'Big-box' supercenters can contribute to overpurchasing by shoppers Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty ImagesImagine walking out of a Walmart, Target or Costco. As you push your large shopping cart to your car, you ask yourself: Did I really need all that stuff?
The answer is you probably didn’t.
Passengers walk through the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Nov. 7, 2025. Anna Moneymaker/Getty ImagesMajor airports across the United States were subject to a 4% reduction in flights on Nov. 7, 2025, as the government shutdown began to affect travelers.
Sharp spikes in calls for food assistance are rare outside of natural disasters. AP Photo/Eric GayBetween January and mid-October 2025, calls to local 211 helplines from people seeking food pantries in their community held steady at nearly 1,000 calls per day.
Some 42 million Americans rely on SNAP benefits to put food on the table. Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images NewsThe Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has helped low-income Americans buy groceries for decades with few disruptions.
When it comes to inquiring about – ahem – certain products, shoppers prefer the inhuman touch.
That is what we found in a study of consumer habits when it comes to products that traditionally have come with a degree of embarrassment – think acne cream, diarrhea medication, adult sex toys or personal lubricant.
American households have become dependent on Amazon.
The numbers say it all: In 2024, 83% of U.S. households received deliveries from Amazon, representing over 1 million packages delivered each day and 9 billion individual items delivered same-day or next-day every year. In remarkably short order, the company has transformed from an online bookseller into a juggernaut that has reshaped retailing. But its impact isn’t limited to how we shop.
President Trump has used his sweeping global tariffs as an economic tool and a political cudgel. A decision invalidating them could hamper his power.
More than one-third of U.S. consumers were targeted by attempted financial fraud in 2024. Vladimir Vladimirov/E+ via Getty ImagesWhen banks issue their defrauded customers refunds and successfully identify the perpetrators, fraud victims are 60% more likely to stick with their bank than customers that didn’t experience any fraud.
“Sex sells” has been a mantra in marketing for decades.
Every few years since 1953, the Chinese government has unveiled a new master strategy for its economy: the all-important five-year plan.
For the most part, these blueprints have been geared at spurring growth and unity as the nation transformed from a rural, agrarian economy to an urbanized, developed powerhouse.
