American Christmas Sales Set to Exceed Billion Dollars, Breaking Records

Sales in the United States are not deflating. At least not at Christmas. The country expects to surpass $1 billion in holiday shopping for the first time in history. However, there will be changes. According to estimates by the National Retail Federation (NRF), growth will be slower than last year due to weak consumer spending and other macroeconomic pressures.

As the NRF explained in a statement on Friday, shoppers are more cautious about making big purchases this year , affected by persistent inflation and the trade and tariff policies instituted by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The federation expects spending to rise between 3.7% and 4.2% this year, topping $1 billion, compared with a 4.3% increase last year, with spending of $976.1 billion between November and December.

Spending will increase by between 3.7% and 4.2% this year, a pace that has slowed compared to 2024

In fact, according to the federation’s latest survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, consumers in the U.S. plan to spend an average of $890.49 per person on gifts, food, decorations and other items. This is the second highest figure in the survey’s 23-year history.

The pace of growth in the labor market has also slowed from last year. For this year, retailers are expected to hire between 265,000 and 365,000 temporary workers, down from 442,000 at the same time in 2024.

“Tariffs have caused prices to rise, and retailers continue to try to hold prices steady in the face of trade policy uncertainty,“ said NRF President and CEO Mark Mathews.

The holiday selling season covers the period from November through the end of January, including key dates for U.S. society such as Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas itself.