EYECARE: Coronavirus BRIEFING: Business Updates Despite Supply Issues and Omicron, Holiday Sales Rise 8.5% By Staff Wednesday, December 29, 2021 12:04 AM "I feel really good about how the season played out. When people feel a little bit uncomfortable, you’ll see a little bit of a pickup in online and a little bit of a slowdown in store performance."Steve Sadove, a senior adviser to Mastercard and a former chief executive officer of Saks Inc., commenting to The Associated Press for its story this week, “Despite Supply Issues and Omicron, Holiday Sales Rise 8.5%.” Holiday sales rose at the fastest pace in 17 years, according to the AP report, which cited the tracker Mastercard SpendingPulse.