Dive Brief:

• Dollar General will have a pre-holiday sales event on Nov. 13 with specials across its nearly 17,000 stores and online, the retailer recently announced. 

• The retailer's discounts span across various categories, including beauty, toys, holiday decorations, baking essentials and crafts, per the company announcement. 

• The company is also offering deals on select items such as Lego Toys, electronics and children's books. The pre-sales event will only last for one day, the company said.

Dive Insight:

Dollar General's discounts aim to help its customers further stretch their dollars during the upcoming holiday season, Emily Taylor, Dollar General's executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, said in a statement.

Congress has yet to pass another stimulus bill to distribute more unemployment and other benefits as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. The legislature's failure to do so could slow future economic growth or halt consumer spending, the National Retail Federation warned last month. The pandemic, and economic uncertainty it has brought, means retailers are working to adapt to a precarious market during what would normally be the busiest season of the year. 

A recent report from Deloitte found that consumers are concerned about economic instability, which is leading them to spend less over the holidays. CBRE and the International Council of Shopping Centers predict that this year's overall holiday sales growth will be about 2% or 1.9%, respectively. This year's holiday season will not only be longer than usual, but it will also bring spikes in online sales, research from Adobe suggests. 

Dollar General joins other retailers offering holiday deals long before Black Friday to entice consumers seeking savings to shop early. Though Target will close its doors for Thanksgiving, the retailer has also made 20,000 more products available for pickup and delivery. Meanwhile, Walmart, Target and Best Buy spread out their Black Friday deals in October and November.