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Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

  • NRF urges Congress to raise debt ceiling

    WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation announced that it is urging Congress to reach an agreement and raise the debt ceiling in order to avoid default.

    NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay issued the following statement:

  • Cabela's hooks a strong quarter

    SIDNEY, Neb. — Despite heat waves throughout the country that made leaving the indoors unbearable this summer, consumers still took the time to enjoy the great outdoors, as evidenced by the strong first-quarter results reported by Cabela's. The outdoor sporting goods retailer reported that total revenue for the first quarter increased 7.7% to $562.1 million. For the quarter, comparable-store sales increased 4.4%. 

  • Jobless claims hit three-month low

    Washington, D.C. -- A report released Thursday by the Labor Department said that jobless claims for last week dropped by 24,000 to 398,000, the fewest since April.

    Initial claims from two weeks ago were revised up to 422,000 from an original reading of 418,000. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected new requests for jobless benefits to fall to 413,000 in the latest week.

  • BTS shoppers don’t know what they don’t know

    Retailers who release monthly sales next Thursday will offer fresh insight and hard numbers on back-to-school shoppers’ early season spending behavior and that’s a good thing because so far opinions offered by forecasters are all over the place.

    Back in early July, Customer Growth Partners said seasonal sales would grow by 6.2% to $467 billion, the most since 2006, despite economic headwinds.

  • Whole Foods Q3 profit jumps 35%, on track to open near dozen stores

    Austin -- Whole Foods Market reported Wednesday a profit jump of 35% to $88.5 million, compared with $65.7 million in the year-earlier period.

    Revenue rose 11% to $2.4 billion, meeting Wall Street expectations, and same-store sales rose 8.4%.

  • Food inflation to benefit comps in months ahead

    American consumers may not like inflation, but retailers are enjoying the favorable impact rising prices have on their same-store sales calculations. It was evident last month when retailers reported healthy comp increases and more of the same could be in store for July as it appears retailers are effectively passing through increased prices to shoppers.

  • Savvy BTS shoppers using smartphones, social networks to score deals

    NEW YORK — Inflation-related concerns will prompt back-to-school shoppers to utilize certain shopping tactics, including smartphone and social network use, to save this year.

  • Chain Store Age conducts digital media survey

    Chain Store Age is conducting a brief survey designed to take retailers' "new" media temperature. Together with shopping center owner Forest City Enterprises and research firm Alexander Babbage, Chain Store Age is surveying our retail readership to find out what retailers nationwide are doing in terms of social, mobile and other digital media initiatives.

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