The earnings results from Best Buy and Kohl’s, announced Thursday, offer the latest evidence of consumers’ cautious spending amid a challenging economic environment.

Kohl’s reported on Wednesday that both profits and sales declined in the second quarter as the department store wrestles with shoppers’ cautious spending in a challenging economy.

Results from Macy’s, Kohl’s and Gap have further underscored the cloudy picture for U.S. retailers heading into the start of the holiday season.

Michelle Gass, CEO of department store chain Kohl’s, is stepping down from her role early next month and will become the president of denim giant Levi Strauss & Co. Levi’s said in a release that Gass will start on Jan. 2 and the board of directors has put in motion a succession plan for her to succeed Chip Bergh, president and CEO in the next 18 months.

Shares of Kohl’s are up more than 12% before the market open on Tuesday after the retailer announced that it is in exclusive takeover talks with the owner of Vitamin Shoppe.

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)NEW YORK – The founder and CEO of MyPillow, who amplified President Donald Trump's claims of election fraud, said a backlash against his company has begun after a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol this month. Lindell has continued to push bogus claims of election fraud since Trump’s loss to President-elect Joe Biden in the presidential race. That has led people to flock to social media and put pressure on stores carrying MyPillow to drop the brand. “I stand for what’s right,” said Lindell, who created the MyPillow in 2004 and built the business in Chaska, Minnesota, southwest of Minneapolis. “I’m standing firm.”Aside from the retail pressure, Lindell is also facing potential litigation from Dominion Voting Systems for his accusations that their voting machines played a role in election fraud.

An empty parking lot is seen at a temporarily closed Kohl's department store, Wednesday, April 29, 2020, in Havertown, Pa. Devastated by the coronavirus, the U.S. economy is sinking. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)WASHINGTON The U.S. economy shrank at a 5.0% rate in the first quarter with a much worse decline expected in the current three-month economic period because of the coronavirus pandemic. That was the sharpest quarterly decline since an 8.4% fall in the fourth quarter of 2008 during the depths of the financial crisis. The first quarter decline reflected just two weeks of the shutdowns that began in many parts of the country in mid-March. Economists are forecasting a much bigger GDP drop of around 30% for the current April-June period.

Macy's stores nationwide are closed due to the coronavirus. Macy's said the majority of its 125,000 employees will be furloughed this week and that it is transitioning to an "absolute minimum workforce" needed to maintain basic operations. Macy's said it has lost the bulk of its sales due to the temporarily closing of more than 600 stores starting March 18. The furlough of workers will have negative consequences for an economy in which the retail industry supports one out of four workers. According to a recent report by Cowen & Co, department stores have enough cash to make it to about five to eight months with their stores temporarily closed.

The newest "sounds too good to be true" scheme concerns a Kohl's coupon promising $100 off to celebrate the store's 57th anniversary. "Please know, we are not running any promotion for a $100 coupon. Any website or group offering this is not in affiliation with us," Kohl's tweeted. Please know, we are not running any promotion for a $100 coupon. Kohl's (@Kohls) November 18, 2019Copyright 2019 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.

CNN image(CNN) - Kohl's innovative strategy to draw customers into its stores won the company praise and fans on Wall Street. Kohl's profit fell 24% during the quarter compared with a year ago, and the retailer slashed its outlook heading into the holiday shopping stretch. The results signal that Kohl's makeover strategies are falling short. Gass, the Kohl's CEO, has taken a proactive approach to remaking the retailer's more than 1,150 stores for the online shopping era. Kohl's is considered by many analysts to be in a better position than Macy's, JCPenney and other mall brands because the majority of Kohl's stores are away from malls.

The social media company will help Kohl's select clothing and homegoods' brands to sell in some stores. Facebook, using what it knows about the interests of its users, will work with Kohl's to identify trendy brands on Instagram and Facebook that have never before appeared in Kohl's stores or on its website. By using Facebook as a funnel for hip digital brands, Kohl's hopes to create an experience that customers can't replicate at rival stores. But it fits within Kohl's CEO Michelle Gass creative approach to refitting Kohl's for the online shopping era. Digital brands at department storesKohl's relationship with Facebook is a sign of online shopping bleeding further into physical stores.