Having grown up in New England in the 1980s, certain commercials that aired during cartoons like “The Flintstones,” “Battle of the Planets,” and “G.I. Joe” on UHF channels 38 and 56 have long been seared into my brain. I can sing the entire Rusty Jones jingle, and if you say the words “water country,” my
A mall retailer consumers describe as an “entry-level” luxury brand that features sophisticated, minimalist staples, has quietly closed five stores. This year, a number of mall retailers have chosen not to renew their mall leases as they adapt to consumers’ shifting habits. The closures, however, come at a time when foot traffic across all three
The best technology disappears. You stop noticing it, and then you start relying on it. For a decade, virtual reality asked you to strap a bulky headset to your face and accept the trade-off. That trade-off kept most shoppers out of the category, even as phones and earbuds became things people carried everywhere. Glasses changed
BJ’s Wholesale is rolling out new offers for its members as grocery prices continue to put pressure on household budgets. While the warehouse club revealed in its latest earnings report that its comparable club sales (excluding gasoline) rose 3.1% year over year in the second quarter of 2026, higher-income shoppers are driving much of that
T-Mobile is planning to offer customers a slate of new free perks after recently making several significant changes to its wireless business that could lead to more customers leaving. This year, the carrier has continued to raise prices and scale back discounts. Most notably, it recently discontinued several legacy wireless plans, automatically switching some customers
A well-known fashion brand is acknowledging that changes to its pricing and assortment pushed some customers away, and its parent company is now acting with “urgency” to address the problem as it contends with continued sales declines. The company said weaker consumer sentiment has put pressure on discretionary demand, while changes to the brand’s pricing
A frozen meal is a promise you make to your future self. You buy the bag on a good week, push it behind the ice cream, and trust it will be there when a busy night hits. It is one of the quietest bits of financial planning most households do, because a full freezer is
When people are worried about paying their mortgage and putting food on the table, what they’re wearing tends to become less of a focus. “A long-feared cyclical slowdown has arrived. Consumers, affected by the recent period of high inflation, are increasingly price-sensitive. There is also the surprising rise of dupes, the acceleration of climate change,
Chances are pretty good that you have heard the statistics about health outcomes for Americans. Americans spent $5.3 trillion on healthcare in 2024, or $15,474 per person, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. That was a 7.2% year over year increase that accounted for 18% of the country’s total gross domestic product.
After a long day, cooking dinner can feel like an unwanted chore. While ordering takeout does solve that problem, the final bill can make the convenience harder to justify. And grocery chains are increasingly seeing an opportunity between these two choices. Adding to a growing list is ALDI, which is launching its first-ever collection of