Last year it was all about chairs and headphones. This year it's time for T-shirts and sneakers — and more laptops. Back-to-school shopping in the U.S. is expected to top $37 billion.
Burlington shut down online sales in March right before coronavirus lockdowns. But it's among the discount retailers that have endured the pandemic surprisingly well, even opening new stores.
Restaurants and bars are reeling from spikes of coronavirus cases in their communities. Earlier holiday sales meant online shopping and electronics sales dipped in December. Retail sales fell 0.7%.
Women hold the majority of jobs in clothing and department stores, gift and souvenir shops. They run cash registers everywhere. Now thousands of stores have shuttered, leaving them jobless.
U.S. retail spending grew 1.9% last month, delivering a slight boost of confidence amid a recent spate of signs that the economic recovery has lost momentum from the pandemic's toll.
The Midwestern chain Hy-Vee says DSW shoe outlets are opening in six of its supermarkets in Minnesota. Grocery shoppers will be able to try on shoes, then order online.
But U.S. shoppers spent more prudently in August and retail sales grew a tepid 0.6% from July, after extra federal jobless benefits expired and families faced a confusing back-to-school season.
Preparing for both in-person and virtual learning has families budgeting for new school supplies like masks and bleach wipes, but also bigger purchases like laptops, speakers, desks and chairs.
People particularly stocked up on electronics and appliances, took more trips with stops at gas stations, and cautiously went out to eat as more stores and restaurants reopened.
U.S. stores and restaurants got a boost in June as retail sales jumped 7.5%. Spending on clothes doubled. But this was before a new surge in the coronavirus prompted renewed shutdowns in some states.
Seeking ways to boost to its economy, Colombia has set aside three tax-free shopping days this summer. Critics fear they could become super spreader events for the coronavirus.
Spending is still nowhere near last year's. But as more states and cities allowed restaurants and shopping centers to reopen, May saw a big swing from a historic collapse in March and April.
Though its stores remained open, Target saw its online sales jump 141% in the past three months, with 5 million shopping on the retailer chain's website for the first time.
Retail sales saw record drops for the second month in a row. Other categories with huge declines included a 59% dive in furniture sales and 29% decreases in department stores and gas stations.
The clothing retailer's troubles predate the health crisis. Other stores, like J.C. Penney and Neiman Marcus, are also struggling to survive extended closures.
La spesa sospesa means paying in advance for someone who can't afford it — an act of charity in which donors don't show off and recipients don't have to show gratitude.
Many supermarket shelves have been stripped bare as the coronavirus spreads in Britain, which led to this tearful Facebook video that has struck a nerve across the country.
Thermometers and cleaning supplies are seeing spikes in demand, predictably — but now so are snacks and perishable food items. See the latest rundown of what's been selling.
Target, Safeway and others are restricting their opening hours, limiting purchases per each shopper and setting off time for seniors and other high-risk individuals to shop.
