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Consumers

"Newness" is enticing inflation-weary consumers to spend

by Stephanie Hughes
Aug 21, 2024
Retail giant Target appears to be banking on refreshed product lines, which can make shopping feel more like a treasure hunt.
New products, when marketed well, can entice wallet-wary shoppers to spend.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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Consumers are saving the least since 2022, despite "pretty, pretty good" economy

by Stephanie Hughes
Jul 26, 2024
Incomes are up, consumption is up too — but the personal savings rate is down to 3.4%.
Higher interest rates and avid credit card use are among the reasons many Americans have little left over after buying essentials.
SDI Productions/Getty Images
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Retail sales figures are flat but a deeper dive shows consumer resilience

by Sabri Ben-Achour
Jul 16, 2024
Spending in many sectors, like furniture and online shopping, was strong. Falling prices also depressed the top line numbers in some categories.
When you take out car sales and gas spending, consumers actually spent 0.8% more in June than in May.
PRImageFactory/iStock/Getty Images Plus
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Walmart's newest growth market? More affluent shoppers

by Nancy Marshall-Genzer
May 16, 2024
"I’m not embarrassed to say I bought something from Walmart anymore," says one such shopper.
The company has been trying to lure more high-end shoppers with new, trendier products and faster delivery of online orders.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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How new China tariffs could affect prices for U.S. business owners, consumers

by Samantha Fields
May 14, 2024
When tariffs increase, costs often go up for business owners, who often then pass some of those increased costs along to consumers.
The Biden administration worries that importing Chinese EVs will hurt U.S. manufacturers, said Howard Gleckman with the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
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The "wealth effect" could affect consumer behavior — and U.S. politics

by Mitchell Hartman
Apr 19, 2024
While sizable gains in the value of stocks and real estate has likely boosted spending, it's done less to improve sentiment.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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Diners aren't going to steakhouses just for the steak anymore

by Kristin Schwab and Sofia Terenzio
Feb 19, 2024
Some steakhouses are changing their menus and venues to accommodate new consumer preferences.
Some people like going to steakhouses for the vibe or ambiance, not just the steaks, says journalist Alina Dizik.
Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Harv
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Low inflation doesn't relieve pain of high prices

by Mitchell Hartman
Feb 15, 2024
Consumers' inflation expectations are falling. But they say the high prices imposed by inflation are still eroding living standards.
A Little Griddle eatery in Portland, Oregon, where co-owner Judd Harris has struggled to balance the prices he pays for supplies with the prices he charges customers.
Mitchell Hartman / Marketplace
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"The Store"

The problem of "sameness"

by Ellen Rolfes
Jan 31, 2024
Why department stores struggle to retain relevancy.
Can you tell whether this photo was taken inside of a JCPenney? A Dillard's? A Macy's?
Jeenah Moon/Getty Images
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TV ads speak directly to consumers' economic anxiety

by Kimberly Adams
Jan 30, 2024
Advertisers are using people not having enough money for some things — college, a house — to encourage them to spend on other things — chicken wings, anybody?
A screenshot from a recent SoFi ad, where a comically large backpack represents a bride's student loan debt.
SoFi
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