LEWISBURG, Pa. — The holiday shopping season opened with U.S. retail sales on Black Friday climbing 4.1% over last year, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse. But as consumers flood stores and online carts, a Bucknell University Freeman College of Management professor warns that shoppers may want to shop early and often.
Professor Jimmy Chen, analytics and operations management — who teaches Qualitative Reasoning for Managers and Global Supply Chain Management — studies how suppliers allocate inventory and how retailers regulate their suppliers through vendor compliance programs. He sees President Trump’s global tariffs already affecting what will, and won’t, be on shelves this season.
“Tariffs push retailers to either adjust sourcing to manage procurement costs or adjust pricing to manage demand,” Chen says. “Across many industries, these pressures require companies to rethink strategies related to supply chain management, marketing and inventory planning. For this holiday season, availability for fast-moving items is likely to be tighter.”
Chen notes that some retailers scrambled to accelerate orders before tariffs took effect — a move that created uneven inventory levels and a smaller or less precise selection in holiday promotions. Smaller retailers, he adds, face even greater strain, with less flexibility to absorb tariff-related cost increases or shift suppliers quickly.
“From a consumer perspective, it is wise to shop early for high-demand items such as electronics and toys and expect fewer last-minute restocks,” he says.
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CONTACTS: Chen at 570-577-1678, jimmy.chen@bucknell.edu; Mike Ferlazzo , 570-577-3212, 570-238-6266 (c), mike.ferlazzo@bucknell.edu