🎁 Retail’s mixed bag

…and Smucker spreads out earnings

(Leon Neal/Getty Images) We're gonna need a bigger bag Presented by Hey Snackers, Flash cards are out; "brainrot" is in. New AI tools that TikTokify study materials by reading them over mind-numbing (and oddly relaxing) videos of soap cutting and "Subway Surfers" gameplay are booming. The major US indexes climbed last week as the dollar hit a two-year high. All eyes were on bitcoin as it flirted with $100K. 🎙️Fresh pod drop: Tune in on Spotify or Apple Podcasts for the latest episodes of "Sherwood Ten," which covers 10 questions in 10 minutes with CEOs, an Olympian, a poker champ, and more.  TGIBF Retailers battle for shoppers' holiday hauls as discounts dominate wish lists Gotta get down on Black Friday… Retailers started sales earlier than ever this year to stoke shoppers' holiday spirits. Now a flurry of earnings could hint at whether the discount deluge is working. Walmart, Williams-Sonoma, and TJMaxx parent TJX shared strong Q3 sales #s last week, with Walmart boosting its annual guidance after it saw high spending from shoppers earning $100K+. But not everyone's on the nice list: Target trimmed its EOY expectations after sluggish Q3 sales, citing weak discretionary spending. Tomorrow, Best Buy's results should show whether Target's alone in missing the mark.  Parade: Macy's and Nordstrom, both set to report this week, earlier this year predicted sagging sales and tepid growth.  Zillennial: How much shoppers shelled out for leather "skorts" at Abercrombie and URBN, which both report tomorrow, could complete the spending picture.  Santa's mixed bag… Americans' nonessential splurging plans (air fryers, not eggs) climbed for the four months through September, but retail sales have stayed relatively constrained as consumers continued to feel inflation's squeeze. Overall growth slowed last month, and while some of the categories that retailers count on for holiday sales popped (electronics, appliances) others shrank (clothing). Analysts expect spending this holiday season to increase at its slowest pace in six years as folks get pickier with their pocketbooks and wealthier shoppers look downmarket. THE TAKEAWAY The spending pie has shifted… Retailers with a slightly more upscale sheen (imagine: Target pronounced "Tarjay") risk losing market share to known discount dealers Walmart and Costco. Meanwhile, ultracheap brands like Shein and Temu have thrived. This year, Amazon's new everything-$20-or-less storefront will compete for room under the tree. Read this online Presented by Atombeam Why are NVIDIA and the U.S. Space Force involved with this up-and-coming tech company? Up and Atom… As tech disruptor Atombeam revolutionizes data management, its customers have included the U.S. Space Force and Saab. It's also becoming a trusted partner to leading names in the industry, like NVIDIA, Intel, HPE, and Viasat.1  Defense play… Atombeam has also secured over $2.4M in defense contracts with organizations like US Air Force and US Space Force, given its potential for secure, mission-critical communications.  Data with destiny… With Atombeam's estimated market impact of $200 billion in 2025, investors are looking to capitalize on the evolving data landscape and Atombeam's potential to send 2-4x more data, securely. Atombeam has currently raised over $17M from thousands of investors across all offerings, and a previous offering even sold out.  Invest before the opportunity closes soon on December 18.2  1 The partnership relationship varies between companies and can include the following: inclusion on a preferred vendor list, invitations to participate in certain forums; listed on the other company's website, and introduction and networking opportunities. Presented by Atombeam Why are NVIDIA and the U.S. Space Force involved with this up-and-coming tech company? Up and Atom… As tech disruptor Atombeam revolutionizes data management, its customers have included the U.S. Space Force and Saab. It's also becoming a trusted partner to leading names in the industry, like NVIDIA, Intel, HPE, and Viasat.1  Defense play… Atombeam has also secured over $2.4M in defense contracts with organizations like US Air Force and US Space Force, given its potential for secure, mission-critical communications.  Data with destiny… With Atombeam's estimated market impact of $200 billion in 2025, investors are looking to capitalize on the evolving data landscape and Atombeam's potential to send 2-4x more data, securely. Atombeam has currently raised over $17M from thousands of investors across all offerings, and a previous offering even sold out.  Invest before the opportunity closes soon on December 18.2  1 The partnership relationship varies between companies and can include the following: inclusion on a preferred vendor list, invitations to participate in certain forums; listed on the other company's website, and introduction and networking opportunities. EVENTS Coming up this week Extra stuffed… This Thanksgiving's expected to see travel records in the air, on the road, and even at sea. The TSA said it's prepping for 18M+ passengers — with their 3.4-oz packets of gravy — over the holiday weekend. AAA said it expects nearly 72M folks to hit the road between Tuesday and Monday (with another 2M+ movin' via bus, train, or cruise ship). Fueling the turkey treks: the national average price of gas is just over $3/gallon, nearly 30 cents/gallon cheaper than around last T-Day. Hold the crust… PB&J powerhouse JM Smucker is expected to spread out double-digit revenue growth this week. Last time it reported the company logged an 18% jump in sales but cut its annual outlook, saying shoppers were scaling back on snacks. Still, Smucker's diamond in the rough, Uncrustables, remains a winner. Smucker opened a new $1B+ Uncrustables factory this month, and the brand is on track to become a billion-dollar biz by 2026. The sandwiches aren't just a hit with kids: NFL players are said to eat 80K/year.  