Memorial Day 2026: One Holiday, Two Customers in Your Store

ByAmyFay Chandler

AAA’s Memorial Day 2026 forecast: 45 million Americans will travel this weekend — a record, even with gas at a four-year holiday high of $4.53 a gallon. That number got the headlines.

Here is the number nobody put in the headline. A new Bank of America Institute report says 40% of households earning under $66,000 have no summer travel plans at all. None. Not the lake. Not the in-laws. Not the cabin. Nowhere.

Two different Americas walked past your storefront this morning.

One is the family in the SUV, stopping in for a hostess gift before they head out of town. They came in flush, a little distracted, ready to spend on something they won’t remember in two weeks.

The other is the family who chose your town this weekend because they couldn’t afford anywhere else. They came in careful, attentive, looking for something specific. They will remember it forever.

The same Memorial Day weekend is two different shopping trips. Merchandise for both.

The mistake is merchandising for one of them. The travelers see the obvious — your $48 candle, your splurge tray. The staycationers see what you put under $20, in the small-treat zone, in the kids’ corner.

Both have wallets. The first has less attention. The second has more loyalty.

One thing to do today: walk your store and ask which display answers “I just need something nice” — and which answers “I want to treat myself, but not too much.” If you can’t point to both within thirty seconds, you have a merchandising hole this weekend.

xoxo,
❤️ AmyFay

What’s happening in the world. What it means for your store.
From AmyFay Chandler, when there’s something worth saying. More in Friday Retail Tidbits, every Friday morning.

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Brand pages worth a look

True South Puzzles — made in America, perfect Memorial Day weekend gift  · 
Mary Lake-Thompson — printed totes and aprons built for picnic season  · 
Whispering Willow — natural apothecary, the summer-skin essential

I’m AmyFay Chandler, a Knoxville-based wholesale sales rep serving independent retailers in Tennessee and Kentucky through Tango Showroom. I also represent Sweet Tree Jewelry and Caroline B Cook nationwide. Before I became a rep, I built two T-shirt lines, ran my own retail business, bought home and gift for Elder’s Ace Hardware, and worked with Werner Frank. I have been the maker, buyer, retailer, rep, and person at the register, so I evaluate every line from the store floor first.

I write the Morning Retail Tidbit and Friday Retail Tidbits to help local retailers buy smarter, merchandise with intention, and keep their stores valuable.

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