To sell more over the holidays, plan backward from the dates you cannot move: Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 26, Black Friday the next day, and the carrier cutoffs that decide whether an order arrives by Friday, December 25. Count your inventory and run your cash numbers by mid-November, publish your return and gift card rules, and add seasonal staff only where the extra sales will cover them. Black Friday has its own guide, the Black Friday checklist for small businesses, so this page covers everything around it.
Holiday calendar: early November to the first week of January
Small Business Saturday is the Saturday after Thanksgiving, which makes it November 28. American Express started it in 2010, and the SBA lists it among its observances. Cyber Monday follows on November 30. For shipping, USPS publishes recommended send-by dates for Christmas delivery in the lower 48 states, and UPS publishes its holiday schedule but no single last-ship date, because that depends on the service, origin and destination. UPS warns that Ground and Standard packages sent between November 16 and January 8 may need extra time.
| Date | What it means for your shop |
|---|---|
| Nov 1-15 | Count inventory, place stock and packaging orders, set your cash buffer. |
| Nov 16-25 | Test checkout and payment links, brief staff, set holiday hours on your online listings. |
| Thu, Nov 26 | Thanksgiving. No UPS pickup or delivery. |
| Fri, Nov 27 | Black Friday (see the guide). |
| Sat, Nov 28 | Small Business Saturday. |
| Mon, Nov 30 | Cyber Monday. |
| Dec 4-12 | Hanukkah, which USPS notes falls earlier this year. Plan its gift orders ahead of the Christmas rush. |
| Thu, Dec 17 | USPS recommended send-by date for Ground Advantage and First-Class Mail (cards). |
| Fri, Dec 18 | USPS send-by date for Priority Mail. UPS air pickups for Christmas Eve must be arranged by this date. |
| Sat, Dec 19 | USPS send-by date for Priority Mail Express. |
| Thu, Dec 24 | Christmas Eve. UPS delivers but offers no Ground pickups. |
| Fri, Dec 25 | Christmas. No UPS pickup or delivery. |
| Thu, Dec 31 and Fri, Jan 1 | UPS offers no Ground pickup or delivery on Dec 31 and no service on Jan 1. |
| Jan 2-15 | Handle returns, count leftover stock, review what sold. |
Dates for the first two weeks of November and for January are suggestions. Before you publish a cutoff, open both carrier pages: USPS says actual delivery may vary, and Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and U.S. territories need more time than the lower 48.
Set a last-order date and keep your shipping promise
Take the carrier cutoff for the service you use, subtract your handling time and a buffer, and post the result as your last-order date on your site and social accounts. The FTC's Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule requires a reasonable basis for any shipping time you state or imply, and if you state none, a reasonable basis to ship within 30 days. If you cannot ship on time, you must ask for the customer's consent to the delay and offer a free way to cancel for a full refund. Store credit cannot replace a refund the rule requires.
Stock and cash planning, with a worked example
Overbuying ties up the cash you need for rent and payroll; underbuying loses sales you already paid to attract. Work through it in five steps:
- Pull last year's sales for November 20 to December 24, item by item. With no history, start with a few items and reorder.
- Write down a demand assumption: last year's volume, plus or minus a percentage you can defend. It is a bet, not a forecast.
- Subtract what you already have and add a small safety buffer.
- Ask your supplier for lead times and whether you can split the order in two. The second order corrects the first.
- Build the cash plan by date: what leaves before Christmas (stock, packaging, extra help) and when each sale reaches your bank. Ask your payment processor when a sale made on a holiday weekend is paid out.
Worked example (made-up numbers)
A fictional gift shop sells a candle set for $45. The set costs $20, and payment fees plus packaging add $5, so each set leaves $20. These numbers are invented to show the math. Replace them with yours.
| Step | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Units sold Nov 20-Dec 24 last year | your sales records | 100 |
| 2. Expected this year | 100 + 20% (an assumption) | 120 |
| 3. Already on hand | physical count | 30 |
| 4. Safety buffer | your choice | 10 |
| 5. Order from supplier | 120 + 10 − 30 | 100 units |
| 6. Cash out at purchase | 100 × $20 | $2,000 |
| 7. If you sell 120 | 120 × $20 | $2,400 margin, 10 units left |
| 8. If you sell only 80 | 80 × $20 | $1,600 margin, 50 units left ($1,000 of cost tied up) |
In this example the shop needs $2,000 in cash in early November, before most sales arrive, plus packaging and any extra help. If sales come in a third below the assumption, the margin is still $1,600, but $1,000 sits on the shelf. Decide in advance how much of that risk you can carry, and use a split order to cut it. A simple inventory spreadsheet is enough to track units in and out.
