Capri reported a fiscal second-quarter profit that was double Wall Street’s expectations and raised its full-year forecast. Adjusted earnings were 42 cents per share, versus 21 cents expected, on revenue of $809 million, versus estimates of roughly $786 million.

The company now expects adjusted EPS of about $2.20 this fiscal year, up from the $2.12 consensus.

For investors holding a stock that has struggled for years, the quarter offers the first sign that Michael Kors’s turnaround is gaining traction, while also reinforcing that Jimmy Choo holds sway with trendsetters, including Taylor Swift, who was spotted twice in October wearing Jimmy Choo sandals.

Designer brand Jimmy Choo shows momentum amid Taylor Swift sandal sightings

Capri owns Michael Kors, the handbag and accessories brand found in malls and department stores, and Jimmy Choo, the luxury footwear label.

The company sold Versace to Prada in December 2025 for $1.375 billion.

Capri Holdings stock closed at $16.06 on Oct. 29 before reporting its results. Its stock price has fallen sharply since December, with its market cap down about 34%.

The weakness was tied to shoppers pulling back on aspirational luxury, and Michael Kors sales have been shrinking. As a result, Capri has reduced its inventory by 7% year over year and bought back 10.3 million shares to boost per-share profit.

The company’s third-quarter sales totaled $809 million, down 5.5% from one year ago, but above analysts’ $785.9 million consensus estimate.

• Michael Kors revenue fell 8.6% to $663 million, though operating margin rose 20 basis points to 10.3%.
• Jimmy Choo revenue rose 11.5% to $146 million, and operating margin improved 830 basis points to 1.4% from -6.9%.

On Oct. 6, Capri Holdings shares rose 6% after superstar Taylor Swift was spotted the night before wearing black leather Jimmy Choo Azie 85 heeled sandals on a date night celebrating Travis Kelce’s birthday.

Swift also wore a royal purple satin colorway of the Jimmy Choo Saeda Sandal 100 to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala on Oct. 26, suggesting Jimmy Choo remains popular with trendsetters.

A 2.3% uptick in gross margin to 63.3% flowed down the income statement, with operating margin improving to 3.8% from 2.3% a year ago.

“Throughout the second quarter, trends improved sequentially each month across both of our luxury houses, reflecting the actions we have taken to sharpen our product assortments, elevate brand desirability and strengthen consumer engagement,” said CEO John D. Idol.

What to watch next at Capri Holdings

Management is guiding to a fiscal year 2027 adjusted EPS of $2.20 and revenue of $3.42 billion. The fiscal Q3 guidance of slightly over $1 billion is shy of $1.02 billion analyst forecasts.

Despite that, they expect better margins to lift EPS to $2.20 in FY2027, which is better than analysts’ $2.12 target.

“We continue to expect total company revenue to return to growth in the second half of fiscal 2027, supported by exciting new collections, increased marketing investments and our focus on elevating the consumer experience,” said Idol.

On Oct. 16, Raymond James boosted Capri to ‘strong buy’ from ‘outperform,’ on the potential for the fiscal second quarter to outpace expectations, according to TheFly.com. At the time, they set a $20 price target and also cited rumors of a potential acquisition.

In September, WWD said Capri Holdings could find a buyer given its depressed stock price, with an acquirer interested in picking it up because of the turnaround opportunity at Michael Kors.

An acquisition is anyone’s guess, so best to focus on whether Michael Kors’ weakness turns to strength this holiday shopping season.

Related: Fast-fashion giant to pay $100 million after customer complaints

As merchants compete to make buying more individualized, this difference is becoming increasingly crucial.

While openly pledging that a customer’s income, past purchases, urgency, or apparent readiness to pay would not influence the price they see, Walmart has been increasing the role AI plays across its digital operations.

The Federal Trade Commission now requests a more thorough investigation.

The agency has demanded information from Walmart and eight other companies about whether and how personal information is used to determine prices, worker compensation, and job offers.

The investigation does not imply that Walmart employs individualized pricing. Walmart makes it clear that it doesn’t.

Rather, the inquiry raises a much more significant question about AI-powered retail: Where does helpful customization stop and customized pricing start when businesses get more knowledge about specific clients?

The response is important to Walmart as its AI approach relies more and more on consumers giving it more information.

