Retailers are betting they can handle the holiday shopping rush with fewer additional workers.
From Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, retail stores are expected to hire between 265,000 and 365,000 seasonal workers, down from the 442,000 seasonal hires companies brought on last year, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF), a trade organization.
That would mark the lowest level of seasonal retail hiring in 15 years, according to the NRF.
At the same time, the organization expects holiday sales to hit a record, surpassing $1 trillion for the first time as spending rises between 3.7% to 4.2%.
The decline in expected seasonal hiring comes as the broader labor market is showing signs of strain, with some businesses across the nation holding off on adding new workers. At the same time, layoffs are accelerating, with job cuts this year through October rising to their highest levels since 2020.
The group's hiring expectations "reflect the softening and slowing labor market," NRF chief economist Mark Mathews said in a Thursday press briefing.
"But nevertheless, we are confident that retailers will be prepared to meet consumers with the prices, with the goods, and the convenient savings and value they're looking for this holiday season," he added.
Despite diminished consumer sentiment, holiday spending is projected to hold up as shoppers continue to prioritize the season's celebrations over other purchases, he said.
"People save for it, they plan for it, they prioritize it, and we think that's going to happen again this year," Mathews noted.
To be sure, consumers are expressing concern about rising prices, with inflation ticking higher in recent months due partly to wide-ranging tariffs on imported goods. Retailers are handing some of those tariff costs to shoppers, with a Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis analysis finding that companies passed about one-third of the new import duties onto consumers from May through July.
"All signals are consumers continue to be concerned about inflation and rising prices," NRF senior economist Jack Kleinhenz said during the press briefing. "Despite these concerns, I believe consumers are still willing to spend, even though their sentiment is at very low levels."
While retailers are planning fewer seasonal hires this year, some have added additional staff in the past few years, which could help compensate, NRF economists added.
"You might see less hiring, but we are seeing less firing in the retail industry," Matthews said. "Those two are running neck and neck."
For example, Target said it's asking current retail employees if they want to pick up additional shifts during the holidays before adding new seasonal hires.
Love: It's a tale as old as time. But the way we talk about it is constantly evolving.
Remember "beige flags," "icks," and "situationships"? Well, those terms are so last year. Now, daters are having to deal with "throning," "Banksying," and "ZIP coding." They're also getting "monkey barred" − and no, that one's not as sweet and innocent as it sounds.
Amy Chan, a dating coach and the author of "Breakup Bootcamp: The Science of Rewiring Your Heart," previously told USA TODAY we shouldn't be surprised buzzy new dating terms keep cropping up. Modern dating has become so baffling in the digital age, she said, that people are struggling to make sense of their experiences − so they're inventing new words to process them.
"Modern dating has gotten so complicated that we need new words just to describe what's happening to us," she said. "It's like we've made dating struggles part of our public conversation in a way that just didn't happen before."
So, if you're struggling to keep up with the labyrinth that is the dating landscape, you're not alone. We've compiled this handy guide to all the recent terms and trends. That way, the next time you get "throned" by someone you were trying to "Shrek," you'll know exactly what's going on.
Looking for your "king" or "queen"? Be careful.
"Throning" is when you date someone to raise your social status. The goal for throners is to land a partner with clout, so their own image gets a boost by association.
"Basically, the date is a throne that is used to elevate the person who is doing the throning," one TikToker explains in a video. "The scenario focuses solely on social influence or status and not on building a real emotional connection."
The TikToker warns: "If a person seems overly focused on your status or social circle and changes their behaviors towards you depending upon whether you're in public or private... this can indicate throning."
“Shrekking” involves dating someone you’re not attracted to in the hopes that this person will treat you better in return. After all, Princess Fiona took a chance on Shrek, and that turned out great for her, right?
Unfortunately, when you get "Shrekked," it means the person you lowered your standards for still ended up hurting you. As Chan previously put it, "In this plotline, you're dating an ogre without the princess treatment."
"Plenty of people have put looks lower on the list or hoped attraction would grow over time, and that in itself isn’t a bad thing," she added. "Where it backfires is when someone assumes that just because they’re dating ‘down’ in looks, they’ll automatically be treated better."
"Banksying" derives its name from the elusive street artist Banksy, known for art that seems to pop up out of nowhere and often comes with a cryptic twist. Like a baffling Banksy art piece, Banksying in a relationship involves slowly withdrawing emotionally from your partner, without telling them that's what you're doing. When the time comes to finally break up, the Banksy-er often feels better, having mentally checked out of the relationship long ago, leaving the other partner blindsided and confused.
