Retail

Retail Sales Plunge in March

Retail sales in the United States fell 8.7 percent in March from the prior month and were down 6.2 percent year over year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.  The plunge was due to impact from COVID-19. Clothing and accessories… more

Unemployment Filings Top 6.6 Million

Unemployment claims were in excess of six million for the second week in a row, due to COVID-19, bringing the numbers to nearly 17 million over the last few weeks. For the week ended April 4, claims were 6.06 million,… more

CDC Issues Worker Guidance for COVID-19 Exposure

The CDC has issued guidance for critical infrastructure employees who might have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 to return to work. Critical-infrastructure employees are considered those who work in 16 different sectors, including those in law enforcement, janitorial staff,… more

Hallmark CEO Takes Pay Cut, HQ Hours Reduced

Hallmark CEO Mike Perry will reportedly take a 20 percent pay cut as the company grapples with the impact of COVID-19, as will other executives at the global Kansas City-based company. At the same time, workers' hours have been cut at… more

Employment Falls By 700,000 in March

Total payroll employment in March fell by 701,000 primarily due to COVID-19, according to a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report, and the unemployment rate hit 4.4 percent, up 0.9 percent from the previous month. That marks the biggest… more

Unemployment Claims Unfortunately Break More Records

The unemployment picture in the United States has gotten a lot more grim, due to COVID-19 shock waves. For the week ended March 28, unemployment claims hit 6.448 million, a new record since the numbers have been tracked by the… more

Apparel Retailers Feel COVID-19 Pain

At least two national retailers with a significant presence in the Kansas City area are furloughing most of their workers in anticipation that they will need to keep their stores closed longer than they had previously planned. Macy's, with six… more

The Future of Small-Business Relief

It may come too late to save thousands of small businesses, but the congressional response to the economic shutdown from COVID-19 will be a sore relief to those that can keep their heads above water until the assistance shows up. While… more

Small Businesses Take a COVID-19 Hit

About 56 percent of small businesses say they are impacted negatively by COVID-19, according to a recent report from Kansas City-based customer conversion and retention platform Bellwethr. While 55.5 percent said they are feeling negative impacts, 44.4 percent said that… more

Winners and Losers in a COVID Economy

You only had to look in the paper-products aisle of your local grocer  this month to know instinctively that those stores were going to see big sales, and for more than just toilet paper.   As the business world reorients… more