FTC scrutinizes how companies set prices

Walmart, Target (TGT), Uber (UBER), Lyft (LYFT), DoorDash (DASH), Instacart (CART), Delta Air Lines (DAL), United Airlines (UAL), and JetBlue Airways (JBLU) received information requests from the FTC.

The organization is interested in learning more about the data, tools, and techniques used by businesses to calculate costs, salaries, and employment offers.

The companies have 45 days after receiving the orders to respond, according to the FTC.

FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson wants to know if companies use personal data to set prices or offer gig workers for the same product, service, or job.

The dynamic pricing that customers now experience from hotels, airlines, and other companies is not the same as personalized pricing.

In general, dynamic pricing modifies prices in response to variables including supply, demand, timing, and location.

One step further is personalized pricing. A business may use information about a specific customer to determine how much that person is willing to spend.

Location, browsing habits, past purchases, loyalty information, and other personal data might be examples of this.

Delta, JetBlue, and Instacart denied having personalized pricing.

Walmart has already made a major pricing promise

The FTC inquiry arrives after Walmart took an unusually direct public position on the issue.

“We price the product, not the person,” Walmart CEO John Furner said in a September letter to customers.

Walmart says it does not use a shopper’s income, shopping history, urgency, or estimated willingness to pay to establish individualized prices.

Additionally, the firm claims that it will not use any information consumers provide through its AI shopping tools to raise their costs.

Walmart has presented that pledge as a component of a larger commitment to separating price choices from AI-driven customization.

Walmart wants AI to understand what customers want, which makes that difference crucial.

A tailored shopping assistant might know a customer’s frequent purchases, preferred brands, and current product type.

These features have the potential to speed up shopping and boost sales via Walmart’s digital ecosystem.

However, if customers thought the information was used to evaluate how much they could afford or were ready to spend, it could become contentious.

Walmart claims it won’t go over that boundary.

AI makes personalization more valuable and sensitive

Retailers have always made an effort to comprehend their clientele.

AI significantly expands their possible applications for such data.

Without altering an item’s pricing for a specific consumer, Walmart may utilize customer data to enhance search results, provide product recommendations, and assist customers in navigating its vast selection.

Instead, the business claims that its pricing algorithms take into account traditional retail criteria, including inventory, competition, region, expenses, and seasonality.

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Walmart says those systems do not calculate the maximum amount an individual shopper may be willing to spend.

As AI shopping assistants get more sophisticated, that distinction may become more crucial.

Think about what a typical discussion may reveal to a computerized shopping assistant.

Customers may disclose what they need, why they need it, when they need it, and what alternatives they are considering.

The AI can provide better recommendations thanks to the knowledge.

Additionally, if customers believe the information affects their price, it may cause them to become concerned.

Therefore, improved consumer awareness is the source of both the economic potential and the regulatory danger.

Walmart’s bigger challenge is keeping customer trust

The FTC investigation is more than just another regulatory request for Walmart.

It addresses one of the main obstacles that merchants must overcome to include AI into the purchasing experience.

Customers may be more inclined to share information with Walmart if their AI solutions are beneficial.

By making shopping simpler, suggestions more helpful, and purchasing easier, that might improve Walmart’s digital connection with customers.

However, trust is a key component of the concept.

Walmart reaffirmed this stance in October when it once again denied claims that it sets customized rates based on customers’ willingness to pay or personal information.

Walmart said its relationship with customers depends on maintaining that trust.

Investors may have a better understanding of how large retailers and digital platforms truly utilize personal information when establishing pricing thanks to the FTC’s future investigation.

For Walmart, the concern extends beyond whether authorities find a legal issue in the end.

The store is essentially making two promises at once: its AI will become better at understanding specific consumers, but that improved knowledge won’t be used as an excuse to raise prices for those customers.

Deeper customization might boost Walmart’s digital operations without compromising its value offer, as long as it can maintain that line.

The same data that makes Walmart’s AI more beneficial might also become its greatest trust issue if customers start to question it.

Related: Instacart, Walmart, Delta, charging differently? FTC questions

The carrier has already made several notable mergers and acquisitions in recent years to gain a competitive edge in the telecom market. 

In 2020, it merged with Sprint in a $26 billion deal. Four years later, T-Mobile paid up to $1.35 billion to acquire Ka’ena Corporation, the parent company of mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) Mint Mobile, Ultra Mobile, and Plum. 

