Take a note, Mother Nature: cooler weather is good for the economy. And by “cooler” we mean not the “make-you-want-to-stick-your-head-in-a-bucket-of-ice” kind of hot that most of August bestowed upon the Washington region.
As temperatures dipped back to a more bearable level during the last week, the International Council of Shopping Centers reported that spending at chain stores nationwide increased. For the week ending Sept. 11, weekly sales rose by 0.8 percent compared with the prior week after several weeks of declining spending.
Meanwhile, Weather Trends International reported a 15-week streak of warmer-than-normal temperatures was broken last week as temperatures were cooler than last year by 1.4 degrees.
Even better for the economy: when compared with the corresponding week a year ago, consumers spent about 2.6 percent more this past week.
Translation? There’s nothing like good shopping weather to get consumers out in the stores.
