For retailers, a holiday dilemma: staffing for the unpredictable

Sep 28, 2021
Consumers want the convenience of delivery and e-commerce, but some also want in-store experiences with all the holiday trimmings.
In the lead-up to the holidays, brands are focusing their messaging on savings and good deals for consumers.
Scott Heins via Getty Images

FedEx fights labor shortage as holiday season approaches

Sep 23, 2021
Companies could put a cap on the number of deliveries they accept, leaving the overflow to the postal service.
Pedestrians walk past a FedEx truck in the Financial District in New York City.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Retailers work around supply snags to fill shelves ahead of holidays

Sep 7, 2021
Grappling with shortages as holiday shopping season approaches, merchants focus on products that are available.
The Macy's department store in Manhattan, Christmas Eve 2020. Responding to product shortages, merchants are modifying their offerings to emphasize available inventory.
Scott Heins via Getty Images

Ports are crowded as the holiday season approaches

Sep 3, 2021
Workers across industries have expressed frustration all year about shipping delays. Now it's crunch time again.
Containers, ships and cranes at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Longshore union members are negotiating a new contract with their employers.
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Supply chain woes have retailers thinking ahead

Jun 9, 2021
They're already placing orders for the 2021 holiday season, but some things are easier to buy well ahead of time than others.
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Three small businesses weigh in on the pandemic holiday season

Jan 4, 2021
Marketplace has been following three American small businesses during this unprecedented holiday retail season. Here's how things went.
The quiet interior of Carr Mill Mall in Carrboro, North Carolina, where Ali Cat Toys is located.
Irene Kesselman

Holiday sales grow by 3%, a much bigger jump than during the last recession

Dec 28, 2020
The 2008 recession hit more broadly, and retailers were stuck with a lot of inventory. This time, retailers had time to plan.
Holiday shoppers make a last-minute trip to department stores in Manhattan on Dec. 24 in New York City.
Scott Heins/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Consumer confidence lackluster as the pandemic continues

Dec 23, 2020
Even with the rollout of vaccinations and federal action on a relief package, many consumers are wary about the future.
Even with positive news about vaccinations, most of the news about the economy and COVID-spread has been downbeat lately.
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Shipping delays cause problems for small retailers

Dec 22, 2020
We’re expecting record online sales this holiday season, and shippers are having a hard time keeping up.
Postal workers sort, load and deliver mail outside a USPS location in Los Angeles, California, in August.
Kyle Grillot/AFP via Getty Images

For small retailers, COVID-19 is changing business, but to what extent?

Dec 16, 2020
It might depend on what is sold and where it's sold. We check in with three business owners to see how things look in the middle of the holiday shopping season.
Shoppers carry bags from Macy's department store in New York.
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