October’s retail sales results, the best performance since April 2008, show that Americans are spending a little more. But will they be willing to pay full price this holiday season? Stores are heading into the period with slashed inventories, determined not to have the fire sales that characterized last Christmas. But shoppers still are facing tight credit and a weak job market and might wait for fat discounts or not buy at all. That game of chicken will determine the holiday winners and losers.

NEW YORK Some of fashion’s best-known names are playing musical chairs. Faced with a consolidating department store industry and eroding sales, some labels are cutting ties with retailers that sold their clothing and betting their future with one chain. Liz Claiborne Inc.‘s announced last month that it’s moving its namesake line to J.C. Penney Co. from Macy’s Inc. Other stores have made similar moves with other major brands, like Tommy Hilfiger and Dana Buchman.

Macy’s shoppers across the Richmond area will be able to raise money for local nonprofit organizations as they earn discounts for themselves at the department store chain’s annual “Shop for a Cause” event tomorrow. The chain partners with nonprofit organizations that sell passes entitling customers to receive discounts. The nonprofit groups sell the passes for $5 and keeps 100 percent of the money. The passes are also sold at Macy’s stores, with the $5 going to charity.

Shockoe Bottom store specializing in contemporary furniture has carved a national reputation. Owner says “good design should stand the test of time.“

NEW YORK The world of high fashion is coming down to earth a bit. Trenchcoats, jumpsuits, sumptuous sweater sets and billowy dresses intended to flatter a wider range of body shapes and sizes ruled the runway at New York Fashion Week, which showcased spring 2010 designs for buyers and fashion editors. It’s a big departure from the elaborately beaded evening gowns and unwearable flights of fancy (think: see-through pants) that have dominated runways in recent years.

Compulsive buyers drawn to Internet Compulsive buyers prefer the fast, secret thrill of shopping on the Internet rather than in bricks-and-mortar stores. They don’t want anyone witnessing their obsessive behavior, said University of Richmond researchers Monika Kukar-Kinney, Nancy M. Ridgway and Kent B. Monroe. The findings of their survey of 314 customers from 42 states, all customers of one e-retailer, appear in the September issue of the Journal of Retailing.

Best Buy Co., the largest U.S. electronics retailer, said second-quarter results fell below expectations as sales at established stores fell.

The Great Recession and Americans’ retreat into thriftiness are teaching retailers a new lesson: How to survive when consumers are focused on “needs” rather than “wants.“ For years, shoppers splurged on everything from $5 lattes to $200 jeans, and retailers responded by opening more stores and offering more choices. Now, beset by high unemployment and limited access to credit, shoppers are limiting most of their purchases only to essentials or the best deals.

Empty storefronts line the main portion of the project, which includes space for shops, offices, apartments and homes. Walking through the development, residents and visitors are struck by the emptiness.

The retail portion of West Broad Village has struggled. Some retailers and restaurants have pulled out; others want to set up shop but not just yet. Still, HomeGoods, REI and other retailers plan to open stores there in the coming months.
  1. Day-care center (planned)
  2. Dave & Buster’s (open)
  3. Mimis Café (open)

Shoppers limited their back-to-school purchases and stayed focused on necessities in August, resulting in the 12th straight month of declining sales for retailers. But there were signs the holiday season could be less dismal than feared. Despite the weakness many reported, retailers overall did better in August than analysts expected.

Consumer electronics and appliance retailer hhgregg sees Richmond and other markets in Virginia as key to its growth strategy. “Richmond is an important market for us as we expand into the mid-Atlantic,“ said Jeff Pearson, the chain’s vice president of marketing. The Indianapolis-based retailer will open two stores—in former Circuit City locations at Short Pump Town Center in Henrico County and near Chesterfield Towne Center in Chesterfield County—by Thanksgiving, he confirmed yesterday.

Focus on financially healthy chains. Pursue job opportunities at supermarket chains and discounters that have benefited from shoppers who are buying only the necessities.
  Look for jobs where you regularly shop and that you’re passionate about. That knowledge of the products will come through in interviews.
  Meet the managers: Don’t just drop off your résumé, but try to meet the store managers to stand out from the crowd of applications.

Don’t count on a job selling sweaters at your favorite department store. Retail jobs from sales associates to managers are harder to find as merchants close stores, lay off thousands of workers—or go out of business. Whenever a retailer does hire employers, it’s usually inundated by people hoping for a job. J.C. Penney Co. got 15,000 applications, more than double what it expected, for 500 positions at its new Manhattan store.

Every six weeks or so, the guy from Philip Morris, as his customers still think of him, swings by for a chat. But this summer, salespeople like Winfred Hayes are changing hats. He now works for Philip Morris USA’s parent, Altria Group.