This is southwest Florida in focus.

Tariffs taking a toll on the holiday shopping season.

Despite the economic issues, experts say this will still be an active season for gift giving.

Swapping happy hour for mocktails.

A growing trend shows more Americans are distancing themselves from alcohol, and seven decades of hardball.

We hit the field with one southwest Floridian who won't give up on the game of baseball.

Hello, I'm Teddy Byrne.

Thank you for joining us.

Tariffs and economic uncertainty mean retailers are hiring fewer seasonal workers for the holiday season.

Businesses are cautious about how much consumers will spend with rising prices a softer job market and recent government shutdown.

Still, the National Retail Federation forecast that for the first time, shoppers will spend more than $1 trillion, an increase of at least 3.7% from last year.

WGCUs Sandra Victorova spoke recently with Brittney Billings, chief marketing officer with Trax Retail, a tech company that analyzes sales and shopping data for stores.

To learn more about the expectations for this holiday shopping season.

And this billings welcome.

Thank you so much, Sandra.

I'm really happy to be here.

So I know your company measures sales of boxed goods like electronics and toys.

How are tariffs expected to impact consumers?

This holiday shopping season of tariffs is top of mind for, our U.S.

consumer population.

A company that we own shop which is a leading shopping rewards app.

We surveyed over 8500 consumers.

And, they're worried about spending and prices this year.

Over half of them are going to change their shopping behaviors this winter.

And actually, even in this fall that we've already encountered because of the concern of tariffs.

And it's not just price related, it's also product availability related.

So they're concerned that they're not going to find their favorite brands on shelves or online.

But then they're also concerned if they do find them, that it might just be out of their price point.

So, Brittany, I know your team talked to me earlier and they basically made me understand that folks were doing their Christmas or Hanukkah shopping, actually much earlier this year than previous years.

Yes.

Over two thirds of consumers began shopping earlier this year.

They did.

So to take advantage of those kind of summer steals and deals that retailers had out, because consumers were really concerned about the impact of tariffs leading into the holiday season, and whether that be encountering price increases on their favorite goods and their favorite brands, or just even concerned that those products are not going to be available on the shelf due to tariffs.

So not only were they taking advantage of that, but making sure that they're identifying other categories that they could be spending in as well, because we were anticipating price increases in key gifting categories.

And consumers have already been seeing them across beauty, across electronics, across fashion.

So consumers really wanted to make sure that they, they, they snagged those products and their favorite items before perhaps they weren't available on shelf.

So are retailers anticipating that that higher prices will actually mean that shoppers cut back on the amount that they buy?

Maybe buy, you know, one big gift versus maybe in the past buying, you know, many more gifts for for yes and yes.

So I would say, through that survey that we executed, more than a third of our consumers.

And it did that, span between boomers as well as Gen Zers are actually going to be buying fewer items this year.

Retailers are holding out hope that those higher income, consumers, as well as the boomers, will be spending more this year and higher priced items, but absolutely, those low to middle income families, and millennials and Gen Zers are opting for fewer items.

They're buying less expensive brands, perhaps going to private label versus the, regular brand that they're used to purchasing.

They're also looking at alternative items such as gift cards.

That will kind of have longevity with pricing.

And can can be at a lower price point, as well as kind of some new alternatives such as, DIY re gifting, as well as focusing more on experiences, that don't cost as much out of pocket.

So, Brittany, I know, you know, we've been talking earlier and I mentioned that, you know, the National Retail Federation, was actually talking about a $1 trillion shopping season, which would certainly break records.

It's sort of confusing, right?

If consumers are talking about being concerned about prices and we're talking about a $1 trillion, shopping season.

What was the disconnect there?

How do we make sense of that?

How do we make sense of that?

Yeah.

You referenced, a study from NRF, the National Retail Federation.

I recently just read one from Deloitte that estimated retail sales will exceed 1.6 trillion.

So why is this happening when we're seeing consumers, express their concerns and their reluctance to spend this year?

It really goes back to, what I, what I mentioned before is those high net worth individuals, as well as boomers who are less price sensitive, and not concerned about making ends meet every month.

They're really going to be carrying, that, that load, when we'll see other demographics.

Again, the millennials, the Gen Z ers, the, the low to middle income families and individuals will be reducing their spend this year.

Of the survey that I referenced earlier, over half of the 8500 consumers across the United States that we referenced will be spending between 100 and $500, where some other, surveys again, that I've seen, some consumers are averaging over 1000.

