Despite analysts not expecting this holiday season to be as robust as years past, in part due to inflation, shops are still gearing up for a busy few weeks of deals.
NEW YORK — After weeks of plugging increasingly inviting discounts, retailers in the United States and several other countries are preparing for prime time: Black Friday, the bargain bonanza that still reigns as the unofficial kickoff of the holiday shopping season even if it’s lost some luster.
Department stores, shopping malls and merchants — big and small — see the day after Thanksgiving as a way to energize shoppers and to get them into physical stores at a time when many gift-seekers are content to do their browsing online. There are enough traditionalists that Black Friday remains the biggest day of the year for retail foot traffic.
“I’m excited about it,” Texas resident Emily Phillips said while visiting the Galleria Dallas last week. “I save …