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Speaker 1: Not to sound like the Grinch, but it may not

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Speaker 1: be a holly jolly Christmas for local mom and pop businesses.

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Speaker 1: The Retailers Association of Massachusetts is out with its prediction

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Speaker 1: for holiday shoppers, and it appears we're keeping our money

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Speaker 1: close at hand. The group expects just a one point

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Speaker 1: seven percent bump in spending this holiday. That's the smallest

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Speaker 1: increase in three years. Now. This time of year is

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Speaker 1: crucial to many small retailers in the state, whose holiday

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Speaker 1: shoppers normally represent up to thirty percent of the entire

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Speaker 1: year's sales. Matt Shearer WBZ, Boston's news radio