Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

Washington, D.C. -- A report released Thursday showed that consumer confidence fell last week to the lowest level in a month, negatively impacted by rising fuel prices.

The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index dropped to minus 44.5 in the week ended March 6, from the prior week’s minus 39.7, which was close to the highest in almost three years. Surging gas prices have left Americans concerned about personal finances.

Washington, D.C. -- A report released Thursday by the U.S. Labor Department showed that jobless claims in the United States rose by 26,000 for the week ended March 5, to 397,000.

Economists expected claims would climb to 376,000, according to a Bloomberg News survey. The total number of people receiving benefits in the prior week fell to the lowest since October 2008.

WASHINGTON -- With Easter falling in late April this year, retailers are without a major holiday to boost March sales, and many are expecting weaker sales this month. However, thanks to St. Patrick's Day, which falls on March 17, retailers have the help of this micro-holiday.

YONKERS, N.Y. -- In another positive sign for the economy,  the March Consumer Reports Index reveals its most positive results in two years.

According to Consumer Reports National Research Center, which conducts the survey, the Consumer Sentiment Index has broken into positive territory at 50.3, which is up from 48.7 a month ago. This is the first time sentiment has been in positive territory since it was first measured in October 2008.

Washington, D.C. -- Total spending on St. Patrick’s Day festivities is expected to hit $4.14 billion this, according to NRF’s 2011 St. Patrick’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions survey, conducted by BIGresearch. The survey found that 52.4% of Americans will celebrate the Irish holiday, up from 45.2% last year and the most in the survey’s eight year history.

NEW YORK — Amid researching its customers' changing media habits, supermarket retailer Supervalu has partnered with a leading provider of digital marketing services and technology to enhance how the grocer reaches customers.

Supervalu said that after conducting a joint study with Nielsen Catalina Solutions, which measured more than 30 million impressions delivered by PointRoll, in-store sales at Supervalu experienced an overall increase during a three-month period, thanks to PointRoll's PaperBoy eCircular, an interactive expandable ad unit.

For a company so often on the leading edge of offering its shopper affordable fashions in the apparel and home categories, there is one area where Target has been slow to keep pace with the prevailing trend.

New York City -- The Conference Board’s Employment Trends Index, released Monday, increased in February for the fifth consecutive month.

According to the Conference Board, the index now stands at 101.7, up from January’s revised figure of 100.1. The index is up over 8% from a year ago.