SANTA ANA, Calif.—Orange County retailers have much to look forward to the holiday shopping season as it kicks off with Black Friday, though some red flags still remain, according to a Chapman University professor. Raymond Sfeir, director of the A. Gary Anderson Center for Economic Research at Chapman University, predicts more shopping this holiday season than the last though inflation is looming. Consumer confidence is slipping due to inflation, which is “much higher” in October, growing at a rate of 6.2 percent, Sfeir told City News Service. “That’s high,” he said. “It hurts now because your money does not go as far. If people want to get the same number of gifts as before, the same quality, it’s going to cost a lot more than last year.” Price tags in supermarkets are showing prices “much higher than [the consumers] thought it would be,” which “gives them a bad taste,” he said. Also, energy prices are rising, …