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SearsFounded in 1886, Sears was once the world’s biggest retailer and America’s largest private-sector employer. The department store’s former Chicago headquarters was even the world’s tallest building until 1996.
But since its bankruptcy filing and delisting from the Nasdaq in 2018, the company has struggled financially. As of June 2025, Sears had only eight stores left in the US—down from the roughly 4,000 stores it had at its peak in 2012.
Before Sears and its famous Sears catalog, most people had only purchased items they could touch and feel in person before buying, and they typically bought those goods from someone they knew and trusted. The Sears catalog changed that, normalizing the consumer behavior that e-commerce giants like Amazon and eBay now thrive on.Explore Sears
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Retail investors cannot directly invest in private credit funds—but other financial vehicles can offer exposure to the industryFor example, as some US regulations have loosened in recent years, retail investors have begun to get exposure to the private credit market via ETFs that invest in publicly traded financial vehicles with private credit exposure, such as BDCs. CNBCDollar stores tend to be smaller in size than other retail storesA typical Dollar Tree is roughly 8,000 to 12,000 square feet. That's about one-eighteenth of the average Walmart store. Some experts suggest Dollar Tree keeps its stores smaller intentionally, so that customers can see all the products faster, increasing their likelihood of seeing something they want to buy. Business InsiderCostco's bullion program offers an attractive option for retail investors, experts sayAlthough Costco's gold bars often sell out, experts caution that gold is still a commodity with market risks, and that rewards don't negate those risks. KiplingerWalmart was the first traditional retailer to crack the $1T clubIn early 2026, the company joined major tech companies Nvidia, Apple, and Meta (among others) as one of the rare firms with a market capitalization beyond $1T. See the latest top companies here. InvestopediaThe Paypal-owned Honey app and RetailMeNot are popular places consumers find digital coupons todayWith digital coupons overtaking physical ones as the most commonly redeemed coupons, customers flock to these sites and apps for coupons and discount codes, often checking multiple of them before making an online purchase. US NewsNike made retailers pay for Air Jordans upfront to guarantee stockInstead of paying for the inventory sold, Knight locked retailers into iron-clad agreements, where the companies would pay upfront for Nike inventory (but at a 7% discount). Knight did this to leverage debt, allowing retailers a better chance at getting the wildly popular Air Jordans. The Motley FoolUS holiday retail sales reached $973B in 2024In 2024, US holiday retail sales reached $973B—nearly one-fifth of annual sales. Many companies depend on this season to bolster revenues. StatistaThe National Retail Federation coined the term ‘Cyber Monday’ in 2005As online-only retailers like Amazon expanded in the early 2000s, they sought ways to capitalize on Black Friday’s uptick in sales—but they didn’t actually have physical retail stores. Enter: Cyber Monday, a day that now competes with Black Friday for the highest e-commerce sales day of the year. NBCScreaming, running, and chaos in retailers like Walmart are the norm on Black FridayThis Black Friday episode from Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast features stories both from people who have worked behind the register on Black Friday and those who have stood in line at 4 am to score some deals. From police escorting violent shoppers competing over a discounted laptop computer out of the building, to a false-alarm emergency exit from a Dick’s Sporting Goods, the episode is both harrowing and hilarious at times. SpotifyAbout 69% of dangerous Black Friday incidents happen inside retail storesSome posit that this is because tensions tend to run high there as customers fight over a limited physical supply of discounted goods. Another 20% of incidents take place at store entrances, where long lines often form well before the retailer opens its doors. The HustleJCPenney offers an average Black Friday discount of 59%—higher than most other US retailersThis data visualization ranks retailers like Target, Walmart, Macy’s, and more by who has the best Black Friday deals on average. Specifically, the visualization uses data from 13 major US retailers in 2023. Visual CapitalistTrader Joe's breaks every rule of modern retailThe successful grocer doesn't do e-commerce, delivery, or coupons. And yet Americans are still obsessed with Trader Joe's. SpotifyRetail investors are getting burned by long/short strategiesIn the US, many retail investors lack the SEC-mandated status (a high enough net worth, income, and other factors) to directly invest in hedge funds. The regulator considers hedge funds too risky for the masses. Hedge fund-like strategies have emerged as a workaround, despite potential pitfalls. The Hedge Fund JournalRetail investors and the GameStop short squeezeIn early 2021, GameStop’s stock surge brought retail investing into the spotlight. This overview looks at how everyday investors—using platforms like Robinhood—became a growing presence in financial markets, and how one short squeeze revealed the influence they can have. 1440Build a retail investing toolkit Retail investors may not have the same resources institutional players do, but thanks to the internet, they can access several free tools that provide a leg up. These tools do everything, from recommending portfolio allocations, to helping investors screen stocks, to tracking their real or simulated trades. Learn more about these tools here. KiplingerRetail investor inflowsMany retail investors exited the stock market after 2008, leading to a drop in individual