All the retail news (or at least some of it) that's fit to print

By David Pinto

Perhaps somewhat belatedly, it appears that The New York Times, that highly regarded Gray Lady of American journalism, has discovered the world of U.S. retailing — or, at the least, has become less averse to writing about it.

Here are two recent examples that document that conviction:

In the Business section of the Times’ January 21 edition, the newspaper asks this question in a page 1 headline: “Does Strong Holiday Shopping Mean a Better Economy Ahead?” The article that follows seeks to determine whether the fact that holiday sales were strong — an assumption the Times willingly accepts, claiming that the evidence shows that American shoppers surprised the retailing community “by spending more than expected in November and December” — is good news for the economy as a whole.

The Times states that “retail sales during the holiday season increased 4% from a year earlier, according to data from the Commerce Department.” But were holiday sales strong?

The publication quotes some retailers to the effect that holiday sales exceeded expectations, before announcing that other retailers, Macy’s and Kohl’s among them, were disappointed by holiday results.

And the Times also reminded its readers that a number of struggling retailers, the Container Store, Big Lots and Party City among them, had declared bankruptcy and, in the case of Big Lots and Party City, intend to close all their stores.

In the end of an overly long and occasionally rambling analysis, the Times concluded, somewhat hesitantly, that future results remain a question that only time will answer.

In analytical terms, the story fails to grapple with or even knowledgeably engage in the core retail issues that the profession struggles to understand and answer on a daily basis. But, given the fact that retailing had never been a core Times interest, it does represent a beginning.

More to the crux of the matter is a story that appeared on page 1 of the Times’ Business section a day later, on January 22. This article, headlined “A Struggle to Stay Independent,” chronicled the trials of Honor Family Market, a 12,000-square-foot grocery store in Honor, Mich., to remain in business, despite the fact that it is the only grocery store in this community of 330 residents.

Here, the usual antagonists emerge, as they have so often done in the past. Honor Family Market indeed supplies the needs of its residents: local favorites like honey, baked goods and homemade bratwurst. More than that, the outlet provides jobs for local residents, supports community events and is a hub for local residents, a place where “everybody shops,” according to one local resident.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that the store may not have a future. For one thing, the owners of Honor Family Market are ready to retire. For another, the store has competition, mostly from chain stores. For one, Dollar Tree, next door, competes with Honor on such items as toiletries, paper goods, detergent and snacks. For another, independent retailers are increasingly forced to compete with such supermarket chains as Kroger, Walmart, Costco and Albertsons, retailers that continue to capture an increasing share of America’s food dollar.

The all-too-predictable result, as the story emphasizes, is that the number of independent grocery stores in the United States declined by 39% between 1990 and 2015, and that decline continues today.

Here again, the article is somewhat too long, occasionally rambles, spends too much time on the stories of the individuals involved in this battle and reaches the conclusion that, where Honor Family Market is concerned, the future is yet to be determined.

It’s all too easy to criticize efforts by the Gray Lady to delve into the many mysteries of U.S. retailing. But let’s be more charitable: For an institution that has ignored retailing for far too long, it is truly a promising start.