{"id":307094,"date":"2026-10-15T09:14:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T09:14:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/307094\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T09:14:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T09:14:19","slug":"retailers-report-mixed-sales-as-consumers-take-on-rising-debt-scranton-times-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/307094\/","title":{"rendered":"Retailers report mixed sales, as consumers take on rising debt \u2013 Scranton Times-Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

A number of Northeast Pennsylvania retailers are feeling the sting of inflation and, in some cases, high tariffs, while others surveyed are doing better.<\/p>\n

Those mixed reviews come following a U.S. Census Bureau report showing U.S. retail and food services sales for August\u202f2026 were\u202f$773.9\u202fbillion, up\u202f1.2% from July and up\u202f6% year\u2011over\u2011year, according to the latest data available.<\/p>\n

But with that increased spending comes increased debt, with predictions that household debt will hit the highest mark ever by the end of this year.<\/p>\n

Larry Newman, executive director of Wilkes-Barre\u2019s Diamond City Partnership, a nonprofit alliance working to revitalize the city\u2019s downtown, said retailers there have seen sales decrease recently.<\/p>\n

He said based on conversations with retailers, restaurant owners and other service providers, \u201cThere\u2019s been a noticeable decrease in sales in the last six weeks, if not longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Newman said that has been due to \u201clarger macroeconomic trends in the nation, everything from the cost of goods, to increases in fuel prices, to getting goods to market on the supply end.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said downtown merchants are seeing consumers cutting back on discretionary spending.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn some cases, I\u2019ve heard 30% (in less spending),\u201d Newman said. \u201cOur downtown is really all discretionary spending.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gifts big sellers<\/p>\n

Maggie Calpin, owner of Nibbles & Bits, a gift shop in Dunmore, said her business is up by about 20% this year, and she is looking forward to a busy Christmas shopping season, her biggest holiday. Calpin, the third owner of the 41-year-old business, purchased the store 17 years ago. She expanded this year and opened a warehouse in the Keystone Industrial Park.<\/p>\n

\"Nibbles<\/p>\n

Nibbles & Bits owner Maggie Calpin poses for a photograph in her store in Dunmore Wednesday, September 30, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The inside of Nibbles & Bits in Dunmore Wednesday, September 30, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The inside of Nibbles & Bits in Dunmore Wednesday, September 30, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The inside of Nibbles & Bits in Dunmore Wednesday, September 30, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Items<\/p>\n

Items are for sale in Nibbles & Bits in Dunmore Wednesday, September 30, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Items<\/p>\n

Items are for sale in Nibbles & Bits in Dunmore Wednesday, September 30, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Items<\/p>\n

Items are for sale in Nibbles & Bits in Dunmore Wednesday, September 30, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The inside of Nibbles & Bits in Dunmore Wednesday, September 30, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Items<\/p>\n

Items are for sale in Nibbles & Bits in Dunmore Wednesday, September 30, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The inside of Nibbles & Bits in Dunmore Wednesday, September 30, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Various<\/p>\n

Various types of organic coffee is for sale in Nibbles & Bits in Dunmore Wednesday, September 30, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Items<\/p>\n

Items are for sale in Nibbles & Bits in Dunmore Wednesday, September 30, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 12<\/p>\n

Nibbles & Bits owner Maggie Calpin poses for a photograph in her store in Dunmore Wednesday, September 30, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cCorporate gifts are our bread and butter,\u201d Calpin said.<\/p>\n

She said Valentine\u2019s Day and Easter were her biggest holidays so far.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe lines were out the door,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Calpin said she is seeing fewer people are ordering online, unlike the trend that started during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I\u2019m noticing is, when you order online, it doesn\u2019t come the next day, or it\u2019s delivered elsewhere,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She sees customers returning to retail stores to shop in person.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople like to see (merchandise), look at it and touch it,\u201d Calpin said.<\/p>\n

Nibbles & Bits still sells online, though. Even most customers who shop in-person use credit cards, which is the case for many retailers. Calpin said her business does not charge a fee for credit cards.<\/p>\n

At Duvall Leather in Kingston, another destination for gift buyers, sales increased 5% to 10%, according to owner Nick Duvall.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery year, sales continue to tick upward,\u201d said Duvall, who has been in business since 2005.<\/p>\n

He said tariffs haven\u2019t been a problem for him because only a few items he buys are affected.<\/p>\n

Much of his business is in-store. With customers paying $300 to $500 for a genuine leather, handcrafted bag or other item, they want to see it in person, he said.<\/p>\n

Duvall expects a good holiday season, as well, because of the gift-giving tradition.<\/p>\n

\u201cA gift is more personal,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen it comes to the holidays, Americans love spending money. It\u2019s like eating turkey on Thanksgiving.\u201d<\/p>\n

All of his business is done by credit cards for the purchases of his high-ticket items.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t accept checks,\u201d Duvall said.<\/p>\n

Credit card debt near record<\/p>\n

John Augustine III, president and CEO of Penn\u2019s Northeast, an economic development agency based in Luzerne County, said that according to Motley Fool and Wallet Hub, the average consumer credit card debt is $6,000, while the average for households is $9,000.<\/p>\n

Last year, credit card debt totaled $1.28 trillion nationally last year.<\/p>\n

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York\u2019s quarterly report on household debt and credit stated credit card balances rose $21 billion in the second quarter of 2026 to reach $1.26 trillion.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe projection is that is expected to be over $1.3 trillion (by year\u2019s end),\u201d Augustine said.<\/p>\n

Newman said credit cards don\u2019t only create more debt for consumers, but for retailers, as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe merchant has to eat those fees or pass those fees along to the consumer at the point of sale,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But he said everyone is trying to be optimistic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would encourage your readers to support their local businesses whenever they can,\u201d Newman said.<\/p>\n

\u201cShopping small this holiday season is more important than ever,\u201d said Kristine Augustine, vice president of membership and marketing at the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. \u201cAs small businesses continue to face rising costs, every local purchase makes a difference \u2014supporting local jobs, strengthening our businesses and keeping dollars right here in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A number of Northeast Pennsylvania retailers are feeling the sting of inflation and, in some cases, high tariffs,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":307095,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[18056,18057,178,180,179,729],"class_list":["post-307094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-biz570","tag-biz570-news","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news","tag-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/307094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=307094"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/307094\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/307095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=307094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=307094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=307094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}