market participation. That changed thanks to GameStop, federal stimulus checks, and strong corporate results in the first quarter of 2021. This chart plots how much retail investors poured into the market each day, reaching records in early 2023. Click here to see it. Visual CapitalistRetail investing by the numbers When average Americans began pouring into the stock market, Wall Street wasn’t sure if its new guests were there to stay. But at the end of 2023, Public confidently declared that retail investors “weren’t going anywhere” after 30 million new individuals began buying and selling stock. Download the report to learn more here. PublicRetail investors are not professionals—they invest their own moneyFor retail investors, the stakes may seem higher and more personal. Critics say that this dynamic means that retail investors are more susceptible to behavioral biases that could lead them to make poor decisions when it comes to buying and selling assets. For instance, fear of missing out could cause a retail investor to buy a stock that is popular but not a financially worthy investment. InvestopediaLook inside a retail investor's portfolioOnline investing platform eToro conducted a survey of retail investors in June 2024. It explored what assets they held and what types of stocks they liked to purchase. The most commonly held asset was cash, with 76% of retail investors holding cash in their portfolios. The next most popular asset was domestic stocks, with 49% of investors. eToroCharles Schwab kick-starts zero-commission era for retail investors Throughout history, retail investing was often too expensive for many individuals. That’s because investors owed the cost of the trade as well as the commission and fees due to the broker. Charles Schwab revolutionized the retail investing landscape in 2019 when it announced it would slash all fees on stock trading. This quickly prompted other brokerages to follow suit. Read more in this article. InvestopediaRetail investors are average joes, while institutional investors often move billions of dollars a dayRetail investors often trade 100 shares at a time, while institutional investors trade 10,000 or more. The biggest difference is that, unlike retail investors, institutional investors are professionals who are trading someone else’s money. InvestopediaA step-by-step guide for potential retail investorsInstead of purchasing individual stocks and bonds, new investors may want to start in funds that track an index—like the S&P 500—or that hold a group of themed stocks. BankrateAmazon accounts for roughly 40% of all US online retail sales—a much larger piece of the pie than its competitor WalmartAlthough Walmart is roughly 30 years older than Amazon, the e-commerce giant has a significant lead in online US retail sales: Walmart's share is roughly 7%. Season 33 of the podcast "Business Wars," hosted by David Brown, is all about one of the most intense rivalries in all of retail. Business WarsMacy’s revolutionized retail with fixed pricing, pay-upfront policies, and marketingThe brand soon grew into a cultural icon, hosting the first in-store Santa in 1862, and launching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, now a holiday staple. Its flagship Herald Square store became the world’s largest, and its festive window displays set a new standard for holiday celebrations. 1440North American department store retail groups report sales declined from 2018 to 2023That's according to a recent report from Bain & Company that dives into consumer sentiment around department store shopping and explores a potential reset for the industry. Bain & CompanyThere’s a solid argument to be made that Macy’s was the inventor of the retail SantaThe Macy’s website claims that retail Santas—the Christmas icons who invite children to meet them at department stores and malls around the holidays—have been visiting the store since the 1860s. The EnterpriseRetail investors are individuals who trade stock for themselvesInstitutional investors, on the other hand, are investing for someone else. There are big differences between the two, one being that institutional investors can be granted certain special treatment (like being able to purchase IPOs right away). BankrateImmersive technologies are increasingly being used in medicine, retail, and educationMore accessible devices and user-friendly tools have increased the adoption of these technologies, which provide interactive, 3D environments that facilitate natural human learning. In 2018, Walmart purchased 17,000 VR headsets to train over a million employees in areas such as customer service and Black Friday preparation. TEDx TalksGap and Sephora now accept BNPL, despite paying up to 8% per saleDespite these merchants paying roughly 2% to 8% of each sale's cost (more than they pay for most credit card processing fees), they're signing on in part because BNPL can help them improve their conversion rates at checkout. Marketplace11,000 new US dollar stores opened between 2007 and 2017Dollar store retailers experienced significant fiscal gains during the 2010s, which were then accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. But in recent years, dollar stores have been closing in large numbers and suffering financial hardship. Experts point to Walmart's strategy of decreasing prices to cater to inflation-fatigued customers, and point out that when Walmart does well financially, dollar stores typically suffer. The WeekCustomers wrote just one check a year in 2024, on averageMajor retailers like Target have stopped accepting checks in recent years as real-time payment systems are increasingly being implemented across the US. This shift is considered an improvement in safety—as checks are vulnerable to fraud—but can lead to some exclusion for those without access to digital devices. TIMEThe average person celebrating Valentine's Day spends $189That might include dinner, flowers, or something even more romantic. The most popular gift