Meet&CoDuring the long Labor Day weekend, I went shopping—well, more like browsing. I found myself in several home furnishings stores to check out the vibe.
To be honest, my youngest son asked to go to Ikea while we were visiting family in the Charlotte area. That trip—on a Saturday during a long holiday weekend, no less—kicked off the store-hopping. By the way, the fact that an older teenager asked to visit a home furnishings store, and then opted to tag along to other stores, should give us all a bit of hope.
In addition to Ikea, I also visited a local Rooms To Go, Ashley HomeStore, and Mattress Firm—just for kicks. Again, I wasn’t shopping to buy, but to observe the store traffic during one of the industry’s key holiday sales periods.
What I found was not the bustling, high-energy sales environment typically expected during this critical holiday weekend. Instead, there was a noticeable quietness: showrooms were half-full at best, sales associates were often standing idle, and the overall atmosphere felt more like a regular weekday than one of the most crucial sales moments of the year for the furniture industry.
Ikea was busy, but I wouldn’t say it was more crowded than a typical Saturday.
Labor Day is one of the promotional holidays retailers rely on to drive traffic, clear summer inventory, and capture big-ticket sales before fall sets in. My experience this year, however, was distinctly different. Whether I was walking through the wide, winding layout of Ikea or the more curated, open spaces of my local Ashley HomeStore, the story was the same: plenty of merchandise, plenty of promotions, but few people taking the bait.
Of course, my perspective is anecdotal, and I’m hoping my retail industry friends are celebrating record sales over the weekend.
So, what’s behind the slowdown?
Several factors may be at play. First, consumers are still feeling the squeeze from high interest rates and lingering inflation, particularly on big-ticket discretionary items like mattresses and furniture. Financing offers—once a key incentive for Labor Day shoppers—might carry less weight in an environment where even promotional APRs don’t seem particularly enticing.
Second, the pandemic-era boom in home goods may simply be over. During 2020 and 2021, furniture sales surged as consumers redirected their travel and entertainment budgets into home upgrades. Many of those purchases have already been made, and the replacement cycle is naturally longer, meaning the sense of urgency is gone.
Third, the ongoing shift to digital continues to reshape how people shop. Online browsing, price comparisons, and even big-item purchases are increasingly happening from the comfort of the couch rather than in-store. Retailers that haven’t figured out how to bridge the online-to-offline experience may continue to see diminished foot traffic, even during traditional peak sales events.
Lastly, the promotional period has expanded. Holiday sales are no longer just confined to the three-day weekend; promotions and deals often start weeks ahead of the holiday. Perhaps many consumers have already done their buying before the traditional weekend sales even kicked off.
If Labor Day (and other important holidays like Presidents Day, Memorial Day, and Black Friday) are to change, we may need to rethink not just pricing but the entire customer experience. More personalized promotions, experiential in-store elements, and tighter coordination with online channels could be key.
The era of relying on a long weekend and red tag sales might be coming to an end.
