For those who sell, predicting the economy is more than theoretical

Feb 21, 2023
Manufacturers and retailers have to decide what to make or stock now based on where they think the economy will be later.
Retailers will often mark down prices to move inventory. But suppliers will sometimes share in the loss by giving retailers a credit.
Carlos Jasso/AFP via Getty Images

A 118-year-old department store perseveres in a tenuous economy

Feb 17, 2023
How a department store more than a century old has survived two pandemics, the Great Depression, and multiple recessions.
Dunham's Department Store in Wellsboro, PA. Ann Dunham Rawson, whose great-grandparents opened Dunham's, said the store is doing well despite wider economic anxiety.
Courtesy Ann Dunham Rawson

How ASMR videos earn bonus revenue for this cleaning company

Feb 15, 2023
“It has become so easy,” said Samad Abdulai, owner of C3 Laundry Services.
Samad Adbulai, owner of C3 Laundry Services in Accra, Ghana, is seen with a truck full of rugs.
Courtesy Abdulai

Why more new video games now cost $70

Feb 10, 2023
Nintendo announced that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will retail for $69.99. Several video game publishers have been embracing the $70 price tag as the new standard for major releases.
Nintendo announced that it would price its highly-anticipated "Tears of the Kingdom" game at $70, a $10 increase from standard prices for new video games.
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Nintendo of America

Why are boutiques and coffee shops selling the same olive oil and tinned fish?

Feb 2, 2023
Those pantry brands aren't as small as consumers think, says writer Emily Sundberg. Wholesaler Faire is "the Oz behind the curtain."
If you've noticed boutiques or coffee shops offering a selection of artisanal pantry basics, there's a chance they're all being purchased from the same wholesale marketplace.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Retail is recovering — and flowering — in smaller cities and the suburbs

Feb 1, 2023
A new report from the JPMorgan Chase Institute finds retail has followed consumers to where many more now work and live.
Consumers are continuing to spend — just closer to home. Above, people walk at an outdoor shopping area in Alpharetta, Georgia.
Jessica McGowan/Getty Images

Extreme couponing is back. But it's on TikTok this time.

Feb 1, 2023
Clipping coupons may be largely digital now, but the deals are still out there. Kayla Burk is teaching a younger generation how to use them.
Kayla Burk, a full-time extreme couponer, makes TikTok explainer videos on how to get discounts.
Karen Bleier/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Inside the booming business of reselling returned merchandise

Jan 27, 2023
Everyone from publicly traded companies to individuals working out of their garages are buying and reselling liquidated items.
American Liquidations buys up to 60 truckloads of overstock and returns merchandise every month from retailers like Target, Macy's and Sam's Club.
Kristin Schwab/Marketplace

Inside the hectic post-holiday "returns season" at a Costco warehouse

Jan 26, 2023
A good portion never make it back to store shelves.
Costco is famous for its return policy: unlimited returns despite condition or purchase date, with some exceptions.
Eric Thayer/Getty Images

Declining December retail sales hit especially hard for small businesses

Jan 18, 2023
How did this holiday season go? A few entrepreneurs weigh in.
The latest retail sales data shows a larger-than-expected decrease in purchases in December. For small businesses, those declines hit harder.
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