The day after Remembrance Day marks the unofficial start of Christmas in many Edmonton stores.

As festive decorations increase, this represents a critical time for retail as shoppers are already looking for the perfect gift.

“We really need to make our vacation the best it can be, just because it keeps us from the slower months,” said Katrina Petryshyn, the owner of Makers Keep.

But has there been a change in what Albertans put in their holiday shopping baskets?

New data shows that, overall, people are visiting stores in person, with an increase in the total number of transactions. But the amount consumers spend each time is declining.

“We’re no longer seeing $50 to $100 per transaction, we’re seeing $30 to $60. It impacts us a lot,” Petryshyn said.

Moneris Canada is able to track trends when people use their credit or debit cards at certain machines, showing that the total number of transactions in Alberta increased by 10 percent around Christmas 2023, but that the amount spent each time is down seven percent. and the trend seems to continue for 2024.

“Throughout the year, two trends were observed. Consumers are making more purchases, but each purchase is a little smaller,” said Peter Goldsztajn, vice president of enterprise data analytics at Moneris in a press release, saying the trends in Alberta are similar across Canada. “In Moneris data, we see this through an increase in the number of transactions, up to 13 percent year-over-year in February, and a decrease in average transaction size to minus 6 percent year-over-year in February. March.”

This belt-tightening isn’t just about vacation spending.

“In the grocery industry, what we’ve seen over the last four years is that the average transaction size remains absolutely stable,” said Sean McCormick, vice president of business development at Moneris, “and it goes completely against everything we hear about inflation. . What consumers do is they look at their budget and say, “I have X amount of dollars to spend a month on things like groceries, and I’m going to make different decisions.” »

Stagnating consumer spending still means pressure for business owners facing inflation, but not without hope for new business owner Wendy Lien.

“I was a heavy equipment operator for 10 years and decided it was time to change my life. I thought I’d give it a shot,” Lien said.

She recently opened Magnolia and Mimosas inside Makers Keep on 124th Street.

By starting small and benefiting from Petryshyn’s mentorship, holiday shoppers will notice her business.

“People don’t notice you online until you have the basics of a store,” Lien said.

Both business owners hope you’ll visit a local store this holiday season.

“Every time you come, even a small purchase like a holiday card, it means the world to us,” Petryshyn said.