Gift cards: what the federal rules say
Regulation E, published by the CFPB, covers most store gift cards. The funds must last at least five years from issue (or the card's own later expiration date). A dormancy or inactivity fee can be charged only after a year with no activity, and no more than once a month. Fees and expiration terms must be disclosed before purchase and cannot change afterward. Loyalty, award and promotional cards are largely outside the rule but still have to show an expiration date. Federal rules are a starting point, so check whether your state adds requirements before you sell cards.
Return and exchange policy
The FTC notes that return and exchange policies vary by store and tells shoppers to check the seller's policy first, because deadlines are often printed on receipts. That makes your written policy the one customers rely on. Cover these points:
- Window: the FTC says many stores stop taking returns after a set period such as 30 or 90 days. A longer holiday window, for example purchases from November 1 returnable until January 15, is your call.
- Condition and proof: unused, original packaging, receipt or gift receipt. Say what happens with no receipt; the FTC says shoppers can expect store credit, often at the lowest sales price.
- Refund or store credit: the FTC says sellers are often more willing to offer store credit than a refund. State which one you offer, and remember the Mail Rule refund above when you cannot ship.
- Return shipping: say who pays, since the FTC tells shoppers to check that too.
- Staff authority: give your team a clear rule and tell them when to call you. The FTC points out that a manager usually has more flexibility to resolve a problem.
Seasonal staff: what the rules say
Seasonal workers are still workers. The SBA seasonal hiring guide says there are no specific exemptions for seasonal workers and that hourly holiday salespeople must be paid at least the minimum wage plus overtime. The Department of Labor says overtime applies to hours over 40 in a workweek and that full-time or part-time status does not change how the Fair Labor Standards Act applies. Workers aged 14 and 15 may work only outside school hours, in permitted jobs and under specified conditions, while 16- and 17-year-olds can work unlimited hours in any job not declared hazardous; where state rules are stricter, follow them. The SBA also notes that seasonal workers who collect unemployment benefits can affect your state unemployment tax, and it tells employers to check with their state labor department.
Before you hire, compare the cost with the sales you lose now because of lines or slow replies. For the basics of putting someone on payroll, see how to hire your first employee.
Holiday checklist
- By Nov 15: inventory counted, demand assumption written, order placed with a small buffer, lead times known.
- By Nov 25: cash plan built by date, checkout tested, holiday hours posted.
- Before Nov 27: items in the Black Friday guide done.
- By Dec 1: last-order date posted, return and gift card policies written and visible.
- By Dec 17: last standard shipments out; check carrier pages for each service you use.
- In January: returns handled, leftover stock counted, numbers saved for next year.
Carrier cutoffs, federal rules and state laws change. Check the official pages cited here before you decide.
Frequently asked questions
When is Small Business Saturday in 2026?
Small Business Saturday is the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26, 2026, so it falls on Saturday, November 28.
What are the USPS holiday shipping deadlines for 2026?
For December 25 delivery in the lower 48 states, USPS recommends sending Ground Advantage and First-Class Mail by December 17, Priority Mail by December 18 and Priority Mail Express by December 19. Check the USPS page for Alaska, Hawaii and territories.
Do store gift cards have to last five years?
Under the federal rule in Regulation E, the funds on most store gift cards must last at least five years from issue, with exceptions such as loyalty and promotional cards. Check whether your state adds requirements.
Do I have to accept holiday returns?
The FTC says return and exchange policies vary by store, so your written policy is what customers rely on. If you cannot ship an order on time, the FTC Mail Rule requires you to ask for the customer's consent to the delay and offer a way to cancel for a full refund.
Sources: USPS: 2026 holiday shipping deadlines · UPS: holiday shipping schedule · FTC: business guide to the Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule · CFPB: Regulation E, 12 CFR 1005.20, requirements for gift cards and gift certificates · FTC Consumer Advice: what to know about holiday gift returns · FTC Consumer Advice: solving problems with a business, returns, refunds, and other resolutions · SBA: seasonal employees, what to know for the upcoming holiday season · U.S. Department of Labor: seasonal employment and part-time information · American Express: Shop Small and Small Business Saturday · SBA: observances, Small Business Saturday
