Tricks of the TradeTrump's Second TermMy EconomyI've Always Wondered ...

Loading...

0:00
0% played
Support the fact-based journalism you rely on with a donation to Marketplace today. Give Now!
Stories Tagged as

Retail sales

Shoppers have been feeling pretty meh. But that could move the Fed to start cutting interest rates.

by Henry Epp
Jul 15, 2024
One wild card: back-to-school shopping.
Back-to-school shopping season has started really early this year.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

Retail sales figures suggest consumers are pulling back

by Mitchell Hartman
May 15, 2024
The latest figures, for April, suggest that rising prices, high interest rates and depleted pandemic savings may finally be weighing on spending.
In surveys, consumers report they’re increasingly worn down by inflation, said Morning Consult's Claire Tassin.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

Retail sales climbed to a higher-than-expected 0.7% in March

by Samantha Fields
Apr 15, 2024
Consumers are still spending, but that looks a little different now than it has the past few years.
Spending at nonstore retailers — like Temu or Amazon — rose 2.7% last month.
ArtistGNDphotography/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE
"The Store"

The problem of "sameness"

by Ellen Rolfes
Jan 31, 2024
Why department stores struggle to retain relevancy.
Can you tell whether this photo was taken inside of a JCPenney? A Dillard's? A Macy's?
Jeenah Moon/Getty Images
Share Now on:
SHARE

Retailers are stuck in a cycle of constant sales

by Kristin Schwab
Jan 17, 2024
Once consumers adjust to a 24/7 promotion environment, it hard for companies to stop.
Online shopping has given consumers the ability to compare prices in real time, giving retailers more incentive to offer deals.
Kena Betancur/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

Non-store retail sales grew more than 10% since last November

by Elizabeth Trovall
Dec 14, 2023
$1.2 trillion was spent outside of brick-and-mortar stores this year — much of it online. Here's some of the trends shaping e-commerce spending.
Non-retail sales — mostly online shopping — grew by more than 10% year-over-year, according to the Commerce Department.
Poike/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

What counts as "discretionary" spending?

by Samantha Fields
Nov 15, 2023
Shoppers have been pulling back on "discretionary" spending at retailers.
What counts as "discretionary" spending varies from person to person, depending on their spending habits. For example, food is a necessity, but there's a difference between pantry staples and a prepared steak dinner.
Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

For public good, not for profit.

Donate

Retail group predicts record holiday spending

by Stephanie Hughes
Nov 3, 2023
The National Retail Federation predicts at least $957 billion in sales this holiday season. But that might not mean everyone is splurging.
Prices for goods are up nearly 1% from a year ago, according to the latest PCE price index.
Mark Makela/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

Did retail sales grow because we bought more stuff, or did the stuff get more expensive?

by Justin Ho
Oct 17, 2023
The way the Census Bureau calculates its retail sales data wasn't an issue until prices started rising a couple years back.
Grocery store spending rose 0.4% in September, according to the Census Bureau.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

Furniture sellers adapt to a nationwide drop in sales

by Stephanie Hughes
Sep 15, 2023
Sales at furniture stores have been sliding amid a cooling housing market and weakening consumer sentiment about making big purchases.
AJ Venable at Urban Links Furniture & Appliances in Baltimore. He said his customers have become more price-sensitive.
Stephanie Hughes/Marketplace
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE