For Walmart, rising tariffs and worries about a possible recession are major concerns. Those economic pressures could make it harder for the company to keep prices low, which is a big part of why shoppers choose Walmart in the first place. One thing that’s helping the company is its membership program, Walmart+. Members made up nearly half of all online spending on Walmart’s website and app last year. These customers shop more often and spend more money than those without Continue reading
Once considered to be products exclusively made for children, plush toy brands like Jellycat, Build-A-Bear, and Squishmallows are now seeing significant sales from millennial and Gen Z buyers. In 2024, more than 20 percent of all plush toy sales were made by adults purchasing for themselves. Post-pandemic stress, economic uncertainty, and the rise of self-care culture have all contributed to this shift. Plush toys are no longer framed as childish; instead, many see them as tools for comfort, emotional regulation, Continue reading
When Walt Disney built his world-famous theme parks, he envisioned them as affordable places for families to spend full days together in the dreamlike world of animated movies. In fact, one executive in the 1980s who tried to raise the price of parking by one dollar met stiff resistance from people who claimed the idea ran counter to Disney’s vision for The Happiest Place on Earth. Over time, though, prices rose steadily with inflation, until the COVID-19 pandemic brought everything Continue reading
The breakfast chain Waffle House is famous for serving customers a cheap and hearty breakfast at any time of day. In fact, the 24-hour eatery is so reliable and affordable that emergency officials use it as an informal gauge for judging severe weather: if the area Waffle House is closed, then the natural disaster must be extremely severe. But one thing the famously dependable chain couldn’t predict is soaring egg prices, which have driven it to add a 50-cent Continue reading
Since the late 1980s, Americans have marked the day after Thanksgiving as Black Friday, the “official” start of the holiday sale season and the busiest shopping day of the year. Stores like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy used to draw huge crowds by offering massive discounts to the first shoppers to come through the doors. As time passed and e-commerce became more common, though, the one-day sales bonanza expanded to include online deals. Now Amazon is the undisputed champion of Continue reading
Although consumers have had to contend with high food prices throughout 2024, families across the country will at least pay less for Thanksgiving dinner next week than they did last year. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the average cost of Thanksgiving for 10 people will amount to $58.08, or about $5.80 per person. That marks a 5 percent drop from 2023. The decreased cost is good news for families who have faced high food prices over the last Continue reading
Nearly ten years ago, soda seemed to be losing its appeal with consumers as public health campaigns warned against sugary soft drinks and schools took soda out of vending machines and off of lunch menus. After per-capita consumption of soda among Americans fell to a new low in 2015, Coca-Cola and Pepsi started expanding their product lines to include diet sodas, flavored water, and energy drinks. With so many healthy choices available, industry insiders began to assume that consumers who Continue reading