More recently, T-Mobile acquired US Cellular’s wireless operations for $4.3 billion in August 2025. 

T-Mobile-Deutsche Telekom merger gets shelved

T-Mobile was reportedly considering a merger with its parent company, Deutsche Telekom, over the past few months, but the deal has stalled, according to a recent Bloomberg report. 

Deutsche Telekom has paused plans to submit a formal bid to merge with T-Mobile, partially due to opposition from its works council. However, Deutsche Telekom could still opt to move forward with an offer at a later date.

T-Mobile has a market value of about $157 billion after its shares declined by almost 30% this year. Deutsche Telekom has a market cap of about €122.93 billion (or $137.21 billion).

Read more: T-Mobile and Verizon face a new broadband rival

Currently, Deutsche Telekom holds a stake of more than 50% in T-Mobile, and a full merger would create the world’s biggest telecom operator. It would also be the largest public merger ever, as it is estimated to be valued at roughly $300 billion, according to a report from Semafor in July.

The pause in the potential merger comes after the move reportedly drew criticism from activist investor Elliott Investment Management, which holds a stake in Deutsche Telekom, according to a Reuters report in September. 

The group reportedly urged Deutsche Telekom to drop its plans to merge with T-Mobile and instead focus on shareholder returns.

It is no surprise that both companies were considering a merger, as more telecom operators across the U.S. have recently been joining forces. 

A report from consulting firm PwC in June found that 58 U.S. telecom deals were completed through the first and second quarters of 2026.

PwC attributed the heightened deal activity to growing consolidation among fiber operators, increased bundling of wireless and broadband services from telecom providers, and rising demand for high-capacity networks capable of handling artificial intelligence workloads.

Former T-Mobile CEO prepares to leave the company

As the potential Deutsche Telekom-T-Mobile merger hits a snag, T-Mobile is continuing to make significant executive leadership changes.

According to an Oct. 26 SEC filing, former T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert is resigning from the company’s board of directors as vice chair and as a member. 

The change takes effect on Nov. 1, as previously planned when he joined the board. The filing states that the “resignation is not the result of any disagreement with the company on any matter relating to its operations, policies or practices.”

Sievert joined T-Mobile in 2012 and became vice chair of the company’s board in November 2025 after resigning as CEO that same month. He first became CEO of T-Mobile in April 2020, and Srini Gopalan took over the position on Nov. 1, 2025.

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Sievert’s resignation from the board follows several notable departures from T-Mobile’s top leadership over the past year. For instance, Callie Field left her role as president of T-Mobile’s business group in September 2025 after 21 years with the company. 

In July this year, Mike Katz departed as T-Mobile’s chief business and product officer after 28 years. He will remain with the company as a strategic advisor through December. 

T-Mobile’s recent leadership shakeups and reported merger talks with Deutsche Telekom have previously sparked concern among analysts. 

In August, Wolfe Research downgraded T-Mobile’s stock rating from outperform (indicating expected performance above the broader market) to peer perform (signaling expectations that the stock will perform in line with industry peers). 

Wolfe Research analyst Peter Supino said in a note that his firm expects T-Mobile’s revenue growth to be hindered by increased competition and recent investments, according to an Investing.com report.

Related: T-Mobile reduces a generous discount as customers see prices rise

After much speculation, DoorDash confirmed its decision to acquire familiar grocery delivery hub Instacart.

While combining two of America’s biggest delivery platforms could eliminate the need for separate memberships, experts warn that the final grocery bill may tell a different story.

The Oct. 29 announcement comes as grocery delivery becomes an increasingly important shopping option, but raises questions about what consolidation could mean for service fees, grocery prices, and customer choice.

With the two delivery giants together, DoorDash expects it to give Instacart customers access to more than 50,000 additional stores, on top of the nearly 100,000 already available through Instacart.

One of its biggest promises is a combined membership offering that would allow customers to access benefits from both DashPass and Instacart+ for a single subscription fee. The company estimates the change could save customers $100 million annually in membership fees alone.

However, experts say those savings might not translate into lower grocery bills.

DoorDash and Instacart customers could face hidden costs

Currently, DashPass and Instacart+ each cost $9.99 per month at their standard rates, so customers subscribing to both pay $19.98 per month.

