Beyond the Surge in Retail Sales Lurks a Growing Consumer Divide

Despite the unexpected jump in U.S. retail sales in May, the pandemic is changing consumer behavior in a way that threatens to widen the inequality gap, according to a report this month from the JPMorgan Chase Institute.

The institute’s analysis -- which relies on about 450 million monthly credit card transactions made by a rolling sample of 11 million customer accounts -- showed that Covid-19-related lockdowns increased consumer spending at non-local retailers.