LAS VEGAS -- Christmas has come to the Las Vegas Valley early this year.

Retailers across the Valley are behind a big push to encourage holiday shopping. Halloween merchandise is still on the shelves, but it’s already Christmas time in stores, and this is the most important part of the year for retailers.

Holiday Shopping Starts Early In Valley

“This year, I've had a lot of guests say they’re shopping ahead, and they have been for quite a while, so they're trying to make the most of the economy and do it bit by bit,” said Target employee Racheal Moody.

Stores like Target are happy to oblige. They've decked the halls and stocked the shelves.

“Every year, I wait to the last minute, and every year I say I’m not going to,” said Target shopper Brandi Cable.

“It’s actually not that far away, especially if you have kids,” said shopper Desree English.

Experts said shopping early is good for dollars and makes sense.

“I think people are more focused in, ‘This is what I have to spend, but it will be less out of my pocket, but it would be less out of my pocket if I do it over three months instead of two weeks,’” said Bryan Wachter, of the Retail Association of Nevada.

Related Link: Retail Association of Nevada.

RAN said it expects to meet -- but not exceed -- last year's holiday sales. It expects the average Nevadan to spend about $630 on holiday shopping. That's down $220 from the yearly average.

“We definitely have a budget per kids and between my husband and I. So, we have a budget that we try not to go over," English said.

Retailers said they are hoping people will shop early and shop often to get stores back in the black. RAN said it expects 63 percent of consumers to set a holiday shopping budget that’s up nearly 10 percent from last year.

RAN said many retailers do not post a profit until after Thanksgiving, and added that if stores make enough money during the holiday season, they might not survive the following year.