Retailers in the city who really depended on this last rush are probably not going to get what they expected.

Another $1 out of consumers’ pockets certainly affects consumers’ willingness and ability to spend on items other than the basic necessities.

I suppose retailers could use the airline model and try to pass along costs to consumers. The difference here is that people have plenty of other places to go shopping where they can save money.

It’s about value perception and what’s worth consumers’ money and what isn’t.

If I put $60 a week into gas, that a huge chunk of my disposable income even for a moderate income household.

Here’s an interesting thought about what might result: a good-better-best approach, with Macy’s the ‘good’, Bloomingdales the ‘better’ and Marshall Field’s the ‘best,’

The Tommy brand has lost a bit of its luster.

People want a celebrity designer they trust and an esthetic to tell them what color and couch goes with which table — and hers is instantly recognizable.

For the last couple of years, we’ve had a lot of belly button-revealing looks. Now we’re going to see a more fitted silhouette, and more belting.

The denim market has been such a hot market, yet the Gap has not been able to capitalize on it.

The business has been very difficult for the last five to six years.

Here, at least, there are real people. We assume they are real Wal-Mart shoppers. They are good-looking, but not so fashionista that you can’t aspire to it.

Here is this audience that is waiting to be plucked. They have a lot of money to spend, so they are a really big deal.

They are on a tear. I think they will continue to be very, very aggressive through the season.

In the past, a single fragrance had a life cycle of maybe six to seven years, because people would stay loyal to a scent for a longer period of time. The life cycle is much...