Consumers are being asked to pay for more memberships than ever, from grocery delivery and streaming services to warehouse clubs promising savings on everyday essentials. Individually, these fees may seem manageable, but together, they can put pressure on household budgets. For retailers, bundling memberships could offer a way to address that problem while giving shoppers
Every fast-food price has a breaking point. Charge a dollar too much, and the regular who came in three times a week starts coming in twice. For most of the past five years, chains tested that line and kept pushing. Menu prices climbed, and customers mostly paid. Then lower-income diners, the people who keep drive-thrus
BJ’s Wholesale is changing course on its approach to holiday discounts as it continues to see members respond to economic pressures. The company saw its comparable club sales (excluding gasoline) increase 3.1% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2026, according to its latest earnings report. BJ’s CEO Bob Eddy said on an earnings call in
Search for almost anything on Walmart.com, and some of the first results you see carry a small “Sponsored” label. Turn on a Vizio TV, and the free channels on its home screen carry ads, too. Both of those screens now feed the same business, and it is growing far faster than the stores that made
For most American families, Halloween at McDonald’s (MCD) has meant one thing: a plastic pail called a Boo Bucket that outlasts the Happy Meal and treats inside. The chain first offered the promotion in 1986 and brought it back annually starting in 2022 after a six-year hiatus, but this year’s edition carries a twist collectors
A famous face can sell the first bottle of anything. The second bottle is a different sale entirely. For most of the last decade, that distinction barely mattered in tequila. Americans could not get enough agave, and a celebrity name on the label looked like a shortcut to the top shelf. George Clooney and Rande
It may only be mid-October, but the holiday shopping season is officially upon us. Average household spending is expected to jump by 4% year over year in 2026, according to Deloitte’s 2026 Holiday Retail Survey, hitting $1,654 and giving retailers plenty of reason to be optimistic about year-end sales. But with four in 10 shoppers
When a hot phone sells out, most people refresh Apple’s website and accept whatever date it gives them. That habit could cost iPhone Duo buyers a couple of extra months this year. I’ve followed Bank of America’s weekly iPhone lead-time tracker since preorders for the iPhone 18 Pro opened in September. This week’s update is
Streaming services became more prominent with the launch of Netflix in 2007, which diverted Hollywood movie business away from theaters and worsened when the Covid-19 pandemic completely shut down indoor cinemas in 2020. The decline in movie audiences continued as global theater attendance declined by 4% in 2021, the Motion Picture Institute reported. Domestic box
Americans have lost their confidence in the safety of food sold to them by grocery stores. The timing of Gallup’s annual survey, however, may have impacted the results. This year’s survey was conducted as a major U.S. cyclospora outbreak that began in June started to wane and officially ended on Sept. 11. Likewise, the 2024