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Mar 9, 2022 - Economy

Office attire apparel sales are soaring as COVID cases fall

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Monthly apparel sales compared to 2019
Data: MasterCard Spending Pulse; Chart: Jacque Schrag/Axios

American office workers are having their own back-to-school spending moment.

What’s happening: Outlays on “return-to-office attire” are soaring as workers head back amid a sharp nationwide decline in COVID-19 cases, according to a MasterCard Spending Pulse report released Wednesday.

By the numbers: Apparel sales rose 37.6% in February, compared with a year earlier.

  • Both outpaced overall retail sales (excluding auto), which were up 8.7%.

The bottom line: Out with the sweatpants, in with the office clothes.

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