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It's peak season for returns, which are setting a new record. Some end up back on shelves or get resold to other merchants, and some wind up in landfills or sail overseas.
People order pallets of online returns, knowing either something or next to nothing about what they're getting, and then they open the pallets for the benefit of YouTube viewers.
The U.S. is dotted with more warehouses than ever. But they are overwhelmed by record-level imports, a lack of workers and a shopping spree of unprecedented proportions.
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.
