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$998 billion.

That's the amount of holiday spending the National Retail Federation projected for this season.

Forecasters are describing this period which runs from November 1st through December 31st as a kind of return to pre-pandemic normalcy.

Consumers aren't in the pandemic shopping frenzy anymore, but wage growth has outpaced inflation, which retailers hope

will push spending online and in-person. The Federation predicts 2.5 to 3.5% sales growth over last year.

And in an effort to ensure that this season meets those expectations, well, you probably saw a rash

of emails, texts, mailers, and in-store holiday decor earlier than ever.

In fact, one of our guests put out a holiday gift guide on October 3rd.

We're going to talk about all that.

Plus, as TikTok's influence continues to expand, social media is a huge factor in what we buy and how we buy it.

There are a bunch of like cool girl Christmas gift ideas all under or around $50.

But it's that time of year and this is a boyfriend approved gift guide.

Last year when I posted my gift guide and got over a million views and the prices of vintage

calendars on eBay skyrocketed by about $100.

So let's see what happens this year.

We wanted to dig into some trends in consumer behavior and how companies are responding

to meet demand. So we're talking all things, holiday shopping today and the repercussions

for the American economy. I'm joined by Jordan Holman, a business reporter covering the retail

industry and consumerism for the New York Times, and Kitty Guo, a writer for New York

Magazine's The Strategist,

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