Reopening news and trends

Reopening 2021: Travel Industry Struggles To Get On The Road Again
Travel Payments // April 12, 2021

By the numbers, saying the travel industry had a terrible year is a massive understatement. In the wake of a global pandemic, the year was so bad that apocalyptic only barely covers it. The travel industry closed the books on 2020 with $1.1 trillion (with...

England’s Retail Shops Have ‘Roaring 20s’ Moment As Third Lockdown Is Lifted
Retail // April 12, 2021

Shoppers and drinkers in the U.K. took the streets overnight and lined up to get into the country’s retailers, pubs and hair salons, which were allowed to open for the first time in three months on Monday (April 12). Although capacity and other restrictions are...

Opening Day Beckons For Baseball; Fans Not So Sure
Coronavirus // March 30, 2021

After what fans have felt like a very long time, baseball is getting back to normal on April 1 as opening day officially happens nationwide. There was a baseball season in 2020, of course, but it didn’t officially get off the ground until late June...

Ready Or Not, The ‘Great Reopening’ Is Underway
Coronavirus // March 15, 2021

As vaccines are being distributed worldwide, a return to something that looks a lot like pre-pandemic normal could be coming soon. And in some places, over the last week or so, that “soon” has been moved up to “right now.” As of Sunday (March 14),...

Interviews & Exclusives
New Report: Why Real-Time Settlement Can Make or Break Main Street Businesses

July 27, 2020
It’s been long said that small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are the backbone of the American economy. That’s hard to argue with considering more than 99 percent of American firms are SMBs, 49 percent of the population works for one and they’re responsible for 46 percent of private-sector output, according to Small Business Administration data. […]

Casinos’ — And Disney Parks’ — Digital 3.0 Shift

July 13, 2020
A somewhat rocky reopening is afoot in America as businesses try to meld governmental mandates with the realities of foot traffic to forge new models from existing retail concepts. This...

What Digital 3.0 ‘Convenience Shifters’ Want From Merchants

July 10, 2020
Shapeshifting is rarely convenient (ask any werewolf), but in the case of a newly-minted persona that PYMNTS calls the “convenience shifter” some COVID-era behavioral changes aren’t all bad. Polling 14,000...

How Texas Restaurants Are Using A Safety Seal of Approval To Get Customers Back

July 09, 2020
In a bid toward normality, states are reopening. No surprise, after months of lockdown: We all want to get something to eat. And we’d like to be safe when we...

Quick Reads
Minneapolis Fed President Kashkari Urges 4-6 Week ‘Hard’ Shutdown

August 02, 2020
The U.S. economy would be best served if the nation were to be locked down for up to six weeks, Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank President Neel Kashkari advised. In a CBS interview on “Face the Nation” Sunday (Aug. 2), Kashkari said the country can rebound, but only if the virus is controlled. “If we were […]

Poll: Economists Predict Two-Plus Years For US Economy To Recover

July 27, 2020
As lockdowns resume in many U.S. states from a surge in coronavirus cases, a poll suggests the economic recovery has slowed. In a Reuters survey, economists warned any job recovery...

Las Vegas Not Near Normal As Casinos Curtail Offerings

July 23, 2020
In a sign that the Las Vegas Strip is not near its usual level of operations, Wynn Resorts Ltd. is positioned to put staffers on leave and close select operations...

AMC Pushes Back Theater Reopenings Again

July 23, 2020
For consumers who usually patronize the biggest operators of theaters in the U.S., going to the movies will mean settling into the couch for the next few weeks. AMC Theatres...