit will get a dusting as well. However, eastern states aren't expected to see much snowfall this holiday.
Hollywood closed out an up and down 2023 with “Wonka” regaining No. 1 at the box office, strong sales for “The Color Purple” and an overall $9 billion in ticket sales that improved on 2022’s grosses but fell about $2 billion shy of pre-pandemic norms.
2024 is the Year of the Dragon for the Lunar New Year, which kicks off February 10. To commemorate the occasion, the U.S. Post Office unveiled a new dragon stamp.