The companies have not disclosed the price of the proposed combined membership.

However, Rob Lalka, professor of business at Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business, said customers should pay attention to charges beyond the subscription price.

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“What the average customer should look for now isn’t just price increases but other ways costs appear, in ways that aren’t always obvious: markups on popular items, higher service-fee percentages, ad placement, or memberships you pay to stop seeing fees, just to name a few examples,” Lalka told TheStreet.

Those concerns are relevant because delivery memberships do not necessarily eliminate all charges.

Instacart+ offers zero delivery fees on eligible orders, but service fees can still apply. Similarly, DashPass offers reduced service fees and zero delivery fees on qualifying purchases.

Then there’s the $10 minimum at most stores for Instacart members, which is $35 for DoorDash. The difference will matter to customers in the future.

Grocery item prices can also differ from what shoppers pay in stores.

Instacart has acknowledged that while its retail partners control base item prices, some apply markups to help cover the costs associated with online shopping and same-day delivery.

Lalka said the combined company could use streamlined operations and technology to reduce costs, but greater leverage over retailers and delivery workers could also put pressure on pricing.

What the DoorDash-Instacart merger means for shoppers

Jay Aldebert, chief growth officer at International Services Inc., said consumers shouldn’t assume the companies’ projected savings will benefit everyone.

“When you take a major competitor out of the market, there’s less pressure to keep prices down,” Aldebert told TheStreet.

“Consumers might see some attractive membership deals upfront, but once this deal closes, I’d be watching what happens to delivery fees, service charges and grocery prices.”

The merger could also affect independent retailers and delivery workers, particularly if the combined company gains more bargaining power.

DoorDash has committed to allowing grocery retailers to continue working with competing delivery platforms. It also said Instacart shoppers would retain the flexibility to choose their work and whether to accept DoorDash orders.

DoorDash’s acquisition spree could face regulatory hurdles

The Instacart deal follows a series of acquisitions that have already expanded DoorDash’s market share.

The company completed its acquisition of Deliveroo in October 2025, strengthening its international delivery operations. It also acquired SevenRooms, a restaurant reservations and customer management platform, in June 2025.

However, acquiring Instacart could pose a different challenge because both companies compete in the U.S. grocery delivery market.

The proposed acquisition may attract scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission, given concerns about competition and affordability.

DoorDash, meanwhile, argues that the acquisition would help smaller grocery retailers compete with larger companies such as Walmart and Amazon.

For now, customers won’t see immediate changes from the proposed acquisition. Instacart has already been sending out emails to assure existing members.

The transaction is expected to close in late 2027 or the first half of 2028, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals. DoorDash plans to retain Instacart’s app and brand, and both companies will operate independently until the deal closes.

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• Harley-Davidson won’t save its struggling spinoff from bankruptcy

Instead of a traditional IPO, the company raised money via a $1.77 billion SPAC merger, and Harley kept a 74% stake. The company, however, struggled to gain traction, selling only 653 motorcycles in 2025, just 41 more than in 2024, according to The Autopian.

That has not turned around in 2026, and the struggling electric motorcycle brand has continued to lose money.

“The company’s consolidated net loss was $18.6 million for the third quarter 2026 as compared to $19.4 million in the same period prior year,” LiveWire shared in an Oct. 29 8-K filing.

LiveWire also issued a “Going Concern” warning, sharing serious concerns that it may not have enough cash to survive.

What LiveWire shared in its “going concern” warning

“Management has determined that conditions and events raise substantial doubt about the company’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date the Company’s September 30, 2026 consolidated financial statements are issued,” LiveWire shared.

It blamed the warning on “the company’s recurring operating losses, negative cash flows from operations, limited liquidity resources, and anticipated future funding requirements contributed to this determination.”

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It also shared how it will attempt to rectify the situation.

“The company continues to evaluate and pursue comprehensive financing and other strategic alternatives, which may include significant capital raises, strategic partnerships or investments, sales, and other strategic transactions, intended to support the company’s operations and execution of its business plan,” it shared.

LiveWire also made it clear that “there can be no assurance that such efforts will be successful or that any such transaction will be available on terms acceptable to the Company, our lienholders or stockholders.”

LiveWire has lost more than $300 million since its 2022 spinoff, according to company filings.

