Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation has launched Retail Jobs powered by NRF, a recruiting and search tool developed specifically for retailers and job seekers.

The job board will serve as a fundamental part of NRF’s This Is Retail: Careers, Community, Innovation campaign, launched in April.

Boulder, Col. -- QuikTrip is the nation’s most popular convenience store, according to a new study by Market Force Information. QuikTrip was voted the most popular c-store chain among the more than 7,600 study participants, followed by Wawa, RaceTrac, Speedway and Arco/ampm.

San Jose, Calif. -- The majority (61%) of global consumers are open to shopping at a ‘self service’ fully automated store with vending machines and kiosk stations offering virtual customer service, according to a new survey by Cisco.

Boston -- A new study from Kantar Retail and TNS revealed that shoppers prefer The Home Depot over Canadian Tire, Rona and other DIY retailers when shopping for home improvement items and do-it-yourself projects.  

In the April 2013 survey, Canadian shoppers rated top DIY competitors on a variety of attributes, including assortment, price, service, and community appeals.  



New York -- Research released by IBISWorld showed that Father’s Day sales are forecast to total $13 billion in 2013, a 2% year-over-year increase. Results are expected to get a boost from the overall rise in consumer spending.

Special outings, such as dining out and watching sporting events, are expected to account for the largest share of Father’s Day spending this year, contributing 18.8% of total holiday sales, up 3.5% from 2012.

Thanks to a rebounding economy, dads this year stand to get more than just a boring tie, a pair of socks or a pat on the back for Father's Day.

According to industry research firm IBISWorld, Father's Day sales are expected to total $13 billion this year, a 2% increase from 2012. Traditional Father’s Day gifts, such as automotive accessories and clothing, will take a backseat to gift choices reflecting economic recovery, like home-improvement tools. This increase is mainly due to the overall rise in consumer spending during the past year.

Floor care, water filtration devices and air purifiers generate higher average prices online than in brick-and-mortar stores, according to research from NPD Group.

The research company’s Consumer Tracking Service, looking back at the 12 months ended March 2013, found that consumers are spending significantly more for these home environment cleaning appliances purchased online. 

WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer spending dropped 0.2% in April 2013, according to the Commerce Department.

It was the first monthly decline since May of last year and follows increases of 0.1% in March and 0.8% in February. Falling gas prices in April were part of the reason for the drop in spending, with purchases of gas, electricity and other energy goods and services down 4.4%.

In addition, increased Social Security deductions in consumer paychecks may have also contributed to the decline in spending.