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Paying more for plus-size clothes? Experts poke holes in the policy

Jun 2, 2022
Retailers are emerging from a tough period. Embracing inclusive sizes at the same price is one way to reach more women.
Sixty-eight percent of American women wear a size 14 or larger, according to a 2016 estimate.
MesquitaFMS/Getty Images

How are consumers feeling about the economy?

Jul 30, 2021
There have been signs of robust economic growth, but consumer concerns are rising ... along with the surge of the Delta variant of COVID-19.
Some economists worry that the latest COVID-19 delta variant surge will make shoppers pull back again.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Manufacturing delays mean retailers may consider raising prices

Jun 3, 2021
While delays and shortages could be just short-term disruptions, tariffs, which also push up prices, are expected to remain.
When manufacturers charge more for finished products, retailers also look at raising prices for consumers.
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Retailers try to hire tens of thousands of workers

Apr 14, 2021
One way retailers and restaurants can attract workers is to offer higher pay, though that's easier for larger businesses.
IHOP, as well as other restaurants and retailers, is hiring people to meet an expected increase in customer demand.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Full retail recovery hinges on women getting back to work

Mar 5, 2021
Whether or not women recover economically from this pandemic is everybody’s problem.
More than half of the jobs lost during the pandemic have been lost by women.
Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP via Getty Images

Some local governments have started mandating hazard pay

Feb 19, 2021
But almost a year into the pandemic, most front-line workers are going without it.
Working on site during the pandemic is still hazardous, but many who do that receive no  hazard pay from their employers.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Retailers move into casual clothes and lingerie

Oct 23, 2020
Because most of us just aren't getting dressed up anymore.
A woman pushes a stroller past a Zara store in Bergamo, Italy, in June. Retailers are seeing loungewear as a longer-lasting trend as the pandemic continues.
Emanuele Cremaschi/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

What’s next for struggling shopping malls?

Oct 19, 2020
Mall real estate is facing a crisis with department store sales down and bankruptcies up.
A nearly empty mall in Bloomington, Minnesota, in June.
Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images

Retailers prepare for a surge in online sales this holiday season

Sep 22, 2020
The thing is, it’s cheaper for retailers when you shop in-store.
A FedEx driver makes deliveries in Manhattan on Sept. 17 in New York City. While consumers have come to expect free shipping, it's costing companies.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Businesses, insurers want federal backstop to interruption insurance

Sep 11, 2020
Retailers like Century 21 are blaming unpaid insurance claims for their bankruptcies.
A Century 21 department store in lower Manhattan on Sept. 10. The company blamed its insurers for its bankruptcy.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images