One minor reason could be not granting on unemployment insurance for the next 26 weeks. Congress seems to have no desire (at the least the GOP) and GOP seems not be to willing how to discuss on how to wind down the program once U6 and labor participation number hit certain metrics. Instead, the GOP just wants to scrap the program instead of winding down the program as the employment number hits specific metrics as the economy starts to glacially improve over a long period of time.

Other than one small gift for 2 people on my list, I'm giving nothing.

Incidentals will include stuff I make from what I have on-hand, but I'm not buying anything else.

When I was 16, I worked at a Baskin Robbins ice cream store. The employer booked me to work (solo) on Thanksgiving day.

If that wasn't bad enough, a couple days after that shift, the owner scolded me for not upselling the patrons to more ice cream. I was supposed to scoop too much ice cream into the pint cup, weight it, and say..."Whoops...that's $1 over...is that okay, or do you want me to make it exact?"

On my next scheduled day, the owner shoved the Thanksgiving day receipt in my face (the day she probably had off relaxing with her family, drinking red wine and feeding her bottomless belly), and said, "Thanksgiving is our biggest selling day, and you didn't upsell one person!" ....okay, if it's your biggest selling day, why didn't you have more than 1 employee working?

After that, they cut my hours to something like 5 hours a week, and of course I quit.

Years later, I noticed that they went on to create an new store bought ice cream company that eventually failed. Probably because they treated their employees like the treated me.

I read a similar article elsewhere and did some checking with the folks I know i Retail. He is my take, based upon what I observed.

1). This and the other I read are pretty much the standard business section filler articles that bounce around the net each year, and really tell the reader nothing.

2). My friend at JC Penny who worked double shifts for the weekend told me that it was busy for the first couple of hours and then slacked off. They had good prices but not much floor traffic after that. He also said they had an abundance of help working (which can make it seem less busy).

3). Road traffic was pretty nuts on Friday Afternoon, so people were out and about.

4). The face of Retail is and has been changing. The advent of Amazon and the advent of the ubiquitous "gift card" (there is pretty much a rack in every store now) has cut into physical store sales.

5). The Baby Boom Generation really doesn't need more "Stuff"

It's too early to know the sales numbers, they still have to be totaled and reported, but it could be that folks are still looking for deals, but growing tired of the game or they have sharpened their lists or are just going the gift card route (my decision personally).

No matter how good the sales it does little good if you have empty pockets. For some the internet is the safe shopping experience and they can bargain hunt via mouse or touch screen. There are the sane ones who still insist on making gifts--knitting,baking,crafting and that is a year long love affair of goods required but stores never count that. You have gift cards and those bargain hunters who do shop all year long for that big day and again stores don't take that into account. Gift cards, a biggie for those parents and grandparents who never know what kids have,want or need get snapped up in record fashion but stores count money spent here and now and not future purchases. Finally they keep steppin up their holiday sales days. There was a huge number of shoppers out on Black Friday when the stores were closed on "Blue Thursday". Stores keep trying to edge out their competition and all the end up doing is finding shoppers burned out before the turkey is even out of the oven.