Even with stores open, people may not be ready to shop

Retailers across Michigan are eager to reopen.

Many stores in Kalamazoo are already phasing back to life after the governor allowed them to reopen with restrictions May 26.

But just because the stores are open doesn’t mean shoppers will be buying, according to an article in Bridge Magazine.

“It’s not that people aren’t buying stuff … but they’ll be buying it in a different way,” said Donald Grimes, an economist at the University of Michigan.

He said that recent data shows job growth in distribution centers.

That may be bad news especially for small towns where retail comprises much of the economic base.

You can read the full story here.