OMAHA, Nebraska -- Midwest retailers could make more money during this holiday season...
"It's probably going to be up eight to 10 percent, but a good portion of that--five to six percent of that growth--is from inflation alone," says Creighton University Economist Ernie Goss.
He says it not just rising prices from inflation that could make for a mixed-bag holiday shopping season.
"Shoppers are going to see shelves not as full as they were last year, and there's going to be longer wait times to check-out as customer assistance is going to be somewhat lacking across the region," Goss says.
He says the region is still seeing a hiring shortage and low unemployment.
On the bright side, Goss says Midwest retail stores may see a few more people through the door this holiday shopping season.
"With the somewhat uncertainty surrounding deliveries--whether that's Amazon or other online retailers--we're going to see more in-store shopping, and more local shopping. That's, of course, good for the stores on Main Street," he says
Goss says shoppers should also be aware that those same supply chain and shipping issues could mean increasingly empty store shelves the closer we get to Christmas.