With just two weeks until Black Friday—the day after Thanksgiving that kicks off the holiday buying season—executives at the nation’s biggest department stores said Thursday they are seeing signs that consumers are turning their attention from voting to shopping.

Macy’s Inc. and Kohl’s Corp. cited improving sales trends and gave upbeat outlooks for the key holiday season, despite posting another quarter of declining sales as the chains struggle with changing shopping habits and competition from discounters.

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