The average American supermarket now measures over 46,000 square feet—up from an average of around 35,000 square feet in the mid-90s. While most grocery store operations continue to focus on the super-mega-ginormous category, two value-focused chains—Aldi and Save-A-Lot—are going the opposite way, with stores typically under 20,000 …
recession porn
Luxury Purchases Are Up, But It’s Not Just the Rich Doing the Buying
Spending on luxury goods during the peak holiday shopping weeks of 2010 rose 8.5% compared to the year before. Jewelry sales were up even higher, rising 10.4%.
Shout Out: ‘How to Prepare for Homelessness’
It’s the specifics in this post—some shelters limit the ages and genders allowed, the importance of having IDs, school records, and social security cards for all members of your family—that make the tips especially helpful, and that really pack a wallop as you read them.
Lesson from the Recession: Turns Out the Rat Race Is … Fun?
One theory has it that the recession was actually supposed to make people happier—that the upheaval in jobs, markets, and housing would force us to be more grateful for the things we have, to come to a fresh realization about what’s truly important in life, and to help us focus not on money or careers or material possessions but on …
So Much for the ‘New Normal’: Is the Era of Mindful, Frugal Consumers Already Over?
An uptick in shopping sprees seems to indicate that the era of modest consumerism, with increased saving and decreased spending, may have already ended. If so, this shift in consumer behavior only lasted for a couple years, so I suppose it doesn’t really qualify as an “era.”
Bad Credit? You Still May Be a Good Risk for Credit Card Companies
The credit card companies are mailing out ten times as many offers to open new accounts as they did last year, and what the offers show is that many people with bad credit are considered good for business. Often on the mailing lists are “risky” consumers with bad credit—so long as they have the right kind of bad credit. Being a …
Survey: More Than Half of Pets Will Get Holiday Gifts
Renters are more likely to buy pet gifts than homeowners, women are more likely than men to splurge on their pets, and dogs are more likely than cats to receive gifts. So if you’re a pooch owned by a female renter, chances are pretty good there’ll be a bone, or perhaps a diamond-encrusted leash, in your stocking in a few weeks.
Is It Smarter to Buy in Bulk, or Buy Only When You Need Something?
When you see a good price on an item used in your household, you buy a bunch and stock up, right? Actually, more and more consumers are saying no to bulk buying, picking up only what they need now and for the near future instead. The result is slim pickings in the pantry, but more cash—because in today’s economy, there’s a good chance …
Upping the Ante: $25K Reward for Finding an Unemployed Marketing Consultant a Job
A revamped resume can only do so much, even if you switch fonts and use bullet points and the right keywords and everything. That’s why a dad from Long Island with 15 years experience in marketing who was laid off six months ago is now offering a $25,000 reward to anybody who helps him land a job.
Meet the ‘Cheapest Man Alive’
He owns a successful investment firm, employs 1,000 people, and is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. He also brings a homemade lunch to the office every day, had the office carpet repaired with duct tape, pays “only for the meat” and nothing else at holiday parties, and, after company meetings, gathers up paper clips so they can be reused.
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?
7 Totally Dope, Awesomely Dorky Economics and Personal Finance Rap Videos
Plenty of rappers talk about money. But the lyricists in these videos really rap about money—not pimpin’ or drug deals, but international currency policy, bank bailouts, taxes, tithing, and other aspects of the gangsta economist lifestyle. They also make videos that feature Christians dancing like MC Hammer and the New Kids on the …