So there's just so much disparity between, these these demographics.

So I know that you help retailers figure out, you know, what are the shopping trends, what you're seeing from consumers.

What is your advice to consumers who, you know, they want to have a special holiday season, but obviously there's some financial constraints.

What's your advice to get the best deals?

Absolutely.

Well, this this does not mean that underneath the tree, will be empty.

You know, savvy consumers, can find deals in in many different ways and, and actually, we identified and consumers shared with us that over 90% of them, are planning to make a purchase at Amazon and 84, are planning to shop at Walmart and Target, kind of those big box stores.

So consolidating your shopping trips and your spend to one to a few retailers will really help you not only honestly cut down on the gas that you need to do, to do, to drive to so many places and take advantage of, free shipping programs like Prime.

But it will also help you consolidate, your loyalty earnings within those retailers to then be able to earn cash back.

I'd also make sure that, you know, everyone is taking advantage of shopping reward apps and cash back programs to maximize their spend.

With earning back.

Perhaps also look at existing credit card, loyalty points that you have that you can redeem for gift cards.

To help offset some of your spending, that you will be making this holiday season.

And then I'd also just remind everyone that, spending time with loved ones, doesn't cost a thing.

So also really placing emphasis on making experiences and making memories with those that you love.

That is right.

Brittany Billings, thank you so much.

Brittany Billings with Trackers Retail.

Thank you so much.

Happy holidays.

Happy holidays.

Coming up is a more health conscious holiday on the horizon.

Why?

More and more people are skipping the adult beverages as part of their festivities.

Tis the season for holiday gatherings, so if you're excited to mix up that signature cocktail for guests of your festivities, you might actually find you have fewer takers.

According to a recent Gallup poll, only 54% of U.S.

adults say they consume alcohol, the lowest percentage in Gallup's nearly 90 year downward trend.

So what's the cause of this decline in alcohol consumption, and what are the benefits to skipping those drinks?

We are joined now by Doctor Denise Torres on the addiction medicine physician with Lee health.

Doctor Torres, thank you so much for joining us.

Thank you.

So I will ask her to be here.

Sandra.

Well, it's great to have you.

So why are we seeing a smaller percentage of Americans drinking?

Yes.

So we are we've seen, this recent study, this Gallup poll, has confirmed that there has been a significant decrease in alcohol consumption, not only in older adults, but also sort of the full spectrum of the population.

And, this is really, sort of multifactorial.

When we think about, adults and older adults health concerns, are really fueling this change.

In the past, there has been sort of a lot of, sort of, conflicting data in terms of the benefits of alcohol.

So in the past, moderate, consumption of red wine was often encouraged.

Yeah, I remember hearing, like, reports, like a glass of wine a day might actually be a good thing.

Right.

Exactly.

Exactly.

And so, the more recent data is certainly, conflicting, and very much supports the, the increased health risk, especially, when we think about alcohol consumption.

From a dose response relationship, meaning increased consumption frequency, as well as that sort of, alcohol percentage by volume.

So are you drinking wine?

Are you consuming beer?

Are you consuming hard liquor?

And so when we think about that dose response relationship, many of the cancers that are sort of more sensitive to that increase incidence of cancer includes breast cancer and esophageal cancer, but nonetheless, alcohol, the its health impact is certainly impacting the sort of, lifestyle changes and also the fact that, society is now normalizing mocktails.

And, we're seeing our youth, that we're obviously, they've sort of embraced this idea that, alcohol has a significant detrimental effects to your health.

And so this is why we're also seeing just such a sharp decline in that generation Z consumption of alcohol.

So if we know that so many Americans are drinking less or giving up alcohol entirely because of health reasons, help us to understand what happens when we give up alcohol.

So like, what are the benefits?

The benefits are significant.

So, alcohol is a water soluble, molecule.

It's ingested through your gastrointestinal system, but it essentially impacts every organ in your body.

So the benefits, it certainly impacts, sleep architecture, sleep, and restorative sleep.

It, impacts skin health.

So it accelerates aging, increases risk of, essentially incidence of cancer.

And so it all and then in addition to that, alcohol is sort of it's mood altering.

It's sort of a, in alters your mood, but also sort of relieves anxiety.

So, mood regulation is, is certainly, one of the, the benefits.

I'm wondering what in your, in your mind is the most dangerous part of drinking?

Especially drinking a lot on people might say, well, you know, I only drink really drink hard when I'm at a party or, you know, going out.

What in your mind is the biggest danger to that?

