Bargain retailers like Walmart and Costco have benefitted, as shown by the retailing industry’s recent slew of first-quarter earnings releases. Sales at its stores open at least a year increased 3.8% in the quarter from the same time last year. Which means that Americans are still spending, but selectively, and that “value shopping” means different things to different people. “A sizable segment of them are focused on value, however, that doesn’t directly correlate to a low price. Shoppers are willing to spend if they see value in an on-trend, well-made dress from Abercrombie – or a healthy salad from Sweetgreen.”

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Persons: They’ve, What’s, ”, Neil Saunders, ” Saunders, Fitch, Stephanie Keith, Lilly Pulitzer, Laura Alber, Anne Hathaway, Della Patria, Elisabetta Villa, Richard Dickson, Zak Stambor, eMarketer, ” Stambor, “, Abercrombie – Organizations: New, New York CNN, Walmart, Costco, GlobalData, CNN, Abercrombie, Bloomberg, Getty, Hollister, Sonoma, Navy, Banana, “, Shoppers Locations: New York, Sonoma, Elm, Williams, Rome, Italy, Europe, Banana Republic