Lack of Pandemic Relief Is a Blow to Retailers
By Sheridan Fifer
Retailers had held out hope that a new pandemic relief package would give new life to flagging consumer confidence and send shoppers online and into stores with money to spend. Hopes that the all-important holiday spending would receive such a boost were largely dashed on Monday, when the U.S. Senate adjourned without reaching an agreement on a new stimulus.
Absent a package, amid elevated unemployment and a resurging pandemic, research shows that many consumers will curtail their holiday budgets.