The big picture: US retailers feel the pinch in post-pandemic recovery

Black Friday shoppers wearing face masks leave a Walmart store with a TV in Pic Rivera, California, yesterday afternoon.

American retailers are expected to usher in the unofficial start to the holiday shopping season today with bigger crowds than last year in a closer step toward normalcy.

But the fall-out from the pandemic continues to weigh on businesses and shoppers’ minds. Retailers have turned Black Friday into a monthlong event this year in the face of supply chain hiccups.