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Monday

Retail Jobs Are Treated As A Temporary Bridge To Something Better. But Why?

At any moment of this past decade, U.S. retail jobs have supported about 15 million workers. Inti St Clair/Getty Images/Tetra images RF hide caption

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Inti St Clair/Getty Images/Tetra images RF

Help Wanted: Where Are The Workers?

Retail Jobs Are Treated As A Temporary Bridge To Something Better. But Why?

At any moment, some 15 million Americans work in retail. Many stay for years. Now companies face a labor crunch, and workers wish these jobs were designed as durable careers.

Retail Jobs Are Treated As A Temporary Bridge To Something Better. But Why?

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Monday

All In On Malls
Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Indicator from Planet Money

All In On Malls

With the pandemic shutting down in-person life, thousands of retail stores closed up shop. But, some retailers see an opportunity for growth by moving into American malls. Let's go to the mall.

All In On Malls

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Thursday

More Retail Workers Are Quitting Than Ever, But More Stores Are Opening Than Expected

People shop at a Macy's in New York this month. Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images

The Coronavirus Crisis

More Retail Workers Are Quitting Than Ever, But More Stores Are Opening Than Expected

The U.S. retail industry is setting records: workers quitting and workers hired. Wages are finally growing. And despite the pandemic devastation, brand-new stores are still opening.

More Retail Workers Are Quitting Than Ever, But More Stores Are Opening Than Expected

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Tuesday

Who Cares About Calendars? The Pumpkin Spice Latte Is Here, Which Means Fall Has Begun

Starbucks beat its own record this year, rolling out the pumpkin spice latte a full 24 hours earlier than it did last year. Still, it lags behind the Aug. 18 Dunkin's rollout of a similar beverage. Chelsea Kyle/Starbucks hide caption

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Chelsea Kyle/Starbucks

Business

Who Cares About Calendars? The Pumpkin Spice Latte Is Here, Which Means Fall Has Begun

Love it or hate it, the PSL gods have spoken. The flavored coffee beverage — and all of the iterations it has spawned — is upon us.

Tuesday

Families Splurge On Clothes And Electronics In Likely Record Back-To-School Spree

Some families already got a head start on shopping for the school year when Amazon, Walmart, Target and others held huge summer sales. Now, parents are getting a new financial boost from the government: an increased child tax credit of up to $3,000 for school-age children. Michele Abercrombie/NPR hide caption

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Michele Abercrombie/NPR

Business

Families Splurge On Clothes And Electronics In Likely Record Back-To-School Spree

Last year it was all about chairs and headphones. This year it's time for T-shirts and sneakers — and more laptops. Back-to-school shopping in the U.S. is expected to top $37 billion.

Families Splurge On Clothes And Electronics In Likely Record Back-To-School Spree

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Friday

Dogecoin, Retail And The Cafe Table Indicator
ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

The Indicator from Planet Money

Dogecoin, Retail And The Cafe Table Indicator

For this edition of Indicators of the Week, we hear from economists Kate Waldock and Ben Ho about what they're looking at to signal the health of the economy: the strength of retail and Dogecoin.

Dogecoin, Retail and the Cafe Table Indicator

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Thursday

Stimulus And The Shopper
GENYA SAVILOV/AFP via Getty Images

The Indicator from Planet Money

Stimulus And The Shopper

Stimulus checks have started to hit many Americans' bank accounts. Will this give an extra boost, or maybe even a lifeline, to retailers?

Stimulus And The Shopper

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Thursday

Wednesday

How A Retail Chain Without A Website Powered Through The Pandemic

Shoppers line up near sale signs at a Burlington store in New York in June. Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images hide caption

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Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Business

How A Retail Chain Without A Website Powered Through The Pandemic

Burlington shut down online sales in March right before coronavirus lockdowns. But it's among the discount retailers that have endured the pandemic surprisingly well, even opening new stores.

How A Retail Chain Without A Website Powered Through The Pandemic

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Shoppers Splurged In January As New Stimulus Checks Arrived

People walk in front of stores in New York's Herald Square. Retail sales soared 5.3% last month compared to December as U.S. families began receiving new federal coronavirus relief checks. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Business

Shoppers Splurged In January As New Stimulus Checks Arrived

Retail sales soared 5.3% last month compared to December, much more than anticipated, as U.S. families began receiving new federal coronavirus relief checks.

Friday

Retail Spending Dips For 3rd Straight Month As Infections Surge

Shoppers walk past a "Sale" sign outside a store at the Easton Town Center Mall in Columbus, Ohio, on Jan. 7. Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Business

Retail Spending Dips For 3rd Straight Month As Infections Surge

Restaurants and bars are reeling from spikes of coronavirus cases in their communities. Earlier holiday sales meant online shopping and electronics sales dipped in December. Retail sales fell 0.7%.

Wednesday

U.S. Retail Spending Declined The Most Since Historic Plunge In April

Shoppers walk through Macy's in New York on Black Friday last month. Retail sales declined 1.1% in November, according to the Commerce Department. Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images

Coronavirus Updates

U.S. Retail Spending Declined The Most Since Historic Plunge In April

Retail sales dipped 1.1% in November compared with a month earlier as new coronavirus surges restricted outings to stores and especially restaurants.

U.S. Retail Spending Declined The Most Since Historic Plunge In April

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Wednesday

Amazon Warehouse Workers In Alabama Petition To Unionize

Some workers at Amazon warehouses such as this one in the Staten Island borough of New York City have been trying to organize, facing stiff opposition from the company. Amazon workers in Alabama have now petitioned to form a union. Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images

Business

Amazon Warehouse Workers In Alabama Petition To Unionize

Warehouse workers in Bessemer, Ala., notify federal labor authorities of plans to hold a unionization vote, teeing up a major labor battle at the retail giant known for its opposition to unionizing.

Tuesday

Thursday

These Women Built Careers In Retail. The COVID-19 Crisis Tore Through Their Stores

Heather Wilcox-Nicholls lost her job with Mattress Firm during the pandemic. She had been with the company for about five years and was about to take on a new store as a manager. Krista Rossow for NPR hide caption

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Krista Rossow for NPR

Enough Already: How The Pandemic Is Breaking Women

These Women Built Careers In Retail. The COVID-19 Crisis Tore Through Their Stores

Women hold the majority of jobs in clothing and department stores, gift and souvenir shops. They run cash registers everywhere. Now thousands of stores have shuttered, leaving them jobless.

These Women Built Careers In Retail. The COVID-19 Crisis Tore Through Their Stores

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