Certainly so significant.

So when you, sort of touch upon drinking a lot, that sort of constitutes with binge drinking.

So for a male, anything over five standard drinks for a female, anything over four standard drinks, and that is really based upon that sort of standard, standard, number of drinks, which is also associated with increased health associated risk.

So sort of overwhelming the liver's ability to metabolize an overwhelming amount of alcohol at once.

It's also, actually also associated with increased, incidence of suicidal ideation.

So from a safety standpoint, binge drinking, is is certainly a safety concern, from a mood altering sort of suicidal standpoint, especially if this individual is consuming alcohol to cope with, mood or grief or pain or whatever this may be.

So this is actually something that, we take very seriously as physicians.

We want to make sure that there aren't that the patient doesn't have access to, to firearms that, that these these risk may not sort of exacerbate the sort of incidence of suicide.

So during the holidays, a lot of drinking everywhere and there's often pressure to drink.

So what's your message to someone who really, you know, would rather not drink during the holidays.

But they feel that pressure and you words of advice.

Certainly.

So I would say, mocktails, nonalcoholic beverages.

But then again, I think it's also important to frame this and say, this sort of absolute and no consumption of alcohol.

I don't think it's, it's realistic.

And so this is where it's important to really need, patients and individuals where they are.

It's like saying don't consume bacon because your cholesterol level will increase or don't, ride in an airplane because you might risk your life.

Yeah.

And so it's it's really important to encourage individuals to sort of reframe and sort of realize, well, perhaps one, one, alcoholic beverage won't sort of impact me, but really it's that consumption, that frequency, that duration, with increased use that we sort of we see that increased risk.

Doctor Denise Torres with Lee health.

Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you.

The National Basketball Association season was rocked when current players and coaches were arrested as part of a nationwide crackdown on illegal gambling.

One of the targets of the FBI investigation was Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.

Rozier was taken into federal custody after he allegedly removed himself from games as part of a scheme that targeted player prop bets involving online and phone app gambling services.

So what impact will this ongoing investigation have on professional basketball?

So for a deeper look into the world of basketball, I am joined by Shea Serrano, a journalist, podcast host, and author of the new book Expensive Basketball, available now.

Mr.

Serrano, thank you so much for joining us.

Thank you, my friend.

I'm excited to be here.

So the NBA season has really just kicked off.

It's been a high energy season, but it was kind of rocked by a gambling a series of gambling arrests.

That includes our local Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, who was involved in manipulating player props on gambling websites.

So the NBA is kind of having a resurgence, but do you feel that this scandal will have any impact on the NBA moving forward?

I think as in most instances, if you are a pro for a thing or anti a thing, you're going to find a way to use this to service your own opinion.

So if you're anti-gambling, you're like, clearly this is what this is all been leading to.

And this is only going to get worse.

And the first time somebody gets caught isn't the first time a thing has happened.

And you have to do that.

If you're on the other side of it, you're going to say, well, now we're able to police this in a way that they were able to capture the people who are trying to perpetrate a scam, and this is all a good thing.

And and now here we are.

So it just becomes, what are what are you looking to do in that particular conversation?

I'm not a gambling guy, so it doesn't affect me, my opinion one way or the other.

What I do, what I would like if if I could just like make a thing happen is I think I think if you're gambling on sports, you shouldn't be able to just do it on your phone the same way as like your DoorDash Taco Bell.

Like you should have to go to like a, like a, like a scary sort of seedy alleyway.

And there's a guy in a trenchcoat with a hat and he's like, flipping a coin and he has a name like, like Bobby Sticks or something like that, and you know what I mean?

Like, that's how you should have to gamble, do that, and then and then it'll be fine.

Old school gambling always works better.

But I guess with the way things are now, of all the partnerships and everything else that comes with the rise in sports gambling across the nation.

Do you think it actually hurts the overall brand of the NBA being associated with gambling websites, or is this just the way of the land and, you know, move forward from a scandal like this and then hopefully it's in the rearview mirror in a couple of years?

I think probably you move forward and hope it's in the rearview mirror.

And in a couple of years, I don't think there's any way to to like completely eradicate gambling from sports.

And so you're going to have to you're gonna have to deal with it one sort of way or another.

Your new book, Expensive Basketball, it kind of bypasses what has become the norm right now, which is the analytics of everything else.

Instead, I saw your book described as an affirmation of feelings, and it really gives more of like your personal encounters, but also highlights the accolades and achievements of some of the game's best players.

