It's hard to start thinking about Christmas when temperatures are in the triple digits, but that's what many retailers are already doing.
Retailers are stocking up on merchandise, hoping shoppers will buy more this holiday season than the last.
"I think the consumers are coming back out of the shadows," says hopeful store owner Cynthia Sutton-Stolle.
Still, celebrating a possible holiday retail surge may be a bit pre-mature.
"All the indicators suggest between now and December unemployment is going to continue to increase," warns economist Dr. Bernard Weinstein. "I think consumers are going to be in a pretty sour mood come November and December."
Neither retailers nor economists will know for sure until the holiday season draws near.
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