Retail sales rose by nearly 4 percent year over year across the United States this holiday season as more Americans sought bargains during the November and Black Friday shopping period, according to new data from Mastercard SpendingPulse.
Mastercard analyzed in-store and online retail sales across the country from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24, with the company tracking all payment types, including cash and debit cards.
The data has not been adjusted for inflation and excludes automotive sales.
According to Mastercard, overall retail sales were up 3.8 percent this holiday season from 2023, when they increased by 3.1 percent from the previous year. The last five days of the holiday season this year accounted for 10 percent of all holiday spending, it said….