"Not only is the U.S. election concerning consumers and increasing advertising costs, but Thanksgiving is late in the 2024 calendar year so there is nearly one less week between Black Friday and Christmas."

Alexa Driansky, managing director at Gordon Brothers, commented on findings from a Gordon Brothers forecast that predicted a modest U.S. retail sales bump of 1.2 percent to 3.5 percent during the holiday season, due to political and economic uncertainty.