Opinion: A Not So Super Tuesday for Retailers, Operators
Super Tuesday shed a very strong light on what the general election campaign is going to look like as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump performed well and solidified their frontrunner status.
More importantly, it was essentially a validation of Donald Trump's campaign style and strategy so far. Whether you are a fan of The Donald or not, it is clear that part of that strategy has been focusing on social issues like immigration, race and other political hot potatoes and pushing issues important to Main Street merchants to the back burner.
To date, there has not been a whole lot of conversation on the Republican side about job creation, economic growth, tax reform and the increasing pressure on small business. It’s particularly noticeable because at the same time, the Democrats have been having quite a robust discussion about income inequality, wage stagnation and the shrinking middle class. So far it has been a very one-sided conversation, often putting a negative light on entry-level employers.
As a result of Super Tuesday, it looks like retailers and restaurant operators can expect a lot more of the same going forward — with Republicans talking about social issues at the expense of small business owners and Democrats talking about wage stagnation at the expense of, you guessed it, small business owners. It could be a long year.