It wasn’t pretty when Walmart underwent an identity crisis. Take that back. Actually, it was pretty—neat, orderly, attractive—in terms of the consumer shopping experience when Walmart began emptying overflowing store shelves and pushed more upscale merchandise. What wasn’t pretty was the backlash among blue-collar shoppers who felt …
fast food
Good Reads: Fancy (but Worthless) Kitchens and College Degrees, and More
Here’s some recommended reading, inquiring into issues like: Why do consumers keep paying top dollar for huge, high-end kitchens and designer appliances they almost never use? Why do students keep buying into the idea that college is the only path to success, and that racking up tens of thousands in loans is a good idea? And how the heck …
Is Food Cheap or Expensive? Could It Be Both?
Food in the U.S. is cheap to buy at the market, though costs have been rising sharply. Oh, and if you think about all of the costs related to keeping the price of food low, food isn’t really cheap to begin with.
Pushing Fast Food Like Never Before
The beginning of the year is a tough time for the fast-food restaurant business, when there’s something of a post-holiday lull, if not a mini backlash. Overeating and overspending among consumers is common during the holidays—and so dieting, scaling back spending, and avoiding fast food is common in the period afterward. Or at least …
81 End-of-Year Money Tips
As 2010 comes to a close, keep some money in your pocket when bellying up to the bar or the fast food counter, considering luxury “status” purchases, shopping the post-Christmas sales, and planning your kid’s birthday party.
The Curious American Consumer: Notable Trends for Housing, Shopping, Work, Fast Food, and More
As the numbers attest, life has changed quite a bit recently for homeowners, workers, shoppers, families, and even for rich people. And it’s not all bad: At least TVs are cheaper, right?
Why Would You Reserve a Fast-Food Sandwich Online?
Because if you do so and reserve a specific date and window of time to pick up your sandwich, you get the sandwich for free.
Fast Food News: $2 Meal Deals and Snacks on the Attack
The number of fast-food menu items featuring the word “snack” has tripled since 2007.
Subway for Breakfast?
They’re not trying to sell you “five dollar foot looooongs,” at least not at 7 a.m. anyway. But Subway is jumping into the fast-food breakfast market, with combos like $2.50 for an egg muffin melt and 16-ounce coffee.
The Egg McMuffin-Unemployment Connection
It’s hard to justify a trip to the drive-thru first thing in the morning when you don’t have a job. Also, when you’re unemployed, “first thing in the morning” may occur sometime after fast food restaurants have already begun serving lunch.
Must-Eat: Burger King’s $1 Double Cheeseburger
Well, it’s a must-eat only if you like ingesting this sort of thing, and only if want to pay just $1. In April, the price is going up.
Why You Buy What You Buy and Do What You Do: Because It’s Easy
“Cognitive fluency,” in psychologist phraseology, is the human tendency to prefer things that are familiar and easy to understand. This tendency plays into just about every decision you make—what you deem beautiful, what political messages resonate, what products earn your loyalty (and dollars), and so on. It’s even been shown that the …