Last fall, as retailers began to prepare for the upcoming holiday season, consumers were advised to shop early to avoid supply snags. While people mostly found what they wanted, Omicron hit late in the holiday season, threatening supplies for 2022. Lorraine Hutchinson discusses this past holiday season for retailers, how much of the merchandise margin benefit retailers may be able to maintain, the impact of higher shipping costs in the holiday quarter and how buying for holiday ’22 will be impacted by all of this.

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