Retailers Have No Idea What Will Happen This Holiday Season

On Tuesday, consumer electronics retailer Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) reported its third-quarter results, and joined the list of big-box chains declining to provide any financial guidance for the holiday quarter. Target (NYSE: TGT) and Walmart (NYSE: WMT) had already done the same, citing unprecedented uncertainty. Best Buy reported a whopping 174% rise in U.S. online sales in the third quarter; Target and Walmart posted 155% and 79% online growth, respectively.