The restaurant industry continues to experience turbulence that originated with the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns. In 2020, restaurant performance reached historic lows as people suddenly stopped ordering from […]

Consumer sentiment and spending have remained fairly consistent in recent months. Despite a dip in summer 2022, current consumer sentiment is at a similar level to its values before elevated inflation levels evolved. […]

Despite electronic deposits and checks on the rise, paper checks remain an extremely common way to pay expenses such as rent, utilities, donations, and taxes. However, fraud is increasingly targeting paper checks, raising […]

While fluorescent and incandescent lightbulbs may be widely popular in most households, the Department of Energy suggests that LED bulbs are a superior alternative for lighting. By installing LED bulbs in rooms with […]

The most recent measure of food inflation is 8.2%, with 2022 inflation at the highest level since inflation in the 1980s, and the category seeing the harshest hikes appears to be food prices. […]

During the peak of the pandemic, uncertainty over the job market and elevated unemployment caused consumers to save at heightened rates. In addition, “going out” became extremely limited as restaurants, stores, and vacations […]

Consumers are now saving less than before the pandemic, as stimulus assistance funds and generous unemployment benefits have gradually evaporated, encouraging consumers to tap their savings at an accelerating pace. The drop in […]

As pandemic assistance funds vanish, consumers are turning to savings and credit to pay for essentials. With many consumers having exhausted their cash reserves, credit becomes an option. Con­sumers have been tap­ping into […]

As the pandemic created supply constraints over the past two years, companies learned to stock up on materials and finished products in hopes of alleviating any future supply chain snags. Now that constraints […]

Various factors are contributing to sustained high gas prices, which are expected to add to price pressures heading into the summer months. Traditionally, gasoline prices move higher as vacation travelers hit the road […]