This holiday season, shoppers are spending more and getting less

Christmas is just around the corner, and even with inflation slowing down, gift prices are higher than ever. Canada’s Consumer Price Index is at an all-time high of nearly 160 points, Associate Professor Vivek Astvansh tells CTV News Montreal. “Consumers are feeling the pinch, and while they want to buy stuff, they are resisting purchases,” says Astvansh. Holiday spending will still be higher than it was last year, but not because people are actually buying more gifts. “The prices of everything have gone up. Even if people buy fewer items than they did last year, the total dollars they spend will be more.”