A new RetailMeNot survey covered by PYMNTS on May 22, 2026, shows 54 percent of U.S. consumers planned to buy something during Memorial Day weekend, up sharply from 36 percent in 2025. The same survey, of 1,023 adults, found average planned spending fell from $289 last year to $86 this year, a 70 percent drop in one season.
For self-employed sellers, the read is not that shoppers have disappeared. The read is that more shoppers showed up with smaller, more targeted budgets, and the storefronts that won had a clear value pitch on one or two items rather than a discount across the catalog.
What The RetailMeNot Survey Actually Found
The headline number is participation: 54 percent of adults say they plan to make a Memorial Day purchase, the highest figure RetailMeNot has tracked in this survey. The corresponding drop in average ticket size to $86 suggests buyers were not avoiding the holiday; they were spreading a thinner wallet across more retailers.
Planned categories skewed seasonal and home-related. Grills and outdoor cooking equipment led at 28 percent, followed by summer apparel at 27 percent, home goods and decor at 21 percent, electronics at 18 percent, pool and beach gear at 18 percent, home improvement supplies at 16 percent, outdoor furniture at 15 percent, and appliances at 15 percent.
The waiting behavior is also worth tracking. Nearly two-thirds of consumers (35 percent very likely, 31 percent somewhat likely) said they hold off on major purchases until Memorial Day or similar holiday sale windows.
Why This Matters For Self-Employed Sellers
The data confirms that small sellers can no longer count on impulse spend. A PYMNTS Intelligence report referenced in the same coverage said more than one-third of U.S. adults were in active financial retreat as of April, which translates to deeper price comparison and longer purchase consideration windows.
For an Etsy maker, a single-truck mobile vendor, or a hyperlocal home goods shop, that shift means the customer who walked away on Memorial Day was not gone, just more selective. Owners who built a strong landing page for one hero product, paired with a clear shipping or pickup promise, captured a disproportionate share of that $86.
The waiting pattern also rewards sellers who plan their calendar against the next sale anchor. Roughly two-thirds of shoppers said they will hold off on a purchase until a sale event, which means an unsold Memorial Day product will have another window at Father’s Day, Fourth of July, or Labor Day if the seller stays patient on the price.
What Self-Employed Sellers Should Do Next
Pull the Memorial Day sales numbers and compare ticket size to traffic. If traffic was up but order value was flat, the issue is offer clarity, not demand, and the fix is sharper hero-product pricing or a bundled add-on at checkout.
Build a single value message for the next holiday window rather than a sitewide discount, since the survey shows shoppers were planning purchases by category, not by store. A handmade apparel seller competing against summer apparel demand should pick one or two SKUs to lead with, price them clearly, and run the rest of the catalog at full margin.
Owners who run a physical storefront should also reread the Walmart Road to Open Call coverage from May 21 alongside this consumer data, since a wholesale buyer meeting can offset a soft direct-to-consumer holiday by moving inventory through a larger channel.
What To Watch Next
The Father’s Day and Fourth of July weekends will be the next test of whether the $86 average spend is a Memorial Day anomaly or a new normal. If the pattern repeats, self-employed sellers should plan Q3 inventory with a smaller average ticket and lean harder on basket-building rather than raising prices.
The May NFIB Small Business Optimism Index, due in early June, will also signal whether Main Street owners felt the consumer pullback in their April and May sales prints. A flat or declining sales reading in that report would confirm the RetailMeNot survey is not a one-week pattern.
Photo by Chad Madden: Unsplash
