Do the comparisons: Compared to 2019, American retail traffic in 2020 was down over 60 per cent. Compared to other states, Texas retail losses in 2020 weren't so horrible. Texas sales led the country and were nearly 20% higher than the national average. Across the country, 2020 retail traffic was barely more than a third of what it had been the year before. Texas Retailers Association's George Keleman says one reason is pretty simple. "Texas was one of the first states to 're-open' businesses - particularly those that are non-essential. So, once all retail was open in June, we were already ahead of other states." Keleman also says our economy afforded many people to both go to school and work remotely, which sent them out to buy more groceries and home improvement items and lots more major holiday decorating things.
Just like Everything Else - Holiday Sales May Surprise You!
Keleman says Texas kept those businesses open when some other states shut them down later in the year. It is still not easy going for any Texas merchant. "It's managing that balance: being open enough to allow commerce to thrive and people to shop while protecting health and safety at the same time." Arizona and Florida also grandly beat the national average - but they weren't as successful as Texas.
photo: Getty