Thinking about a price hike? We’ve got a few examples of how other small retailers are changing prices and the factors that went into their decision-making.

Plus, sales saw their biggest jump since March, and one city wants retailers big and small to set up shop. Keep reading to find out which one.

And this might be the strangest partnership. While you’re ordering Chinese takeout for dinner, you can also order … shapewear. Is DoorDash trying to tell us something 🤨?

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Cash flow “nightmare.” Many small retailers are still waiting on their full tariff refunds, and they’re having to pay parcel handlers before delivery. Aktiv, an activewear brand based in Denver, paid $27,000 in IEEPA tariffs but has only received $3,000 in refunds so far, the owner shared in an interview.

Motor City to Shopping City. This feature article explores how Detroit is making a push for retailers to move in. The question is, do retailers want in, and can SMBs still thrive if big-box stores set up shop?

Lessons from Rothy’s. DTC footwear is a tough category. Just look at what happened to Allbirds. This podcast with Rothy’s CEO looks at the brand’s operations and business strategy and how it managed to navigate the volatile category.

NYFW recap. New York Fashion Week featured everything from classic wrap dresses to PVC footwear. Check out highlights and photos here.

Coming up. Shoptalk takes place in Nashville next week, Sept. 29 to Oct. 1.

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A gift retailer’s landed costs for one product jumped from $10 to $18 because of higher fuel prices. Erica Campbell, owner of Be a Heart, says she raised prices but “now I am unsure if it will even be affordable or desirable for the customer.” Meanwhile, a game retailer says there’s a ceiling to how much consumers will pay for a card game, but there’s also a limit to how much he can keep absorbing tariff and shipping cost hikes. And an ice cream shop owner says customers are still coming but spending less per visit (that takes serious self-control when we’re talking ice cream).

Why this matters: To raise prices or not to raise prices…retailers are weighing a few key elements: their customers' demographics, which category they operate in and what the competition is doing. Passing on cost increases without alienating customers is a delicate balance, and there’s no one right answer. Transparency might help too—explaining why prices are changing gives shoppers context and makes an increase feel less like just another strain on their wallets. (National Retail Federation)

One of retailers’ biggest blind spots, according to Teresa Long of WTW, is how risks across different departments are interconnected. Areas like cyber, supply chain and customer experience might be managed separately, but a risk in one of those areas can spiral to another. So an outage in order management can impact sales, fulfillment, returns and a retailer’s reputation all at once.

Why this matters: SMBs have an advantage here, because their organizations tend to be less siloed than big brands. Long’s advice is to map out how one part of your business depends on another, and to invest in early-warning indicators. That way, if one area is at risk, retail execs can work to mitigate it quickly before it becomes a business-wide problem. (The Retail Bulletin)

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POSITIVE TREND: U.S. retail sales rose in August, biggest jump since March

PRIVACY PLEASE: 74% of consumers think retailers collect too much personal info, report finds

JOB MARKET: College grads working in retail and foodservice jobs

NO SURPRISES: FedEx launches Shopify app showing guaranteed tax during checkout

BLURRED LINES: Beauty, health, wellness blending into one category and budget for consumers

TOYS ‘R’ BACK: Toys ‘R’ Us to open 120 new stores a decade after bankruptcy filing

RETRO’S IN: Express revives ‘90s and Y2K styles in new collection

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If you feel like you have no spare time to focus on marketing, this Q&A is for you. Barbara Casey, founder & CEO of Mobile High 5, explains what truly needs a retail owner’s involvement, and the advantage small retailers have in building customer loyalty and retention over large companies. Check your inbox next Wednesday for the full interview.

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Amazon has blocked Muse, Meta’s AI agent, from shopping on Amazon.com on customers’ behalf, citing privacy and security risks. Amazon says it never agreed to let Meta or Muse shop on the e-commerce site. Consumers shopping on Amazon over the weekend were seeing a pop-up that “access by an unauthorized AI agent violates Amazon’s Conditions of Use.”

Why this matters: The role of AI agents in commerce is still very new. While AI labs seem to be gung-ho about it, retailers want reassurance that customer credentials and payment info are secure before letting an agent crawl on their site. A lot of questions remain unanswered about what an AI agent can see and do, and how it decides which stores and products to pick for its consumer. (GeekWire)

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The SKUpe is curated and written by Shefali Kapadia and edited by Bianca Prieto.