As credit card debt climbs to record heights, department stores have been feeling the crunch.

In its second quarter earnings report, Macy’s said its credit card revenues declined $84 million year over year, a 4.1% drop, making a notable impact on its results for the quarter and leading the company to cut its annual forecast by $80 million. COO and CFO Adrian Mitchell said on the department store’s earnings call last month that the increase in delinquencies was “faster than planned.” Kohl’s also reported last month its other revenue, consisting largely of its credit business, dipped 3% in the second quarter.

• Nordstrom, meanwhile, said on its earnings call its credit card revenues rose 10% in the first half of the year, noting “lower-than-expected” losses. CFO Cathy Smith still cautioned that the retailer has seen gradually rising delinquencies surpassing pre-pandemic levels and potentially leading to larger losses to come.

According to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Americans’ credit card debt surpassed $1 trillion, jumping $45 billion in the second quarter. This has led to increasing delinquencies—credited to rising inflation and interest rates—hitting retailer-branded cards whose payments consumers don’t always prioritize, experts told Retail Brew. They could be a bellwether for further economic decline—and certain retailers in particular should be planning ahead.

Keep reading here.—EC

Sure, it’s still September, but Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just around the seasonal corner. Time is of the essence for fourth-quarter marketing strategies—and Listrak can help you get ready.

Their annual holiday resource hub has all the tips, advice, and to-dos for executing a successful holiday season. And it’s all available in bite-sized webisodes and downloadable guides to help you find the EOY insights you need.

Interested in tips to ensure inbox deliverability? Want some SMS compliance reminders? How ’bout a step-by-step marketing audit guide? Listrak’s holiday hub has it all.

As the industry’s integrated digital marketing platform trusted by top retailers and brands (think: vineyard vines, Hunter Boots, S’well), Listrak’s retail experts know how to make the most out of the holiday season. Let them help you reach (ahem, exceed) your quarterly and end-of-year goals.

Check out their resource hub.

Retail Brew has landed in Las Vegas, but we’re not here to gamble—we’re here for Groceryshop. The industry conference brings together top grocers; the big CPGs they sell; and the tech providers, distributors, suppliers, and investors they work with at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center to share their insights on the evolving grocery industry.

Day one kicked off with the biggest story in grocery: Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen discussed the grocer’s impending merger with Albertsons, fresh off the news this month of its divestiture of 400+ stores to C&S in a bid to gain FTC approval. McMullen shared that Kroger studied a divestment deal that went south—Albertsons’s sale of ~150 stores to regional grocer Haggen back in 2015 ahead of its merger with Safeway—to help inform its recent sale.

“It was really important to find somebody that had a strong balance sheet, had operated in the business and understood the grocery business and had scale, had talent, understood what they had and didn’t have,” McMullen noted.

For CPGs worried about the loss of their negotiating power should the merger go through, McMullen said Kroger isn’t looking to “arm wrestle” brands. “I just don’t look at any of this as ‘you lose, I win,’” he said. “To me, we have to figure out a way where we both win together.”

Keep reading here.—EC

On Wednesdays, we wear pink spotlight Retail Brew’s readers. Want to be featured in an upcoming edition? Click here to introduce yourself.

Mary Wiegand is founder and CEO of Boon LLC, a merchandising and inventory planning and management company that’s worked with brands like Briogeo, Ouai, and R.e.m. Beauty.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? I’m at the helm of a team of talented retail merchandise planners as it charts new territory providing demand planning services for retail businesses of all kinds. We have a two-fold mission: empower our team to work and be multi-passionate while providing top-notch sales and inventory forecasting for retail businesses of all kinds.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? Working with business coaches and consultants from other areas of expertise is a huge part of why Boon has experienced this degree of success. I walk my talk. I think product-based businesses need the expert support of Boon and I know I need the support of other experts to develop as a leader and to run this business.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? My favorite project is absolutely anytime we can help a dedicated founder who has taken the risk to bring a new product to the market but doesn’t have the retail background to accurately report on the inventory needs of the business.

Keep reading here.—EC

Today’s top retail reads.

Shein’s Missguided deal: Chinese apparel giant Shein is reportedly in talks to acquire Missguided, a UK-based fashion label. The news comes less than a month after Shein struck a deal with Forever 21 designed to expand its reach in the West. (Forbes)

All walk: Amazon is now allowing customers to “Just Walk Out” with their clothing purchases at apparel retailers that use the company’s RFID cashierless payment system. (TechCrunch)

Insta-rally: Instacart had its Wall Street debut yesterday, and it was a banger. The company’s valuation soared above $9 billion after a 43% rally from its offering prices. (Reuters)

Cue the countdown: Check out Wunderkind’s comprehensive guide on Black Friday + Cyber Monday for predictions on consumer behavior, recs for meeting target customers, and expert advice on deploying BFCM strategies. Get prepped.*

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