Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

It’s the time of year when retailers engage in the annual Dads and Grads promotional extravaganza, and Target is promoting the Apple iPad at $499 as a gift-giving solution.

The iPad appeared on a full-page ad in this week’s circular along with other Apple products such as the iPhone 4 and the iPod Touch.

Not that dads and grads wouldn’t want an iPad, and it never hurts to feature an item that shoppers can aspire to, but the iPad would appear to be out of the price range of most gift-givers, especially where Father’s Day is concerned.

New York City -- Office Depot has reached an agreement with Colorado’s attorney general to offer a refund to about 115 Colorado governmental agencies and nonprofits in connection with the sale of office supplies between January 2006 and March 2009, the Denver Business Journal reported.

The agreement calls for the chain to refund customers as much as $189,000.

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New York City -- A jobs report on Friday that showed a slowing hiring market sent retail shares tumbling. According to the Labor Department, U.S. employers added just 54,000 new workers in May, the fewest in eight months. With unemployment at 9.1%, those retailers most closely tied to the job market, including Staples and Office Depot, saw the most negative impact.

Oak Brook, Ill. -- The J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Home Improvement Retailer Store Satisfaction Study again ranked Ace Hardware “Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Home Improvement Retail Stores.” Ace has held this position since the organization began researching the home improvement category five years ago.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target reported a 2.8% same-store sales increase for May, falling short of Wall Street's expectation for a 3.5% increase, as consumers remained cautious. The retailer reported that net sales for the four-week period were $4.8 billion, an increase of 3.8%t from $4.6 billion for the four weeks ended May 29, 2010. 

 NEW YORK  — A sluggish economy, cool weather and high prices at the pump tempered retail sales in May, as retailers reported mixed results for the month. Retail Metrics projected an increase of 5.1% for the 25 chains tracked, which would mark the 21st straight monthly gain from September 2009.

Retailers who turned in strong performances in May included Macy’s, with a 7.4% rise in same-store sales when a 5.6% increase was expected. The company lifted its full-year same-stores sales estimate.

Kansas City, Kan. -- A report released Thursday by Compdata Surveys found that although the economy is still struggling to make significant strides towards recovery, small improvements are starting to become more evident.

The 2011 Compensation Data Services survey results found pay increase budgets remained relatively stable at 2.4%, reflecting a slight increase from 2.2% in 2010. Pay increase budgets are projected to continue slowly increasing in 2012 to 2.5%.

New York City -- A report released Wednesday by CB Richard Ellis found that New York City remains the world’s most expensive retail destination as retailers focus on the major fashion capitals, pushing global rents in prime locations even higher.

According to the latest CBRE Global Retail MarketView, the improving economy has had a measurably positive impact.

New York City -- Luxury, high-end jewelry and e-commerce enjoyed strong growth in May, as did the restaurant category, according to MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse, which tracks national retail and services sales. Apparel also continued to show gains, the report found, while housing-related sectors such as furniture, electronics and appliances all saw sales decline compared with the same period in 2010.