Macy’s, the largest department store chain in the United States, on Wednesday raised its sales forecast for the year after reporting a better-than-expected performance across its brands.

Macy’s recorded comparable sales growth of around 3 percent for the three months through Nov. 1, the strongest result in more than three years. It credited the year-over-year growth to its broad product offering, from discounted apparel to luxury goods.

The results highlight a key feature of the U.S. economy: While some shoppers are seeking discounts and cutting back on discretionary purchases, the highest-income consumers are spending relatively freely at more upmarket stores like Bloomingdale’s, which Macy’s owns.

The top 10 percent of households in the United States make up nearly half of all spending, according to Moody’s Analytics.

Sales at Bloomingdale’s were up nearly 9 percent in the latest quarter, a much faster pace than in previous periods. Bloomingdale’s is expanding its offering of luxury brands, including Totême, Zimmermann and Christian Louboutin, the chief executive of Macy’s, Tony Spring, said on an analysts call.

For the full year, Macy’s said, its comparable sales will probably come in flat to up half a percent, an improvement over its previous forecast, which predicted an annual decline in sales of as much as 1.5 percent. It was the second quarter in a row that the retailer upgraded its outlook, as a turnaround effort looked to be showing results.

Macy’s, whose customer base is primarily in the middle- and upper-income tiers, said last year that it would close about 150 underperforming stores over the next several years, while opening new Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury stores. Bluemercury’s sales were driven by high-end skin care products and brand partnerships, Macy’s executives noted.

Also on Wednesday, Dollar Tree reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings and raised its full-year forecast. The chain, which is primarily geared toward lower-income consumers, had gained traction by attracting “a wide range of shoppers,” according to its chief executive. Its stock, which jumped in early trading, has risen more than 40 percent this year.

Bumper results from Bloomingdale’s and Dollar Tree on the same day neatly underscored the divided nature of the consumer economy.

The retail industry overall has proved more resilient than feared. Kohl’s, a rival department store operator, also raised its full-year financial forecast recently, as did chains like American Eagle Outfitters, Best Buy and Dick’s Sporting Goods.

The National Retail Federation, an industry group, said on Tuesday that a record 203 million consumers shopped during the five days from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, according to its annual consumer survey. That was up from 197 million shoppers last year, and exceeded the association’s expectations. Black Friday is the most popular shopping day for in-store and online purchases, followed by Cyber Monday for online shopping, the survey found.

Still, there were signs that inflation and a weaker job market were sowing uncertainty for shoppers. “Looking at the evolving retail landscape, consumers are more discerning about how and where they spend their dollars,” Mr. Spring, Macy’s chief executive, told analysts on the call.

Thomas J. Edwards, the chief financial officer of Macy’s, added that tariffs had a “lower than anticipated” effect and that the company was satisfied with its performance so far in the current quarter, as the crucial holiday shopping season gets underway.

But the company also cited uncertainty on trade policy as a risk, given its reliance on imported goods.

Amanda O’Neill, the lead retail analyst for S&P Global Ratings, said it could take time to see the full effect of tariffs on prices, as promotional sales may have masked some of the impact on consumers.

It may not be until next year that “we’re really going to see the higher price points, and that’s going to be across staples and discretionary,” Ms. O’Neill said. “And then how does the consumer respond?”

While wealthier households are continuing to spend, sentiment in other income groups has deteriorated in response to stubborn inflation and a labor market that appears to be losing momentum, with private-sector employers cutting 32,000 jobs last month, according to the payroll processor ADP. The latest round of earnings reports from large U.S. retailers has shown that retailers with lower-price or discounted products have performed well.

Walmart, the largest retailer in the United States, outpaced its competitors last quarter as it benefited from an increase in sales from higher-income families looking for bargains.