Retailers reported a record number of holiday shoppers hitting the stores in person and online during Thanksgiving weekend, but a looming rail strike threatens to scuttle some remaining sales, the National Retail Federation reported Nov. 29.
More than three-quarters of consumers—nearly 197 million—said they shopped over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, up 6 percent since 2021. The numbers outpaced the retail federation’s forecast by more than 30 million.
“I think many observers predicted this was going to be a big weekend, as we did,” the federation’s President and CEO Matthew Shay told reporters during a telephonic news conference Nov. 29. “I think it’s turning out to be even bigger than we expected, in terms of seeing enthusiasm across consumers and the shopping public.”…