Holiday Crowds at the Mall Will be Smaller This Year: ShopperTrak Predicts as Much as 25% Drop in Shoppers
Black Friday might be losing its clout. But it is still expected to be the busiest day in stores during the 2020 holiday shopping season, according to a new report. 

With the coronavirus pandemic prompting consumers to buy more online and avoid crowded spaces, though, people likely won’t be showing up in droves for doorbuster deals the day after Thanksgiving. 

Traffic in retail stores is expected to be down 22% to 25% year over year during the six key weeks of the holiday season, a ShopperTrak forecast released Tuesday said. 
FDRA's National Shoe Sales Reports 
US Shoe Store Retail Update
Starting from a broader perspective, after a disastrous spring, overall retail demand rebounded again in August as retailers and shoppers alike adjusted to the new retail environment in the era of COVID-19. Retail sales rose 2.6% year-over-year in the latest month, higher for the third month following three straight months of steep declines. The US Census Bureau is reporting sharp sales declines at clothing & clothing accessory stores (down -20.4%) and restaurants and bars (down -15.4%) that weighed on August overall retail sales. 

Canadian Shoe Store Retail Update
Starting from a broader perspective, after contracting sharply over recent months months, overall retail demand grew for the second straight month in July, climbing a seasonally-adjusted year-over-year 2.7% in this latest month, a welcome improvement from sharp contractions noted earlier this year. Ten of Canada's thirteen provinces and territories posted gains in retail demand from twelve months ago, another welcome improvement from a dismal spring. 
 
As Retail Jobs Recover, Shoe Store Job Losses Persist—Unevenly

While employment across the broader retail marketplace continues to rebound after its spring plunge, shoe stores remain slow to rehire furloughed workers, with jobs proving relatively more difficult to acquire for some workers in this sub-sector. Recently the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported its latest read on America's labor market, indicating nonfarm payroll employment rose by 661,000 workers from August to September, the fifth straight month of impressive gains.

Children Lead the Way: Implications as Kids’ Retail Footwear Prices Drop in August

Dull demand for footwear stemming from the coronavirus continues to weigh on retail shoe prices, with boys’ and girls’ footwear prices falling in August at the fastest pace in two decades. Recently the federal government reported its latest read US consumer prices, including retail prices for footwear. After stretching to a record in February, shoe prices tumbled year-over-year each of the next six months as the pandemic spread across the country. 

The Standard Holiday Season Is 'Meaningless'
This Year, AlixPartners Says
'Tis the season for sales forecasts, and forecasters are finding ways to make sense of a year that has been scrambled in numerous, complicated ways. 

In adding October to its predictions for holiday spend, AlixPartners cited "the coronavirus pandemic's dramatic effects on shopping behaviors and long-bubbling retail trends now accelerated by the pandemic." But, as with many other disruptions related to the pandemic, the virus acted as an accelerant on trends in place well before it began its spread.