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Consumer spending

As discretionary spending slows, retailers try to make themselves essential

by Kristin Schwab
Jan 17, 2023
Here's how one small business is adapting to the changing consumer climate.
Pricier items like furniture tend to be put on hold when households budgets are strained, said AlixPartners' Sonia Lapinsky. Above, a shopper at a Houston Ikea.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
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Why consumers are pulling back on spending

by Nancy Marshall-Genzer
Jan 17, 2023
A New York Fed survey shows consumers are cutting back. But inflation means they're paying more for the same stuff.
Consumer spending peaked over the summer and has been falling ever since, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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COVID-19

China ends zero-COVID, but are consumers ready to spend?

by Jennifer Pak
Jan 12, 2023
Chinese officials have lifted the harshest restrictions of the zero-COVID policy, but consumers are still cautious amid surging infections.
A tourist district in Xiamen city in late December 2022 was quiet amid a surge of COVID infections.
Jennifer Pak/Marketplace
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The "sneaky practice" of shrinkflation has been driving up your grocery bills for years

by Kai Ryssdal and Sarah Leeson
Jan 4, 2023
Shrinkflation means getting less product for the same price, and it's not going away anytime soon.
Shrinkflation is a tactic manufacturers use to pass on price increases to consumers. For instance: quietly reducing the number of squares of toilet paper per roll.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images
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As Americans spend on experiences, inflation declines for goods and rises for services

by Matt Levin
Dec 23, 2022
It's a tale of two inflations: goods versus services.
After the heights of the pandemic, Americans decided to gorge in-person activities like dining out.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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Consumers have kept the economy humming. How long can they keep it up?

by Sabri Ben-Achour
Dec 20, 2022
Although they're contending with inflation and economic uncertainty, they continue to rack up debt and burn through their savings.
With consumers racking up debt and burning through savings, economists expect a pullback in spending.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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Americans are saving little — while they spend up a storm

by Samantha Fields
Dec 1, 2022
The personal saving rate declined in October to its lowest point since 2005. "A lot of people are close to the edge, unfortunately," an analyst says.
Consumers are increasingly dipping into their savings to pay for things — including basic expenses.
Jessica McGowan/Getty Images
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Consumers are worried about the economy. They're also spending up a storm.

by Mitchell Hartman
Nov 30, 2022
They don't like the inflation rate, but they do like the current job market.
The strong job market is keeping consumers’ wallets open, despite high prices and concerns about a possible upcoming recession.
Kena Betancur/Getty Images
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When "buy now, pay later" becomes a way to pay for groceries

by Stephanie Hughes
Nov 28, 2022
Many buy now, pay later services began as a way to help people make big-ticket purchases. Now, it's also a way to finance essentials.
Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images
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Black Friday riddle: Consumers are financially stressed, but still spending

by Mitchell Hartman
Nov 25, 2022
Their debt levels are rising as the holiday shopping season ramps up. It helps that unemployment is low.
Black Friday shoppers take a moment to rest in massage chairs at the Opry Mills mall in Nashville, Tennessee.
Seth Herald/AFP via Getty Images
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