Sorry that today’s “Daily Checkout” is late. But here’s what you should check out before you head home today:

Retailers watch reaction to back-to-school sales.

Retailers are paying close attention to consumer response during its early back-to-school sales, according to The Wall Street Journal. The sales will provide retailers an indicator of what kind of inventory to order for the holiday months, which usually occurs during the summer and early fall. Attention is especially tuned to stores in South Carolina and Florida, which start school in early August.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124640468569876531.html?mod=dist_smartbrief

Counting Calories

Under a new law, California restaurants with at least 20 locations must begin providing calorie counts for their few menus, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

The new law is expected to affect 17,000 of the state’s 80,000 restaurants.

Summer’s a washout for retailers

Many retailers, such as Macy’s, are cutting prices as much as 50 to 70 percent on summer items, according to the Associated Press (via the Philadelphia Inqurier).

 The retail industry is expecting weak sales for the summer as consumers show  less optimistic about a quick economic recovery.

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Michael Jackson sells out after death.

According to Rolling Stone, three albums from the King of Pop — Number Ones, Essential Michael Jackson and Thriller — sold more than 100,000 copies, putting it at the top of Billboard’s Pop Catalog Albums and Top Comprehensive chart.

Here’s one telling fact —the week before his death, Thriller sold 277 copies. Last week that number shop up with 101,000 copies.

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