Buying power: Expanded opportunities for online shopping, but still room for brick and mortar

OLYMPIA — From pandemic lockdowns to a surge in thefts to major changes in shopping habits, it’s been a bumpy few years for retail businesses. Renee Sunde, president and CEO of the Washington Retail Association, said the road ahead could be getting smoother – or maybe not. “I think we had hoped that we were coming out of a challenging time, but really, when we entered 2023 we entered into a brand new challenge,” she said. The new challenge is the threat of inflation and an economic downturn, following a couple of years of closures, off and on, as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She has talked with economists who have predicted everything from a full-blown recession to a mild economic slowdown. A contentious political climate also adds to the uncertainty given consumer responses to uncertain economic factors.