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This most unusual of holiday shopping seasons is over. The initial results reflect the pandemic itself: winners, losers, some resilience, and a few hints of the future.
Holiday retail sales rose 3% year over year if you start in mid-October, says Mastercard SpendingPulse, with the pandemic-delayed
Amazon.com Prime Day and similar promotions. If you measure from November to Dec. 24, they climbed 2.4%. Online jumped 49% from 2019 levels and accounted for nearly a fifth of all sales. Department stores fell 10%. Furniture was a big winner, rising 16% year over year, and 31% online, while apparel slumped 19%, as folks spent more on homes and less on wardrobes.
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