Amazon is playing defense after news that it plans to slash shipments through USPS, despite the latter recently noting that it’s running out of funds. Amazon suggested it had been working on a deal with USPS, but that the agency walked away from the table at the “eleventh hour” last December (via The Verge).

Michael’s has announced it will be slashing prices on over 3,000 items store-wide, as part of an overall campaign to promote its value proposition. “The price reductions reflect our ongoing commitment to delivering value to our customers every time they shop with us,” said David Boone, CEO (via press release).

The National Retail Federation (NRF) has provided data suggesting an expectation that retail spend will improve by 4.4% in 2026, reaching $5.6 trillion. “While the geopolitical environment and ongoing trade policy challenges warrant close attention, we remain optimistic that the underlying fundamentals of the U.S. economy will support continued stability in the year ahead,” NRF chief economist and executive director of research Mark Mathews said (via NRF).

Bob’s Discount Furniture would like to see a footprint of over 500 stores by 2035, stating as much on the back of recent strong financials. In Q4, Bob’s delivered net income of $41 million, versus $38.6 million in the year-prior period (via Chain Store Age).