is candy, with 56% of people celebrating the holiday by purchasing sweets. That's about $2.5B in sales. National Retail FederationExpanding supermarket chains began offering coupons to attract customers in the 1940sThis was partially a customer acquisition strategy devised to lure customers into chains and away from their local independent grocers. Retail TouchpointsUS consumers spent $670M on snack food during Super Bowl week in 2024According to Circana and NielsenIQ, Super Bowl week drove $670M in snack spending and 107 million pounds of food, with most fans watching at home, spending about $44 on food and drinks each. Retail BrewA technological breakthrough altered how Billboard determined what was popularBefore 1991, retail stores manually reported sales to Billboard, which then used those figures as part of its calculations for its weekly charts. In 1991, the magazine began using Nielsen SoundScan, a technology that tracked every unit sold in participating stores, providing a more accurate picture of what consumers were actually buying. The RingerCostco and Amazon have very similar pricing across everyday staplesThis article compares the average prices of everyday staples at Amazon and Costco, like toilet paper ($1.12 at Costco, $1.14 on Amazon), to help consumers decide which discount retailer to purchase from. GOBankingRatesAdvent calendars have become a major seasonal driver for brandsCompanies now treat Advent calendars as key holiday products, expanding production as demand surges across categories. Retail data shows beauty and self-care calendars consistently rank among the most popular, as some brands report selling out yearly, and retailers order months in advance. Modern RetailIn 1939, an industry group asked Franklin Roosevelt to move ThanksgivingSpecifically, the Retail Dry Goods Association warned Franklin Roosevelt that if the holiday season didn’t begin until after Americans celebrated Thanksgiving on the traditional final Thursday in November, retail sales would tank. In 1941 Congress passed a law that made Thanksgiving the fourth rather than the last Thursday in November. MentalFlossTemu uses gamification techniques to encourage customers to shop on its appGames include a spinning roulette wheel that offers coupon rewards, promises free delivery, and more. Some have said it’s tough to pull themselves out of the Temu ecosystem once they’re in it. BBCTemu aired its first Super Bowl ads in 2023The “Shop Like a Billionaire” ad ran twice during the game. Temu saw a roughly 45% surge in downloads and a 20% increase in daily active users the day it aired. Modern RetailA nuanced break down of how tariffs are impacting pricesAs tariffs have increased to their highest levels since the 1930s, economists have kept a close eye on retail prices. This chart and accompanying explainer shows correlations between key tariff announcements and news and the costs of roughly 350,000 goods from five major retailers. EconofactClaire's has filed for bankruptcy multiple timesBetween competition from online retailers such as Shein and Temu, and too many physical stores for today's retail climate, Claire's has had a difficult time modernizing. CNBCSome argue the Sears catalog undermined Jim Crow laws in the rural SouthWhen the Sears catalog was popularized, Black Americans didn’t always have an easy time shopping in US stores due to racism and Jim Crow laws. Some say that the Sears catalog was radical at the time for helping Black Americans avoid retail shopping in the South—often a negative experience. VoxSears filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2018Although the retailer may have failed financially speaking, some argue that longevity in itself is a success—the brand operated for over 130 years before that bankruptcy filing, after all. The AtlanticWalmart has historically been one of Amazon's largest competitorsWhile Walmart has been America’s largest retailer by revenue for over three decades, Amazon is now fighting for the title, seeking retail supremacy. In this podcast episode from the Wall Street Journal, Sarah Nassauer explores the efforts Walmart has taken to keep its crown. Wall Street JournalThe American middle class started imitating high-society weddings in an attempt to establish its status around the 1920sMarshall Field's, a retailer based out of Chicago, published the first bridal registry in 1924. Brides magazine—which was geared to women creating elaborate wedding celebrations—debuted in 1934. This article dives into more of the wedding industrial complex's history. The WeekAmazon expanded its business and diversified its offerings by acquiring companiesAmazon’s retail and cloud businesses have been key drivers of the company’s growth over the years, but they haven’t done all the work by themselves. Companies Amazon has acquired include the video doorbell maker Ring, the grocer Whole Foods, the streaming service Twitch, the shoe retailer Zappos, and the film studio MGM. StatistaAmazon operates a 'flywheel' business modelCentral to any understanding of the multifaceted nature of Amazon’s business today is the concept of the “flywheel” at the heart of the company. Put simply, it’s an idea that refers to a self-reinforcing cycle that drives the continuous growth of Amazon’s various businesses, including its retail arm, its Prime subscription service, and more. Retail DogmaIn 2006, Macy's was worth $20B—but as of 2024, its market cap was just under $5BMacy's went from roughly 800 to 500 stores within the same time period. Macy’s has spent the recent years since the pandemic closing swaths of stores. Retail DiveVenture capitalists were once bullish on DTC brandsWhile a physical store can only hold so many objects, online retailers without the limits of four walls that could sell their products direct-to-consumer could theoretically be great investments. But they didn’t always provide investors with expected returns. Retail Dive
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