Harley-Davidson won’t pay for losses

At the time of the IPO, LiveWire had one EV bike model priced beginning at $16,999 and another at $22,799.

The question at the time, however, was “Will Americans embrace electric motorcycles?”

It’s reasonable to conclude they have not. LiveWire noted in its SEC filing that it controls 80% of the U.S. electric motorcycle 50+ kilowatt on-road EV segment, which suggests overall demand sits below 1,000 units per year.

Harley-Davidson President and CEO Artie Starrs was asked about LiveWire during the motorcycle giant’s Oct. 29 earnings call.

“We don’t intend to fund the operating losses of the team going forward,” Starrs said. “The team there has been working on other forms of capital. What’s been announced has been announced.”

Harley-Davidson now owns 88% of LiveWire.

LiveWire’s financial problems at a glance

• Going-concern warning: LiveWire warned on Oct. 29 that there is substantial doubt about its ability to continue operating as an independent company over the next year.
• Strategic alternatives: The company is evaluating options that include raising capital, partnerships, investments, asset sales, and other transactions.
• Cumulative losses: LiveWire has lost more than $300 million since its 2022 spinoff, according to The Wall Street Journal.
• 2025 operating loss: $75.5 million, down from $110.4 million in 2024.
• 2025 revenue: $25.7 million, down 4% from $26.6 million in 2024.
• 2025 motorcycle sales: 653 units, up 7% from 612 in 2024.
• 2025 electric motorcycle revenue: $6.1 million, down 28% from $8.4 million in 2024.

What is a “going concern” warning?

A going-concern warning does not mean a company is preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but it is a serious indication that its ability to remain in business is in question.

Companies facing that warning typically have a limited window to secure financing, restructure debt, or find another way to meet their obligations.

• Chapter 11 or Chapter 7 bankruptcy is one possible outcome if a company cannot meet its obligations and needs court-supervised restructuring.
• A company can also seek new financing, sell assets, find an investor, or negotiate with creditors to avoid bankruptcy.

The accounting standard itself, FASB ASC 205-40, specifically identifies the need to restructure debt or find new financing as potential indicators of substantial doubt.

“Overall, 16.8% of the first-time GCO (going concern) clients entered bankruptcy within one year,” according to an International Journal of Auditing study.

LiveWire’s struggles suggest a lack of demand

You can’t sell a product consumers don’t want.

Consumers have not been asking for electric motorcycles, BMW Motorrad CEO Markus Flasch said in a 2025 interview.

“For the moment, we don’t see the real demand for an electric motorcycle,” he said.

A study of British motorcycle riders showed that most had no interest in switching to an electric bike.

“The research, carried out by Warranty Solutions Group (WSG), found that 81% of riders would not currently consider swapping their petrol-powered machine for an electric motorcycle. The data showed that just 17% said they would be willing to make the switch,” VisorDown reported.

Karim Donnez, who had been LiveWire CEO since May 2023, resigned effective Oct. 21. The LiveWire board named Roy Gallagher chief restructuring officer, according to the regulatory filing.

Gallagher will report to a special restructuring committee of the LiveWire board. He is the senior managing director of Ankura Consulting Group LLC⁠⁠, a global consulting and expert advisory firm, according to the Ankura website.

Related: Grand Canyon hotel files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Adjusted earnings beat the analyst estimate. Revenue missed. Shares still fell 3.49% to close at $43.10.

The question that dominated the earnings call was not about handset upgrades or guidance ranges. It was about Starlink.

Chief Executive Dan Schulman said Verizon is open to working with satellite providers, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX, to extend coverage in areas where terrestrial networks cannot reach.

Still, he drew a clear boundary around what that cooperation would not include.

The one deal Verizon would do with Starlink

Schulman said satellite connectivity has a legitimate role in rural and hard-to-reach areas where building cell towers is not economical. He said Verizon sees potential to pursue coverage arrangements through direct partnerships or joint ventures with satellite providers.

Also read: AT&T CEO holds firm stance on Elon Musk’s SpaceX phone strategy

That is a different arrangement than an MVNO deal. A mobile virtual network operator agreement lets a company sell wireless service over another carrier’s infrastructure without owning the underlying network.

Schulman said Verizon carries no backdoors in its existing MVNO contracts and has no plans to create them for satellite companies.

