Shopping for school supplies has become both easier and more complicated for families. The websites of major retail chains generate lists of recommended items by school and grade, allowing parents to shop with a click. Some schools partner with vendors to sell premade boxes of student essentials. Despite these conveniences, many families start shopping months before Labor Day to find the best deals. Analysts say concerns about price increases from new U.S. tariffs on imports have motivated early shopping. One market research company estimates back-to-school spending in the U.S. will reach $33.3 billion from June through August. Some of the biggest chains are advertising selective price freezes on key products to hold onto customers.

New data shows holiday sales rose this year even as Americans wrestled with still high prices in many grocery necessities and other financial worries. According to Mastercard SpendingPulse, holiday sales from the beginning of November through Christmas Eve climbed 3.8%, a faster pace than the 3.1% increase from a year earlier. The measure tracks all kinds of payments including cash and debit cards. This year, retailers were even more under the gun to get shoppers in to buy early and in bulk since there were five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Mastercard SpendingPulse says the last five days of the season accounted for 10% of the spending. Sales of clothing, electronics and Jewelry rose.

It's one of the most under-publicized policies of some of the biggest U.S. retailers: sometimes they give customers full refunds and let them keep unwanted items too. Returnless refunds are a tool that more retailers are using to keep online shoppers happy and to reduce shipping fees, processing time and other ballooning from mountains of returned products. Companies such as Amazon, Walmart and Target have decided some items are not worth the cost or hassle of getting back. Think a $20 T-shirt that might cost $30 in shipping and handling to recover. While the practice is not exactly a trade secret, the way it works is shrouded in mystery.

It's summertime, and the bargains seem easy at a time when many consumer prices are high. July sales events have become a seasonal revenue driver for the retail industry since Amazon launched its first Prime Day in 2015. While consumers may be enticed by the advertised can't-miss savings on some products, personal finance experts say shoppers should be careful not to fall for potentially misleading marketing or give in to impulse buys. Amazon is holding its 10th Prime Day event on Tuesday and Wednesday. Retail rivals like Walmart, Target, Kohl's, and newcomers TikTok Shop and Temu launched summer promotions ahead of Amazon, hoping to siphon off some of the e-commerce giant's savings-hungry shoppers.