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.

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.

Next week's pay increase would put Costco ahead of much of the industry. CEO W. Craig Jelinek said higher pay reduces turnover and boosts productivity.

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.

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.

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%.

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

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.

Shoppers kept buying electronics and home improvement supplies, but sales overall rose only 0.3% in October.

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.

U.S. retail spending grew 1.9% last month, delivering a slight boost of confidence amid a recent spate of signs that the economic recovery has lost momentum from the pandemic's toll.

A new report by the consumer-interest nonprofit Public Citizen calls out major retailers for donating to trade groups and campaigns supporting harsher shoplifting penalties in at least 18 states.

But U.S. shoppers spent more prudently in August and retail sales grew a tepid 0.6% from July, after extra federal jobless benefits expired and families faced a confusing back-to-school season.

Preparing for both in-person and virtual learning has families budgeting for new school supplies like masks and bleach wipes as well as bigger purchases like laptops, speakers, desks and chairs.

People particularly stocked up on electronics and appliances, took more trips with stops at gas stations, and cautiously went out to eat as more stores and restaurants reopened.