“I see absolutely no benefit whatsoever to extending an MVNO deal to any satellite provider,” Schulman said on the earnings call.

The line Schulman drew separates two outcomes. In one, a satellite provider fills coverage gaps for Verizon customers in remote locations, adding value within Verizon’s network. In the other, a satellite provider uses Verizon’s infrastructure to reach those customers with a competing mobile offer.

Verizon is open to the first. Schulman said the second is not under consideration.

Verizon has already entered into satellite coverage arrangements through a partnership with AST SpaceMobile, which uses low-earth-orbit satellites to extend coverage to standard smartphones.

That deal represents the approach Schulman outlined: satellite-based service that fills gaps in Verizon’s terrestrial network without giving a satellite company direct access to Verizon’s core customer base.

Why Starlink can’t replace Verizon yet

Schulman said Verizon takes SpaceX’s plans seriously and assumes the company will execute on them. His case against treating satellite as an imminent competitive threat rested on the scale of infrastructure SpaceX would need to build to reach Verizon’s level of terrestrial coverage.

To replicate Verizon’s network, Schulman estimated SpaceX would need 65,000 to 80,000 macro cell sites, along with backhaul infrastructure, radio-access equipment, and meaningful spectrum holdings. He put the cost at $300 billion to $500 billion, with the physical buildout taking four to six years.

He also addressed the argument that Verizon should offer Starlink network access as a defensive move to prevent SpaceX from finding another path to its customers.

“We will punch back hard when that happens,” Schulman said.

How Verizon hit its best subscriber quarter in five years

Verizon’s third-quarter results showed adjusted earnings of $1.31 per share against a $1.27 consensus estimate. Revenue came in at $34.31 billion, below the $34.74 billion estimate. The company said the revenue shortfall reflected fewer device upgrades after it pulled back on handset subsidies.

Wireless subscriber additions were the standout figure. Verizon called it the strongest third-quarter performance in five years on that metric, and the company raised its full-year financial outlook alongside the results.

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Postpaid phone net additions came in at 406,000, up more than 820% from the same quarter a year earlier. Broadband additions totaled 314,000 for the quarter, split between fixed wireless and fiber, bringing total broadband connections to 17.4 million.

Postpaid phone churn improved to 0.94% from 0.98% a year earlier, a sign that fewer existing subscribers are leaving the network, despite Verizon’s pullback on handset subsidies.

Investors weighed the earnings beat and subscriber momentum against the revenue miss. Shares closed down 3.49% at $43.10 on Oct. 26, the day the results were released.

Why Elon Musk disagrees with Verizon’s math

Schulman’s timeline has already drawn a public response. Musk disputed the projection, saying SpaceX could build a competing terrestrial network in two to three years, roughly half the time Schulman outlined on the call.

Whether SpaceX pursues that path depends on more than timelines. Bloomberg reported days before Verizon’s earnings that SpaceX was in active talks with cellular infrastructure companies to secure access to at least 80,000 cell sites, close to the upper end of Schulman’s own estimate of what a competing network would require.

Those talks suggest SpaceX is moving beyond satellite coverage into direct terrestrial competition.

Schulman’s cost estimate assumes SpaceX follows the capital structure of traditional wireless buildouts: acquiring spectrum, building macro sites from the ground up, running backhaul and radio equipment.

If SpaceX can secure site access through third-party agreements instead of building infrastructure outright, both the cost and the timeline compress significantly.

That is the scenario Verizon is preparing for. Starlink’s growth into mobile has already put pressure on all three major U.S. carriers. Schulman’s case is that the economics make a full terrestrial buildout far harder than Musk projects.

How fast SpaceX moves on those 80,000 site talks is the number to watch.

SpaceX currently operates Starlink as a satellite broadband service and has run limited direct-to-device tests in partnership with select carriers. Moving into full retail wireless would require more than cell site access.

SpaceX would also need consumer distribution, customer service infrastructure, regulatory spectrum licenses across multiple bands, and the back-office systems that support a nationwide subscriber base.

Schulman said his $300 billion to $500 billion estimate excluded those costs entirely. Retail operations, customer service, and back-office systems were not included in the figure.

The investment required to reach Verizon’s scale as a consumer carrier would be higher than the number he put on the call.

