Here's your Forbes Daily Briefing for Friday, November 28th.

Today on Forbes, retailers brace for an uncertain holiday season as consumers pull back.

Today is Black Friday and the holiday season is in full swing, but retailers and customers

aren't exactly feeling cheerful. With consumer confidence near record lows,

a weakening job market, plus tariffs and persistent inflation, experts warn that customers are

pulling back during the busiest season of the year for retailers. The U.S. consumer is on shaky

footing. Consumer sentiment fell to 51 in November, a slight improvement

after a preliminary reading during the government shutdown brought it close to the all-time

low set in June 2022, according to the University of Michigan's widely tracked survey.

Americans are concerned about the labor market, which has already shed more than one million

jobs this year, as well as rising inflation. Complicating this year's shopping season,

are President Donald Trump's tariffs of between 10% and 50% on most U.S. imports, as their fate

rests in the hands of a skeptical Supreme Court, which reportedly could issue a ruling

by the end of the year.

Nonetheless, companies are already hiking prices, and consumers should expect to pay more

for some of the biggest holiday categories, including apparel, electronics, and home decor.

Had the levees been in place last holiday season, shoppers would have paid an extra

$132 per person, translating to a $28.6 billion burden, according to analysis from lending

tree. And the impacts aren't being felt evenly either. Experts are warning of a divided, so-called,

quote, K-shaped U.S. economy, in which wealthier

households are fueling spending, while low-income households are cutting back. The government

shut down, despite ending earlier this month, inflicted pain on federal workers and tens of millions

...