National Retail Federation news and trends

Supreme Court Sides With Retailers in Debit Card Swipe Fee Case
Legal // July 01, 2024

The Supreme Court handed a victory to retailers battling debit card “swipe fees.” The high court’s 6-3 ruling Monday (July 1) sided with the plaintiffs in a case challenging a Federal Reserve rule on the amount businesses pay banks when customers make purchases with debit...

Target to Lower Threshold for Apprehending, Prosecuting Shoplifters
Retail // June 28, 2024

Target will reportedly lower the threshold at which store staff can attempt to stop nonviolent theft. In a new guideline expected to be implemented this summer, the retailer has dropped that threshold to $50 from the previous $100, Bloomberg reported Friday (June 28), citing unnamed...

Retailers Embrace ‘Dadcore’ Stereotypes to Combat Father’s Day Spending Pullback
Retail // June 15, 2024

As Father’s Day approaches, retailers are seizing on different paternal stereotypes to drive engagement and sales, from dad jokes to “dadcore” style to that tangle of unidentified, no-longer useful cables that so many dads seem to be unwilling to part with. Panera, for its part,...

Consumer Spending Shows Signs of Summer Recovery, but Retailers Are Cautious
Retail // June 11, 2024

Consumer spending is beginning to show signs of recovery going into the summer, but major retailers are not getting their hopes up. Findings from the National Retail Federation’s CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor announced Monday (June 10) showed that in May, consumer spending increased 1.35% relative to...

Interviews & Exclusives
Debit Fee Cap Proposal Comment Period Floods Fed Website

May 23, 2024
The Federal Reserve’s proposal to lower debit interchange fee caps has drawn a flurry of responses — roughly 2,500 responses, in fact — from trade organizations representing merchants and financial services firms, from bank executives and unaffiliated individuals too. Generally speaking, the comment period after a rule is proposed offers up insight from the various […]

Debate Over Debit Interchange Caps Set to Heat Up as Commentary Deadline Is Pushed Out

January 24, 2024
The debate over debit card interchange fees — and the cap on those fees — looks set to rage for at least a few more months. The Federal Reserve said in...

NRF Preview: Retailers Hope Last Year’s Pivots Turn Into 2024 Sales

January 15, 2024
Last year, the National Retail Federation’s annual show put the spotlight on the return of physical retail and AI. This year, it’s all about checking out how these innovations are...

Challenges and Changes Loom as Fed Mulls and Court Considers Debit Interchange Fees

October 19, 2023
Debit interchange fees may see a revamp — a refashioning of the charges levied on merchants, the likes of which has not been seen in a decade. Next week, the...

Quick Reads
Halloween Has Retailers Scared as Consumers Trade Down

October 13, 2024
For American retailers, Halloween 2024 could end up being more trick than treat. As Bloomberg News reported Saturday (Oct. 12), Halloween consumption is expected to drop this year, the latest in a series of obstacles for stores dealing with rising expenses and cost-cutting consumers. The report, citing data from the National Retail Federation, says that […]

Supreme Court Sides With Retailers in Debit Card Swipe Fee Case

July 01, 2024
The Supreme Court handed a victory to retailers battling debit card “swipe fees.” The high court’s 6-3 ruling Monday (July 1) sided with the plaintiffs in a case challenging a...

Target to Lower Threshold for Apprehending, Prosecuting Shoplifters

June 28, 2024
Target will reportedly lower the threshold at which store staff can attempt to stop nonviolent theft. In a new guideline expected to be implemented this summer, the retailer has dropped...

Father’s Day Spending Projected to Slide as Consumers Cut Back

June 03, 2024
As with Mother’s Day last month, consumers have a little less to spend on Dad for Father’s Day this year. Last year saw Americans spend record amounts for both holidays, but this...