ZOOM OUT Stories we're watching Feelin' unlucky… Last week the Justice Department said Google should be forced to sell its Chrome browser after a judge ruled the biz maintained an illegal search-engine monopoly. The DOJ also left an Android spin-out on the table. Chrome, the world's most popular browser, commands ~60% of the US market and is critical to Google's search-ad revenue. The DOJ's request could be a negotiation tactic to persuade Google to make a smaller but significant concession: end its multibillion-dollar deal with Apple that makes Google the default search in Safari. Airbnban… Airbnb narrowly missed expectations when it reported earlier this month. Localized bans against short-term rentals have slashed sales in major markets (the # of NYC short-term Airbnb listings fell 83% in the year through May). Now the platform is taking its anti-ban lobbying efforts to the public. In an open letter, Airbnb urged Barcelona to reconsider its planned ban, arguing that it'd only help hotels. FYI: 43% of Barcelona's listings are run by hosts with at least 10 properties, and the city's mayor has pledged to close all of them by 2028. Presented by FinanceBuzz Should you cancel your car insurance? You could be wasting hundreds every year on overpriced insurance. Check out this new tool from FinanceBuzz to see if you're overpaying in just a few clicks! Once you use it, you'll always have access to the lowest rates; best yet, it's free.  Some drivers are reporting saving up to hundreds per year! Answer a few easy questions to see how much you could be saving. Presented by FinanceBuzz Should you cancel your car insurance? You could be wasting hundreds every year on overpriced insurance. Check out this new tool from FinanceBuzz to see if you're overpaying in just a few clicks! Once you use it, you'll always have access to the lowest rates; best yet, it's free.  Some drivers are reporting saving up to hundreds per year! Answer a few easy questions to see how much you could be saving. WORTH A READ Fast food is too expensive for its core customer and not expensive enough for the customer it wants How a communication crisis risks making the entire sector a limited-time offering. Read more. What else we're Snackin' Delta said it'd double down on premium seating, a category that's become increasingly important to the airline's bottom line. President-elect Trump's crypto projects, including an NFT collection and World Liberty Financial, have met with sluggish demand during the latest digi-asset rally. Merlin Entertainments, Europe's largest theme-park co, is mining "Minecraft" IP in a deal that'd bring game-related rides, hotels, and stores to the UK and US. Data with destiny… Thousands of investors are looking to capitalize on the evolving data landscape with Atombeam's tech, which has potential to send 2-4x more data over existing networks, securely. Discover the offering — closing Dec 18.2 Ad Snack Fact of the Day Milan is home to the world's most expensive shopping street This Week Monday: Earnings expected from Bath & Body Works and Zoom Tuesday: Home price index. New-home sales. Consumer confidence. Minutes of Fed's May FOMC meeting. Earnings expected from Abercrombie & Fitch, Kohl's, Macy's, Best Buy, Burlington Stores, Dick's Sporting Goods, Nordstrom, JM Smucker, Manchester United, Dell, CrowdStrike, Workday, HP, and URBN Wednesday: Initial jobless claims. Personal Consumption Expenditures, the Fed's fave inflation index Thursday: Thanksgiving Day in US; financial markets closed. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Friday: US financial markets close early. Native American Heritage Day. Black Friday, predicted to be the busiest shopping day of the year. International Buy Nothing Day Authors of this Snacks own bitcoin and shares of: Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, and Walmart Advertiser's disclosures: ² This is a paid advertisement for Atombeam's Regulation A+ Offering. This Reg. A+ offering is made available through StartEngine Primary, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Please read the Offering Circular and related risks at Atombeam's webpage on StartEngine before investing. This was a paid for ad. Sherwood Media has been compensated for this ad by the Atombeam Reg A+ Campaign hosted on StartEngine. In addition, as described in the Offering Circular, the Company retains the right to continue the offering beyond the Termination Date, in its sole discretion. Investing in private company securities is not suitable for all investors because it is highly speculative and involves a high degree of risk. It should only be considered a long-term investment. You must be prepared to withstand a total loss of your investment. Private company securities are also highly illiquid, and there is no guarantee that a market will develop for such securities. Was this email forwarded to you? Don't miss out on future stories — subscribe to Snacks and get your daily dose of financial news straight to your inbox.  Craving more insights in your inbox? Subscribe to Chartr and The Wrap for quality reads. Want to dive deeper with our podcast? 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