We don't play those petty games. But to insult us, that we're either being racist or we're being uncaring. That is insulting, the governor owes our community an apology, and I'll be waiting to hear that.

Craig Johnson

Let's just say it's better than a sharp stick in the eye. by Craig Johnson

Let's just say it's better than a sharp stick in the eye.

What's worse is the marked deceleration from a year ago. by Craig Johnson

What's worse is the marked deceleration from a year ago.

Sales have been sluggish so far this year as most consumers are still buying close to need, what's worse is the marked deceleration from a year ago.

It's still early, and from what we are seeing so far the crowds a... by Craig Johnson

It's still early, and from what we are seeing so far the crowds are good but not great.

The Big Kahuna that continues to grab market share is Amazon, both Wal-Mart and to some extent Target have simply not kept pace enough.

Tiffany is the first poster child of this issue, a lot of retaile... by Craig Johnson

Tiffany is the first poster child of this issue, a lot of retailers might be hit to some degree.

We believe that Michael Kors and Kate Spade will still be showing solid growth, but not the robust, double-digit we've seen over the last couple of years.

They could easily open in the range of 500 to 600 smaller format... by Craig Johnson

They could easily open in the range of 500 to 600 smaller format stores across the country.

Primark is a value-oriented department store and there is nothing really like it in the U.S. now and there is nothing really like it up in Canada. Canadians are even thriftier than Americans.

When you add in online sales on a comp basis, that pulls most retailers into a flat to slightly positive zone.

The past weekend will not save this holiday season, but combined with online sales, it would certainly save the year from being a dismal one.

There is a great migration away from apparel, the little growth they are clocking is being done over very discounted pricing so margins this year are going to be weak in most of the category.

The upcoming weekend can help a lot and partly offset the slow gr... by Craig Johnson

The upcoming weekend can help a lot and partly offset the slow growth.

There's a good chance they can survive, but this is no layup, this is going to be a three-pointer deep in the corner with time running out.

Robust job and wage growth, along with healthy household finances, drove the increase.

Paced by the' Big Four' mega-retailers — Walmart, Amazon, Costco, and Target — Super Saturday was boosted by the best traffic our team has seen in years, the spending momentum was so strong that even the long-ailing department stores had their best weekend of the season.