Walmart, Amazon, Target and Macy’s are among the US retailers already offering steep discounts under the Black Friday banner, long before it actually arrives this week. Despite this, sales of non-food units fell by 3% year-on-year in the week ending 16 November, according to data from Circana, which compiles data from retail outlets. The National Retail Federation predicts that winter holiday sales will reach nearly $1 trillion in the US in November and December, a record $902 per person. But the rate of spending growth is expected to be about 2.5-3.5%, the slowest since 2018
