Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

PHILADELPHIA — Comparable sales slipped 2.8% at Pep Boys during the first quarter ended April 28, as customers were slow to come to the retailer for parts and services. The comps decline consisted of a 1.2% comparable-service revenue decrease and a 3.2% comparable-merchandise sales decrease. Total sales for the quarter increased by $11.1 million, or 2.2%, to $524.6 million from $513.5 million for the same period last year.

Greenpeace has released its latest "Carting Away the Ocean" report, and Walmart should be pleased with where it ranked on the list. With a score of 5, Walmart placed 12th (out of 20), just hight enough to earn an, or "passing," rating. While that may not seem so great, it is important to keep in mind that only two retailers, Safeway and Whole Foods received green, or "good" ratings for their scores of 7 and 7.1, respectively -- the first time any retailer has recieved such distinction.

Total U.S. shopper traffic in retail stores and malls for May 2012

Retailers saw an uptick in foot traffic last month, a welcome change of pace after a slow April. May retail foot traffic increased 1.6% over the previous month. Two holidays in May, Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, drove the increase, but they weren’t enough to outpace the same period last year.

WASHINGTON — While dads usually don't get the same caliber of gift for Father's Day as moms do or Mother's Day, if the results of NRF's latest survey are to be believed, dads should be pretty pleased with what they receive this year.

News reports this week speculated Denver might be getting a new CityTarget store. Get used to seeing similar speculation in other major markets as the company seeks to tap a new growth frontier.

Washington, D.C. -- The average person will spend $117.14 on dad’s gifts this year, up 10% from $106.49 last year, closing the gap between its biggest competitor: Mother’s Day (consumers planned to spend an average of $152 on the holiday), according to the National Retail Federation’s 2012 Father’s Day spending survey, conducted by BIGinsight. Total spending for Father’s Day is expected to reach $12.7 billion.

New York -- J.C. Penney has angered a conservative group with a Father's Day ad that features a gay couple and their two young children. The print ad shows the two men playing with their 3-year-olds and reads, "First Pals - What makes Dad so cool? He's the swim coach, tent maker, best friend, bike fixer and hug giver - all rolled into one. Or two.” It is part of a spread in Penney’s June catalog, mailed out this week.

NEW YORK — Retail executives have more cash, are adding employees and enjoying stronger revenue, but they remain quite guarded longer term, not seeing a complete economic recovery until 2014 or later, according to the 2012 Retail Outlook Survey by audit, tax, and advisory firm KPMG LLP.

In the recent survey, 77% of retail executives indicate that their companies have significant cash on the balance sheet – up from 72% in KPMG's 2011 survey – and 56% say their companies' cash positions have increased from last year.

Greenpeace has released its latest "Carting Away the Ocean" report, and Target should be pleased with where it ranked on the list. With a score of 6.4, Target placed fifth and earned an orange, or "passing," rating. While that may not seem so great, it is important to keep in mind that only two retailers, Safeway and Whole Foods received green, or "good" ratings for their scores of 7 and 7.1, respectively -- the first time any retailer has recieved such distinction.

WASHINGTON — Organized retail crime is a growing concern for all retailers, with a staggering 96% reporting that their company has been the victim of a crime in the past year, according to NRF's Organized Retail Crime Survey. This number is up from 94.5% in the past year.  In addition, 87.7% say ORC activity in the United States has grown over the past three years.