Three trends that have defined the holiday shopping season so far

The shopping rush leading up to Christmas is over and in its place, like every year, another has begun as millions of people hunt for post-holiday deals and get in line to return gifts that didn’t fit, or didn’t hit quite right.Holiday spending using cash or cards through Sunday has topped last year’s haul, according to data released this week by Visa’s Consulting & Analytics division and Mastercard SpendingPulse.But growing unease over the U.S. economy and higher prices in part due to President Donald Trump‘s tariffs have altered the behavior of some Americans.

More are hitting thrift stores or other discounters in place of malls, according to data from Placer.ai. The firm tracks people’s movements based on cellphone usage.And they’re sticking more closely to shopping lists and doing more...