When someone employs this technique, they start destroying the relationship before the other person even sees it coming. Some of Banksy's art has famously self-destructed − like one painting that made headlines for shredding itself after selling at auction for $1.4 million.
"ZIP coding" can take different forms, depending on who you ask. In the most common version, people set such a tight radius on their dating app filters that they keep themselves from meeting anyone outside their ZIP code.
For some, ZIP coding goes even further: They'll date someone exclusively while that person is in their region, but then consider themselves single when that person's outside their ZIP code. Think college students who are monogamous during the school year, but date others when home for the holidays. Or having a boyfriend only while you're together at summer camp.
It all speaks to an unhealthy obsession with location that Chan says has taken over dating.
"We expect everything to be tailored, fast, and frictionless, as if love should work like food delivery," she says. "But that approach can become narcissistic, focused on what’s easiest for us and what appeals to our egos, rather than what fosters real connection."
"Monkey barring" alludes to how, in dating, partners move from connection to connection, only letting go of the old one when they’ve moved onto the next.
Amanda Miller, professor of sociology at the University of Indianapolis, previously told USA TODAY the behavior isn't all that new. But the phenomenon is more prevalent right now as Gen Z struggles to find connections in real life amid the era of dating apps.
"Something where you can swipe and swipe and swipe seemingly forever makes it seem there's this infinite supply of partners, and there's not," Miller said. People monkey bar because they're seeking security, she added. They are avoiding the vulnerability that comes with leaving a relationship and being alone.
The Great Relationship Recession
For millennia, pairing up wasn't just tradition—it was survival. Without reliable birth control, women couldn't manage their fertility, and poverty made solo child-rearing impossible. Tragedies ended in death; happy tales, in marriage.
Today, that norm is crumbling at breakneck speed. In the rich world, singlehood is surging. Among Americans aged 25-34, the share without a spouse or partner has doubled over five decades—to 50% for men and 41% for women. Since 2010, solo living has risen in 26 of 30 wealthy nations. By our estimates, the world has at least 100 million more singles than if 2017 coupling rates held steady. A profound relationship recession is underway.
*Read the rest of our cover package*
- *Fewer hookups and cohabitations across the developed world*
- *MAGA's pro-natalist push: Make America procreate again*
- *The rise of AI companions as a new romantic frontier*
To some, this signals civilizational collapse. Pro-natalists warn that young people's failure to pair and reproduce dooms the West. To others, it's empowering independence—Vogue recently called boyfriends "embarrassing" for ambitious young women.
The truth is nuanced. For heterosexuals (the best-studied group), it's mostly a byproduct of progress: women's workplace gains have broadened their options. They can now live alone without stigma or financial ruin, escaping bad partners and compelling men to step up.
Yet there are downsides. Solo life can be freeing, but lonely. Many singles—especially women—claim contentment, but surveys show 60-73% prefer a relationship. In a 2019 U.S. poll, half of singles weren't seeking partners, but only 27% cited enjoying singlehood; most had simply given up.
Why the Mismatch?
If demand for coupling outstrips supply, the "market" is broken. Asia's female shortages from sex-selective abortion are easing, but other barriers persist:
- **Apps and social media**: They inflate expectations (Instagram-perfect lives) and pickiness (e.g., Bumble women often demand 6-foot men, excluding 85%).
- **Political divides**: Young men veer right, women left; partisan deal-breakers narrow pools.
- **Social atrophy**: Screen time erodes in-person skills. Americans socialize less overall, but youth most sharply. Fears of assault (for women) or online shaming (for men) keep people home.
- **Rising standards**: As solo living eases, women demand more education, financial stability. Men lag educationally; low-earners without degrees struggle, especially if they shun chores or turn bitter in the "manosphere."
Can It Self-Correct?
Men could adapt: mature, share housework, and become appealing. Loneliness is a strong motivator, and norms are shifting—Nordic countries lead in equitable chores.
But even there, singlehood rises; a third of Finnish and Swedish adults live alone. The trend will likely worsen, plunging fertility (single parenting is tough, taboo in many places) and boosting crime (young single men offend more).
AI companions complicate things: 7% of young singles are open to robo-romance. These bots improve rapidly—patient, kind, no demands for chores or better jobs.
A lonelier, child-scarce world looms. Lamenting won't stop it. Governments shouldn't dictate preferences but must address male educational lags. From builders to budgets, society must adapt to mass singlehood.