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Fortune
Fortune
Phil Wahba

Retail CEOs see a holiday paradox: shoppers are anxious but still willing to spend

United States Dollar General Fortune Macy Todd Vasos Tony Spring
(Credit: Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for Macy's)
  • In today’s CEO Daily: A look ahead at the 2026 holiday season.
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  • Plus: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune .

Good morning. Phil Wahba writing from New York this morning. As consumer and retail CEOs see the holiday season inching closer, they’re trying to figure out whether U.S. customers will keep up their healthy pace of shopping—even in the face of all political and economic tumult—or finally pull back. There’s one thing chief executives agree on: the U.S. consumer is anxious and their spending can’t be taken for granted.

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