Consumer spending is up: Are Americans enjoying a post-recession holiday?

The one segment that’s flat is electronics, at just 0.4 percent higher than last year. While many more units were sold, deep discounting on big-ticket items like flat screen televisions brought down the average sales price, Berry says.

While the anxiety of spending during the holiday season seems to be lessening, some reasons may be because consumers have more to spend. According to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, disposable personal income in the third quarter of 2010 rose 3.4 percent over the year before, to $11.4 trillion.

The increase in earnings means people are saving slightly more. Personal savings as a percentage of disposable personal income was 5.8 percent in the third quarter of 2010, compared with 5.6 percent the previous year.

Credit card debt down

Consumers are also chipping away at their credit card debt more than they had in the past. Outstanding consumer credit debt fell 4.4 percent in 2009 compared with the previous year, according to the Federal Reserve. The decline in debt continued steadily in 2010 through September, when it ticked back up by 0.6 percent. It rose another 1.7 percent in October. The increases are attributed to a combination of back-to-school and holiday spending, coupled with a lighter debt load, that is likely pushing consumers back to retail counters with more confidence.

“Consumers have begun consolidating their debt and paying it down a little. They’re still way overleveraged, but they have been paying their debt down, which makes them feel better,” says Mr. Lewis.

With four more shopping days until Christmas, the National Retail Federation says it expects a last-minute rush of spending. Last week the organization raised its holiday sales forecast, saying it expected a 3.3 percent increase in seasonal spending over last year’s $437 billion. The reasons are many: longer store hours, increased consumer confidence, better deals, and an enhanced shopping experience, such as pop-up retailing, which makes consumers feel excited to go out to the mall.

“Some of these retailers have really taken shopping experience to another level,” he says. “The traffic’s up and we are going to do much better than last year.”

IN PICTURES: Holiday helpers

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