What made you approach your description of basketball and take this avenue when writing this?

Well, I think I think, to your point, people are smarter now, smarter basketball fans than they've ever been.

In the past, everybody has access to to more and more information.

You can go on basketball reference and learn anything about any player that you that you want.

So it's not uncommon to hear just in a casual conversation somebody's a reference.

A player's a player efficiency rating or win checkers or offensive box plus or minus numbers or anything like that.

Right?

That's like, like I get it, people are smarter.

And that's how you talk about things, when you want to show that you're smart.

But anytime you ask somebody what their favorite basketball memory is, what their favorite basketball moment is, whatever story they end up telling you, it never begins with a number, right?

It always begins with a feeling.

And so what the book proposes is that we should talk about basketball as fans.

Anyway, with that in mind, you know, the numbers are going to be there that they'll always be there, but they should be in service of something else, like a different thing.

They should be they should help, like fortify the feeling that you got while you were watching the game, rather than vice versa.

The book is expensive basketball.

It's available right now, and I can just say it is the perfect holiday gift for any basketball fan in your life.

So Shea Serrano, thank you so much for joining us.

Thank you man.

I appreciate you.

After the break, the game of baseball never slows down, especially for one man who continues his 70 plus years of enjoying America's pastime.

go.

100 years ago, the Philadelphia Athletics began spring training in Fort Myers.

That kicked off a long and rich connection between baseball and southwest Florida.

WGCUs Mike Walcher reports that love for the game hasn't dwindled.

No matter what age you are.

Tony Esposito of Naples had warmed up to swing away for his game at JetBlue Park in Lee County.

This is the Roy Hobbs World Series.

But at a key moment of the game between Team America and the Mudville Nine.

Esposito's manager tells him to bunt to advance a base runner.

Tony lays down a perfect dribbler to move the man into scoring position right then.

If there's a man on first, you always want to talk first base.

If there's a man on second and third, you always want to run towards third base to make first baseman fielder.

So just how old is this guy?

Here I am, 91 years old.

Yes, that's the oldest in decades of Roy Hobbs baseball here.

I think when I was born, I was born with a baseball.

That's where I started.

And I haven't stopped since.

I'll scratch that.

Esposito was a star player in Chicago and the Saint Louis Browns, later part of the Baltimore Orioles, signed him the same day he graduated high school.

That was 1953.

And they offered my mother a $7,500 bonus.

And I believe I'm not sure, $305 a month to play baseball.

It was a small fortune in those days, but Tony's pro career in the minors lasted only one year.

Playing infield every day brought out the worst in an old football knee injury.

Being born on bone and grinding away and getting injections.

I was getting them every year, every six months and every three months, and eventually they stopped working.

Back in Chicago, Esposito joined the police.

Here he delivers a Thanksgiving pie to the wife of legendary Mayor Richard Daley.

Tony has a huge family after he and his wife started an electrical contracting business that still operates in the Chicago area for decades.

And despite knee pain.

Esposito has played amateur ball for Maisie.

I'm older than everybody.

I don't know what to say about that, except that's the fact.

And all I want to do is to be able to play this game of baseball that I love.

Tony grew up without his father in the home, and he says somehow that motivates him to achieve.

Of all the mistakes I've made my life, I was able to conquer them and keep going.

So baseball is what's helped me for this contest.

Tony also had warmed up to pitch, and he did so with scoreless innings, and he coached third base, using his deep knowledge of the game to help teammates on the base paths.

Opponents respect him.

All right, guys, good inning.

That's it.

Well, at 91 and I'm at 78 that that's still 13 years.

And I'm saying oh my God how does he do this?

And he's such an incredible athlete.

Yeah I mean age is just a number.

When you see him, if I can play at 91, I'd be so happy.

Esposito was generally a knee replacement in the new year, and plans to return to the field next fall.

I don't ever want to stop.

And growing up, I always felt that way.

Never to stop.

That comes from my heart.

The shot of play ball begins every game and provides a lifetime guide for Tony Esposito.

For GQ news with photographer Amanda Whitmore.

I'm Mike Walter, time.

Well, coming up next week, a spotlight on the arts.

We preview the upcoming shows and events to add some color to your holiday season.

Well, thank you so much for joining us.

And make sure to download the WGCU app or visit WGCU.org, where you'll find all of our stories plus extended interviews.

We hope everyone has a fantastic holiday weekend, and be sure to join us again next week right here on Southwest Florida!

InFocus.