...holiday season. "The season is reflecting great spending caution and could be the weakest in a dozen years," said Kurt Barnard, president of Barnard's Retail Trend Report. Retailers had a good start to the season with a better-than-expected...

...last year, Labor Day came one week earlier and much of the back-to-school sale activity fell in August," said Kurt Barnard, a retail consultant and president of Barnard's Retail Trend Report. "But there is no question that we are facing...

...levels, consumers haven't been spending freely for much of this year. "Consumers are still very cautious," said Kurt Barnard, a retail consultant and president of Barnard's Retail Trend Report. "Just because they went shopping at the end...

...declines. "The entire back-to-school sales season gravitated to discounters and other low price stores," said Kurt Barnard, president of Retail Forecasting LLC in Upper Montclair, N.J. The report card from retailers came as The Labor...

...sales should grow nationally about 3 percent over last year in stores that were in existence both years, predicted Kurt Barnard, president of Barnard's Trend Report. "Last year was dismal," he said. Consumers, he said, have other cares...

...to blame. "It doesn't matter that the economy is good - there's nothing drawing shoppers into stores," said Kurt Barnard, a retail consultant and president of Barnard's Retail Marketing Report. Since the early 1990s, Montgomery Ward...

...remaining Woolworth stores will be in Germany and Mexico. "Woolworth was the last of the five-and-dime stores," said Kurt Barnard, a retail consultant and president of Barnard's Retail Marketing Report. "Years back, people depended on five-and-dimes...

...won't be stuck with a lot of leftover stock, either. "Customers are more inclined to save than to spend," said Kurt Barnard, president of Barnard's Retail Trend Report. He said many people are worried about their jobs, and he expects to...

...said the focus is "close-to-the-customer decision making" and one result is stores that are less cluttered. Kurt Barnard, president of Barnard's Retail Forecasting in Nutley, N.J., said he expects the company to make greater inroads...

...Depot Inc., Lowe's Cos. and Walgreen Co., but said Wal-Mart's quick aid reflects the nature of the company. Kurt Barnard, president of Barnard's Retail Forecasting in Upper Montclair, N.J., also said the response provides a telling...