Inflation? Tariffs? Fort Worth shoppers still determined to spend on holidays
Last Monday wasn’t a day you wanted to be out shopping. Heavy rains and thunderstorms pounded Fort Worth, making travel treacherous.
Yet all across the city, shopping centers were packed. Along University Drive, the Apple Store was full of customers. Bath & Body Works had long lines of people waiting to check out. Victoria’s Secret, Lululemon and Free People were bustling.
Meanwhile, over at the Shops at Clearfork — an outdoor mall that isn’t an obvious destination on a rainy day — the street parking was completely full.
All this spending seems at odds with the economic uncertainties that have many Americans pinching pennies. We’re still feeling the burdens of inflation and seeing price hikes blamed on tariffs. Certain sectors of the jobs market are in turmoil.
Yet going into the busiest shopping season of the year, families in Fort Worth and around the country seem determined to make whatever sacrifices are necessary for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The National Retail Federation is predicting a record 186.9 million customers are planning to shop from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday. That’s despite overall consumer prices that are 3% higher this year on all items except food and energy. That includes clothes, cars, education, medical care and other commodities.
Americans are budgeting $890 per person on average for gifts and other holiday items this year, a retail federation survey found.
That appears to hold true in Fort Worth.
At Clearfork, the gift shop WRARE was cozy last Monday with at least seven shoppers browsing its unique home decor.
Store manager Becky Black said WRARE always has a successful Black Friday, and this year is anticipated to be just as busy.
“I’ve worked here for six years, and business always picks up during the holidays,” she said.
Y+i clothing boutique in Westbend off University Drive is a small business from Dallas that sells women’s clothing and accessories. Employee Addison Velasco said last year they had constant shoppers checking out at the register. This year, she’s noticing customers splurging and buying multiple items when they come in, so they are ready for big Black Friday sales.
At another Fort Worth holiday destination, the Vending Nut Co. off Montgomery Street, customers were picking their packages of dried fruits and chocolate pecans. Employee Jennifer Sims told the Star-Telegram that the holiday season is always busy for the store, which has been selling nuts since 1968. She anticipates the same for Black Friday.
However, not all small businesses are fortunate to have such a loyal customer base built over decades.
Impeccable Pig, a Texas-based women’s casual clothing brand, wasn’t as filled with shoppers one day this week. Alyssa Garza, the store manager, said traffic is not as busy when TCU students are away from campus for the holidays. Black Friday for them is quiet, but they hope their location in University Park Village will bring more shoppers.
While the days of camping out for Black Friday limited deals are mostly gone, replaced by online clicks and big sales starting weeks before Thanksgiving, many Americans are still going shopping after turkey day.
Around 70% of people surveyed by the National Retail Federation said they would participate in Black Friday sales. Forty percent said they would take advantage of Cyber Monday deals. And plenty of consumers will try to support local merchants on Small Business Saturday.
Black, the manager at WRARE, says she plans to shop on Friday because she is in a position to splurge more this year than in years past. But she noticed when it comes to how much a consumer spends, “It really just depends on the shopper.”
Velasco from y+i said that as a consumer, “I definitely spend more than I should, just because I love gift giving.”
Elena Caldwell, who was shopping at Montgomery Plaza recently, said she uses a credit card for point purposes on gifts. Most of her family lives out of state, so she loves to take advantage of Amazon’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.
Another shopper, Calvin Riggins, said he plans to spend money as usual this year. He and his wife have five kids, plus grandchildren, to buy gifts for.
“We really just try to find the best deals,” he said.
This story was originally published November 28, 2025 at 4:52 AM.