JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Usually, Black Friday marks the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season, but this year, several major retailers started holiday sales in early October.

Big companies like Amazon, Target and Walmart have already started their holiday sales. Mike Ryan, with Wells Fargo, explained why shoppers are starting so early this season.

“There’s some uncertainty in consumer patterns and what they may do, so everyone is feeling that right now and waiting to see where we go. As you know, prices are a little higher, but from the retailer perspective, there’s more inventory this year. Things haven’t been flying off the shelf like they usually do throughout the year with the uncertainty out there in the marketplace, so there’s better deals now and they can make more room and more shelf space for some of those holiday items,” he explained.

Last year, it was recommended for shoppers to start as early as possible. Ryan stated that this year is the same and maybe even more true this holiday season. According to Ryan, trends of lowering prices are being seen.

“Well, first start early. It’s never too early to start, and like I said, there’s a lot of deals. We also know there’s always going to be that hot item, that cool toy that everyone needs to have, and it may already be out there. So, while it’s available before prices go up on that item. Take advantage of that. The last thing I tell a lot of people is sign up for awards. A lot of people have loyalty programs. A lot of businesses have loyalty programs. They also have alerts so some of the sales you can be the first to know and be out there before the crowd does this holiday season,” he said.