Inflation-battered shoppers cut back on their holiday spending this year — opening their wallets mainly for “big deals,” according to industry experts and newly released figures. US retail sales rose just 3.1% year-over-year between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24 — well short of analyst forecasts of 3.7% and less than half of the 7.6% spike recorded last year, according to Mastercard. Amazon and Walmart ramped up promotions through November to entice bargain-hunting shoppers , but analysts said the discounts were not as deep as the prior year when retailers were saddled with excess stock after the pandemic. Arun Sundaram, an analyst at CRFA…
