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" It&amp;#039;s going to be a rough holiday shopping season. At least, that&amp;#039;ll be the case if the shutdown continues, according to the National Retail Federation. The group, which recently penned a letter calling for an immediate end to the political stalemate, says that everything from hiring workers to importing merchandise could be affected by furloughs and unavailable government systems. This comes, again, right before the kickoff of the holiday season, a period when the retail industry brings in about one-fifth of its annual revenue. Which means that the $600 billion in projected sales on which so many of your favorite brands and stores have hinged their hopes? It might not happen if the government doesn&amp;#039;t get its act together. Now, we know the possibility of not being able to buy new stuff may strike you as something of a minor concern, what with people out of work and underprivileged seniors and kids not getting meals and all the other terrible things the shutdown has precipitated. But remember: 42 million Americans work in retail and related fields. If we don&amp;#039;t \u2014 or can&amp;#039;t \u2014 shop, whether due to flagging consumer confidence, a lack of necessary employees, or product simply not making it to stores&amp;#039; shelves, they&amp;#039;re pretty much screwed. Here&amp;#039;s hoping Washington finds its way around this issue as soon as possible. In the meantime: Go buy something. [Buzzfeed] Follow The Style Blog on RSS and on Twitter at @ESQStyle "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.esquire.com/style/a25120/shutdown-shopping-national-retail-federation-1013/>