Hey there!

Hope you survived the time change. Losing an hour is something I've never gotten used to.

But the sun's hanging around a little longer, the weather's starting to feel like maybe, just maybe, spring is on the way, and Q2 is right around the corner.

In the meantime, here's another round of non-breaking news, memes, quotes, and updates for you in the most inconsistent weekly newsletter around.

💬 Quote of the Week

Look, I love and appreciate the hustle. But there's a difference between putting in work and just putting in hours.

Owning our time is one of the biggest perks of entrepreneurship. Let's make sure we're not trading more of it than we need to.

Now let's see what we missed on the back pages of e-commerce news. ⬇️

What's the Matter?

📰 Registers Keep Ringing

U.S. retail sales continued climbing in February, with the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor showing a 6.24% year-over-year gain and a fifth consecutive month of month-over-month growth.

Clothing and accessories led the pack at 11.05% YoY, while building and garden supplies was the lone category in decline.

Why it matters:

• When retail sales are up across nearly every category, that's demand we can work with. Clothing up 11% YoY and health/personal care up 9% means those categories are moving significantly.
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• The building and garden supplies slump (down 5.75%) is worth watching from a clearance angle. Retailers sitting on slow inventory in that category are more likely to mark it down aggressively, which could create sourcing windows for sellers.
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• Several industry analysts in the piece pushed back on calling this a "boom," noting that much of the growth is inflation-driven, not volume-driven. That matters for us because higher retail prices mean higher COGS. We need to watch both our numbers and the vibes.

📰 Plus Your Bets

OAC+, the Amazon arbitrage community run by Chris Grant, is offering Ecom Matters readers an exclusive $20 off the monthly membership with code RACIC20.

Members get access to over $3,000 worth of courses (Keepa Academy, OA Challenge replays, Wholesale Challenge, Keepa SOPs), daily FlipAlert leads, Storefront Stalker Pro, weekly live sourcing sessions, and a Discord community where sellers actually share leads and help each other. If your Amazon account gets suspended, they'll write your appeal for free.

Why it matters:

• I am 100% biased here, but the math is simple. The course library alone is worth $3,000+, the OA Challenge runs $397 quarterly and your access is complimentary, and Storefront Stalker Pro and a FlipAlert channel are included. At $79/mo with code RACIC20, the tools pay for themselves if you find even one good lead a week.
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• The live sourcing sessions and Discord aren't fluff. You're watching real sourcing in real time, asking questions, and getting answers from sellers who actually do this every day. That shortens your learning curve faster than any course you watch alone.
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• Your rate locks in for life. No price hikes. And every future addition to the platform is included at no extra cost.

📰 Off-Price Land Grab

TJX, Ross, and Burlington all posted strong Q4 results, with sales up 9%, 12%, and 11% respectively.

All three are aggressively expanding store counts in 2026, with Ross planning 85 new locations, Burlington adding 110, and TJX eyeing 7,000 stores globally.

The off-price segment has grown from $30 billion to over $80 billion in annual sales over the past decade, almost entirely at department stores' expense.

Why it matters:

• More off-price stores means more sourcing opportunities. TJX, Ross, and Burlington all carry name brand inventory at steep discounts, and store expansion puts more of those locations within driving distance for RA sellers.
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• High-income shoppers are now permanent off-price converts, a trend that started during the 2022 inflation spike. That behavioral shift keeps demand strong for brands you'd typically find at Nordstrom or Macy's, but at clearance prices you can actually build margin on.
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• As Macy's closes 150 stores, that's inventory and foot traffic redistributing somewhere. Off-price is catching most of it. Watch for sourcing opportunities at both the closing department stores and the off-price chains absorbing their customers.

📰 Netflix & Shill

Netflix is integrating Amazon's shopping data into its ad targeting platform.

Starting Q2 2026, US advertisers buying through Amazon DSP can target Netflix viewers based on what they're actively browsing and buying on Amazon.

Early pilot campaigns exceeded standard benchmarks by more than 75%. Netflix expects to double its ad revenue to $3 billion this year.

Why it matters:

• Let's let that sink in a bit. If someone searches for a product on Amazon and then sits down to watch Stranger Things, brands can now serve them an ad for that exact category. That's a massive signal about where consumer attention and ad dollars are headed.
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• Here's the sourcing angle: if these ads actually work (and early results say they do), more consumers get pushed to buy on Amazon. More buyers means faster sales velocity on products we're already selling. Rising tide lifts all boats.

🎧 Clear The Shelf with Chris & Chris

Stephen Reinhard shared his impressive story with us. From $20 for cleats from Ross, to $75k months (and a VA to do his school work) during college, to borrowing $1 million from friends' credit cards.

This guy is a beast.

Check it out below.

🎥 Remember, we're live on YouTube, Facebook, & Twitter twice a week answering your questions and talking breaking news.

• Wednesday at 7:00 pm et
• Sunday at 7:00 pm et

Be sure to stop by with any questions or just hang out and talk shop with us.

Listen to Clear the Shelf with Chris & Chris on your favorite podcast player: ​YouTube​ ​Apple​ ​Spotify​

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💰 Weekend Lead Lists

OA Leads 24/7 delivers curated arbitrage opportunities every Saturday and Sunday, when your competition isn't even looking.

📢 Limited spots are available on each list.

📚 The Most Successful People I Know Are Readers

Good strategy starts with figuring out the real problem, not just picking goals and hoping for the best. That's the core of Richard Rumelt's The Crux.

With an excellent 4.2 GoodReads rating, this book spent the last year and a half at $20, but is on sale now.

🤣 Sometimes I Think I'm Funny

Find me on social media and share this week's meme below and I might shout you out in the next newsletter.

Show me the lie?

Have a great week! Talk to you soon.

Chris

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