Seasonal

For a variety of retailers – from supermarkets, to restaurants, to department and convenience stores – the holiday shopping season represents the peak time of year for staffing up on temporary workers to help meet all of the increase in consumer demand. However, the need to staff up may be even greater this year as some companies have already been operating with limited capacity given the nation-wide labor shortage.

Stein Mart reported negative same-store sales growth on the same day that the company also lost its chief merchant to an off-price rival.

For the third quarter ended Oct. 31, Stein Mart comps fell 2.3%.

"Unseasonably warm weather impacted traffic and our sales during the third quarter," said Jay Stein, CEO. "We continue to have a positive outlook on our important fourth quarter holiday sales which will include incremental sales from six new stores opened through the third quarter plus four more new stores opening in November."

Dishonest employees and shoplifters pushed shrink rates to record levels and earned the United States the distinction of leading the world in the least desirable of retail metrics.

According to retailers surveyed for the Global Retail Theft Barometer, shrink rose in the U.S. from 1.28% of sales in 2013-2014 to 1.97% during 2014-2015. Globally, this compares to 1.42% , a figure also up from the previous .94% average of all common retailers surveyed the previous year.

For a variety of retailers – from supermarkets, to restaurants, to department and convenience stores – the holiday shopping season represents the peak time of year for staffing up on temporary workers to help meet all of the increase in consumer demand.

HHgregg 's CEO says the company is on track to meet key financial objectives even though it posted negative same-store sales growth and a larger loss in the second quarter.

Holiday shoppers have high expectations of their online customer experience this year.

According to the new JDA 2015 Consumer Survey of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers, 50% 0f respondents indicate that they will be unforgiving of retailers who provide less than satisfactory online home delivery experiences.

Price match guarantees and claims of fantastic deals have become passé, so Staples is employing a new promotional tactic this holiday season that speaks directly to its core customer.

Staples is making the same claims as virtually every other retailer about its great deals, convenient shopping and omnichannel capabilities. However, to take those claims a step further in a way that speaks to its core customers, Staples has created a limited duration promotion it’s calling the “Business Savings Event.”

Store performance disappointed almost across the board during October, and circumstances beyond retailers’ control may have had a lot to do with it.