Inflation during the Holidays

Hinsdale Central students find ways to manage inflation during the season of gift-giving.

by jenna feng & leah packer

Whether it’s for White Elephant with classmates, exchanging presents with relatives, or treating themselves to a gift, shopping is an essential part of the holiday season for many students. Though gift-giving can be exciting, most are finding that the recent increase in prices are far from that. As inflation rises, people are forced to be a little more careful with their annual holiday shopping. As a result, students have developed different strategies that help deal with this issue while still maintaining a festive holiday spirit.

Inflation has been affecting the economy for many years, but prices have especially skyrocketed after the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, many manufacturers were slowed or even shut down due to quarantine, which caused severe supply chain issues. These difficulties raised costs for production, materials, and labor, pushing prices to go up significantly year by year.

A popular holiday for many shoppers and students at Hinsdale Central was Black Friday. However, this year, inflation changed the shopping market. According to CNBC, retail sales fell 0.6% in November, as people were becoming more strategic with what they were buying.

“After Covid, I go to the mall less and do more online shopping,” said Husna Qazi, sophomore.

This trend is reflected nationally beyond Hinsdale Central, as online shopping sales have increased while in-person shopping seems to be on a decline. Some students still enjoy traditional forms of shopping like going in person to stores, though.

“I actually prefer in person shopping; it’s more fun,” said Alysha Haverkos, senior.

Another popular time for students to shop is around the winter holidays, as many people want to enjoy the festive season and give gifts to loved ones. Some students participate in Secret Santa or small gift exchanges with their friends to celebrate the season and beginning of break.

“I end up buying gifts for close friends and family,” said Kacy Liu, sophomore.

Holiday shopping is certainly still big this year, but as with Black Friday, some things have changed. People are more careful with what they buy and are focused on quality over quantity. Couponing and the surge of online deals has increased; people are searching to save money while still getting great gifts.

Despite inflation, holiday gifting can be a great way to express your appreciation for someone. Whether a big gift or small, the impact of sharing can truly make someone’s day. Making homemade gifts is another great option that saves money, and makes a gift customizable and special.