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January can be a bleak, punishing month for retailers—who are perennially victimized by post-holiday shopping fatigue, returns, and ruthless inventory management intended to improve E.O.Y. financials. This year, of course, there was the added uncertainty of Trump’s tariff threats and the L.A. fires, both of which diminished expectations. So I thought it was a good time to reach out to some of my top retail sources and get the lay of the land.