At the end of each month, the AGS team looks back at articles and blog posts that we saw this month that stood out to us. Some are from news agencies, and many come from our partners, but not all use our data. Here is the round-up from March 2024.

Kalibrate

With prime locations for gas stations dwindling and more competition in the marketplace, the competition is intensifying. This site selection requires a higher level of strategy than you might think.

Competing for new gas station locations | Kalibrate Global

Placer.ai

The first quarter saw a big cold snap for lots of the country, but how did that affect retail and dining foot traffic? Placer breaks it down by date and state with interactive maps and charts.

Where Is Retail and Dining Foot Traffic Thriving in Early 2024? – Placer.ai Blog

Bloomberg

Dollar Tree and Dollar General have been in the news a lot this month, both for closing stores and for raising their prices as inflation increases. But as Bloomberg reports in an opinion piece from Leticia Miranda, they seem to have forgotten who made them rich.

Dollar General and Dollar Tree Price Bumps Don’t Make Sense – Bloomberg

ICSC

In a new consumer study, ICSC finds that returns from purchases online are three times higher than the return rate from in-store purchases. Stricter online return policies might drive people away from excessive online shopping and take them into stores for shopping. Read the press release on the study on the ICSC site.

Brick-and-Mortar Shopping Drives Lower Return Rate Than Online Shopping | ICSC

Crain’s New York

Return to office is hitting NYC as 78% of Manhattan workers are back in the office. This is a constantly changing figure as we move farther away from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Manhattan return-to-office rate hits 78%: JPMorgan | Crain’s New York Business (crainsnewyork.com)

Fox Business

Have $1 (plus at least $90K for renovations)? The city of Baltimore wants to sell you a home. These currently vacant homes are in need of some TLC, and the city benefits from improved neighborhoods.

Baltimore selling vacant homes for as little at $1 | Fox Business