Retail is recovering — and flowering — in smaller cities and the suburbs
Early in the pandemic, tons of stores and restaurants closed, especially in big cities. For many of those stores, closures were permanent. Three years later though, retail in some places has recovered...
View ArticleWhy are boutiques and coffee shops selling the same olive oil and tinned fish?
Many local independent stores these days sell pantry goods — think olive oil, spices, maybe tinned fish. Writer and director Emily Sundberg noticed many of these boutiques were selling the same brands...
View ArticleWhy more new video games now cost $70
This week, Nintendo announced that its upcoming game Tears of the Kingdom, part of the Legend of Zelda series, will retail for $70 — that’s $10 more than the standard $60 price tag that most new video...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How ASMR videos earn bonus revenue for this cleaning company
“My Economy” tells the story of the new economic normal through the eyes of people trying to make it, because we know the only numbers that really matter are the ones in your economy. C3 Laundry...
View ArticleA 118-year-old department store perseveres in a tenuous economy
One area of the economy that has not fully recovered from the blows it suffered during the pandemic, has been the department store. Employment at department stores is still 12% below pre-pandemic...
View ArticleFor those who sell, predicting the economy is more than theoretical
For months now, economic prognosticators have been placing bets on whether there’ll be a recession. Whether there might be a downturn, a soft landing or no landing at all. And, if a recession comes,...
View ArticleA Tulsa sneakers store plans for a year of uncertainty
Last year was rocky for sneaker resales. The average price return for resales of popular recent sneaker models dropped to -7%, according to researcher Altan Insights, which looked at data from the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“New smaller size, same great price!” The products we buy are shrinking, and...
For American consumers, there are universal laws governing the shopping experience that are supposed to be immutable. Hot dog buns come in packs of eight. You should be able to buy eggs by the dozen....
View ArticleRetailers say customers are focusing on essentials
Between inflation and a possible looming recession, retailers are on edge. Macy’s says it’s doubling down on its store brands. Costco and Target say customers are focusing on essentials. The more...
View ArticleNew location means smarter budgeting for Michigan retailer
Opening a new retail location can be difficult, especially when your plan for the year didn’t include expansion. But when a bigger location opened up in Suttons Bay, Michigan, Annie Lang Hartman of...
View ArticleNo matter the economy, beauty sells
Stubborn inflation and the threat of a recession may lead some shoppers to cut back on nonessential items, but that doesn’t apply to their favorite mascara or face mask. During their latest corporate...
View ArticleWater ruined his vinyl, but store owner gets by with a little help from his...
For Phillip Rollins, who owns the record and comic store OffBeat in Jackson, Mississippi, the last month has been all about recovery after a fire broke out in a neighboring building. “We had a lot of...
View ArticleThis small-business owner hopes she can stop keeping inventory in her garage
At Noir Lux Candle Co. in Seattle, business has been pretty good this spring. Now, owner Colina Bruce is hoping to grow the operation — and stop keeping inventory in her garage. “I’m getting things...
View ArticleLayoffs signal retailers are adjusting to more sharp turns
One big economic story that’s come out of the pandemic is the resilience of the American consumer. Despite historic inflation and high interest rates, we’ve just kept buying stuff. During the...
View ArticleWhy are Ikea and Costco expanding as other retailers close stores and lay off...
The retail industry has been a little anxious lately. Retail sales fell in March as consumers pulled back on spending and continued to focus on services. Layoffs have been happening at Whole Foods,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Here’s why you can’t find 5-pound sugar bags anymore
Carol Gendel reached for a 5-pound bag of sugar from the grocery shelf, as she does every few months, when she immediately noticed something was off. “Sure enough, when I checked the weight, it was 4...
View ArticleWhat might happen to all that retail space Bed Bath & Beyond may soon abandon?
Bed Bath & Beyond filed for bankruptcy this weekend, as struggles with e-commerce and the pandemic just proved too much for the once ubiquitous staple of suburban shopping malls. Barring an...
View ArticleLatest round of layoffs at Gap Inc. reveal gaps in corporate strategy,...
A new wave of layoffs is coming to Gap Inc., the parent of apparel mainstays Old Navy, Banana Republic and, of course, The Gap. The company is cutting 1,800 corporate jobs, layoffs that come on the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
As vinyl record sales eclipse CDs, LP pressing plants are thriving
Last year, consumers bought more new vinyl records than CDs. It’s the first time that’s happened since 1987, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. The LP industry is booming, but...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How brands like Birkenstock and Victoria’s Secret stage a comeback
It was the year 2006, smack dab in the middle of the early aughts, and Birkenstock was losing its foothold as everyone’s favorite ugly shoe. So it brought in some outsiders to take stock of its...
View ArticleMore retailers turn to discounts to lure shoppers
With consumers buying fewer big-ticket items as prices continue to rise, retailers are trying out a strategy to woo shoppers back to those nonessentials, like furniture and TVs. Case in point:...
View ArticleThe search for the perfect “dupe” might be more valuable than the dupe itself
People who like to shop over social platforms like TikTok are probably familiar with the term (and hashtag) “dupe.” Short for “duplicate,” it describes a whole genre of items that are purportedly...
View ArticleOn Juneteenth, this small business owner makes space for big conversations
For Colina Bruce, founder of Noir Lux Candle Co., in Seattle, Washington, leaving education behind for her new business was hard. But as she prepares for local Juneteenth events, she shares that she...
View ArticleIn the Bronx, a bookstore on wheels is parking it at a new spot as the...
“My Economy” tells the story of the new economic normal through the eyes of people trying to make it, because we know the only numbers that really matter are the ones in your economy. Brick-and-mortar...
View ArticleDo landlords get tax credits for empty buildings?
This is just one of the stories from our “I’ve Always Wondered” series, where we tackle all of your questions about the world of business, no matter how big or small. Ever wondered if recycling is...
View Article
