According to winter holiday research from the National Retail Federation, 74 percent of retailers agree that consumers are likely to spread out their holiday shopping over several months this year. We spoke with Five Below, an NRF member since 2005, to find out how the retailer is actively preparing for the holiday shopping season.
How is Five Below planning for and advising its customers for this historical holiday season?
We always make sure our customers have fun, and we’ll be safely having fun this holiday season. We are really delivering on gifts that make you say “Wow” over the extreme $1-$5 value, plus some incredible finds that go beyond $5, and newness will be all over the store, front to back.
With consumers likely to spread their holiday shopping over several months, how has Five Below adjusted its advertising and discounts to ensure product availability?
We’ve introduced ‘Giftober’ this year! We’ve pulled together extreme value gifts in stores and also launched our Holiday shop online early in the beginning of October but will continue to drop newness throughout November and December as well. [We’ve got] tons of amazing brands like Bugha, Disney, Hershey, Five Beyond and more, all at incredible prices. We want our customers to know (early birds and last-minute shoppers!) they can “Pile Gifts High, Spend Way Low” whenever it’s most convenient for them.
Learn more about how you can prepare for this holiday season here.
During the pandemic, Five Below has reopened all 900 existing stores and opened more than 100 new stores. What guidelines has Five Below implemented to ensure its target consumer, their parents and employees feel safe in stores?
We’ve got our customers’ safety covered so they can let go and have fun! Our store Wow Crew follows rigorous cleaning routines using disinfectant, focusing particularly on high-touch surfaces like shopping baskets, registers and door handles.
We’ve rearranged our stores a bit to provide everyone room to keep a safe social distance. Our in-store signage reminds everyone to let go and have fun (and give each other some space.) Our stores have all the recommended PPE items to keep everyone safe. Items like gloves, masks and face shields are available for our crew members (and many have opted to sport their own fun, reusable masks!). We’ve taught the Wow Crew how to properly use, clean and dispose of their safety gear.
We operate all over the country, so we’re keeping up on federal, state and local regulations to ensure we’re following guidelines on how best to keep our customers and Wow Crew safe.
Looking toward the future, what trends or shifts in consumer behavior post-pandemic is Five Below seeing? Does the company have a strategy developed during the pandemic that you hope to leave in place as an organization?
The time we’re in right now, parents and families are all living in a different situation and they are looking for a place to save money, have a great experience and be in a safe environment. We believe we offer all three for our customers. Our customer is still comfortable with shopping in our bricks-and-mortar locations, and we’ve made sure to give them options.
They can now shop FiveBelow.com and in one of our 1,000+ stores. We’ve also recently released the Five Below app, too! There are so many ways to shop, even from the comfort of their own couch.