Attitudes: Retailers

New York -- Local politicians and local New Yorkers differ in their views on Walmart.

Fifty-five percent of New York City residents want elected officials to let Walmart open a store within the five boroughs, according to a poll by Quinnipiac University.

The results are similar to a poll conducted by the university four years ago, when the retailer made a failed push to open in Brooklyn.

Sears Canada has come up with an innovative way to appeal to back-to-school shoppers -- especially those parents who have kids who don't wear uniforms to school.

The retailer has launched the KidVantage Grow Out Guarantee, "created to take the stress and guesswork out of back-to-school shopping." The KidVantage Grow Out Guarantee promises that if your child grows out of an article of clothing purchased at Sears, you can exchange it for the next size up before the end of the current school year.

Seattle – Consumers are partial to online marketplaces when it comes to choosing a starting point for digital shopping journeys. According to a new research study from Amazon.com and Pymnts.com titled “Innovation and the Digital Shopper,” 64% of respondents begin their shopping journey on online marketplaces.

Denver – Whatever the cool kids (and their families) are doing this summer, back-to-school shopping does not appear to be on the agenda.

An ongoing shopper behavior study conducted by The Integer Group and M/A/R/C Research shows that retailers will continue to see the number of back-to-school shoppers in their stores drop.

In 2014, the data showed 36% of shoppers would not be shopping back-to-school, and this year the study is showing a 7% increase in those not shopping for back-to-school.

Boston – When it comes to managing records and information, retailers are surprisingly lax compared to members of many other industries.

According to a new study from enterprise information management provider Iron Mountain, just one in three retail businesses have a records and information manager.

Atlanta -- A sizeable number of businesses won’t meet the EMV transition deadline, according to a survey by Randstad Technologies.

Rockville, Md. - Shifting household dynamics are changing the way Americans shop for groceries, with moms no longer always assuming this role exclusively. According to market research publisher Packaged Facts, the percentage of men who are now the primary shoppers in their households has more than doubled in the past two decades.

Washington, D.C. - The National Retail Federation (NRF) is now a little less rosy in its sales expectations for 2015. The NRF has lowered its full-year retail sales forecast because of unexpected slow growth recorded during the first half of the year, similar to the industry’s experience in 2014.

However, NRF still expects sales will steadily increase through the remainder of the year. NRF forecasted in February that retail sales would grow 4.1% in 2015 from 2014, but today’s revision lowers the forecast to 3.5%.

Washington, D.C. - Following up on last month’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the National Retail Federation (NRF) and other business groups today urged Congress to move quickly on reforms to the five-year-old healthcare law.

“We write to urge Congress to put priority attention toward easing the cost and compliance burdens associated with the Affordable Care Act,” the groups said in a letter to members of the House and Senate.

New York -- A new survey reveals the favorite shopping destinations of millenial shoppers and what factors drive their purchases.

Zara, H&M and Urban Outfitters ranked as the favorite stores among millennials, according to a survey conducted by LIM College professors Robert Conrad, MBA and Kenneth M. Kambara, Ph.D. (LIM, based in Manhattan, is focused exclusively on the study of business and fashion.)