Related: Harley-Davidson won’t save its struggling spinoff from bankruptcy

The Grand Canyon South Rim also endured a natural disaster that discouraged tourists from visiting after a flash flood on Aug. 29, 2026, damaged or destroyed portions of trails, bridges, utilities, and other infrastructure and caused loss of life.

The natural disasters that affected Grand Canyon National Park caused shutdowns and led to a decline in tourists staying in the area’s hotels, reducing revenues. Some hotel owners have filed for bankruptcy protection after the disasters to restructure debt.

Grand Canyon Inn owner files bankruptcy

The owner of the 45-year-old Grand Canyon Inn and Motel in Valle, Ariz., which is about a 30-mile drive from the national park’s South Rim, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Oct. 29 seeking to reorganize its business.

Grand Canyon Hospitality LLC, which owns the 101-room Grand Canyon Inn and seven other hotels across the country, filed its petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Arizona, listing $1 million to $10 million in assets and debts, according to PacerMonitor.

The debtor also owns Scenic Inn in Moab, Utah; Sleep Inn, Atlanta Airport; Grand Junction Motel 6 in Grand Junction, Colo.; Antelope Inn, Page, Ariz.; Quality Inn, Page, Ariz.; Ramada Inn, Grand Junction, Colo.; and Budget Motel, Barstow, Calif., according to its website.

The Williams, Ariz., debtor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Flintstones Bedrock City neighbors

Grand Canyon Inn is located across State Highway 64 from Flintstones Bedrock City theme park in Williams, which opened in 1972, and is now a part of Raptors Ranch conservation park. The hotel was built in 1981, consisting of 33 rooms and expanded over the years adding 68 rooms in two wings and a swimming pool.

Amenities also include a restaurant and bar, with breakfast, lunch, and dinner served daily. The hotel has an average daily room rate of $134, according to LoopNet. Grand Canyon Inn & Motel is open and making reservations for rooms, which are also available from online booking services, such as Expedia.

Owners seek a sale of the hotel

Grand Canyon Inn and Motel was listed for sale on LoopNet beginning on July 14, 2026, for an asking price of $7.95 million.

Grand Canyon Hospitality won approval from the Coconino County (Ariz.) Board of Supervisors in March 2025 for a rezoning and conditional use permit for a land parcel adjacent to the Grand Canyon Inn and Motel to allow the redevelopment of another of its properties, the 28-unit Grand Canyon Motel that’s located next to the Valle Airport.

The Grand Canyon Motel opened in 1978 with 13 rooms, travel trailer space rentals, and a grocery store. The motel was expanded to 28 rooms in 1985, and by the early 1990s, all uses except for the motel were abandoned, according to the Arizona Daily Sun.

Plan to remodel neighboring motel

With the rezoning and conditional use permit, the owner planned to remodel the motel and convert a storage building to five units and develop a 50-unit recreation vehicle park.

The status of Grand Canyon Hospitality’s motel remodeling and RV park development plan is uncertain as the bankruptcy case proceeds.

Related: Harley-Davidson won’t save its struggling spinoff from bankruptcy

KO is up roughly 33% year to date, according to Yahoo Finance. Nvidia, the supposed AI darling of the decade, is up 14.35%. Apple is up 28%. Microsoft is up 8%. Alphabet is down 10%. Meta is down 5%. Tesla is down 10%. Broadcom (AVGO), the custom chip giant that co-designs Google’s TPUs and Meta’s accelerators, is down 0.31%.

The 134-year-old company selling fizzy beverages beat them all. Jim Cramer noticed. And on Oct. 28 “Mad Money” Lightning Round, a caller asked about Broadcom. 

Broadcom has been one of the greatest performers of all time, but so is Coca-Cola. I wouldn't shoot Broadcom, and I would buy Coca-Cola.

Hold one, buy the other was Cramer’s call.

Also Read: Broadcom CEO says capital is ‘available’ after banks wavered

Broadcom remains one of the greatest wealth creators in market history

Cramer has mad respect for Broadcom. AVGO has delivered a 39.41% total return compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the past decade, according to Investment Visual data. Yahoo Finance shows the five-year return is 603.64%. The three-year return is 321.95% as of writing. 

CEO Hock Tan built that track record through a specific playbook: acquire mission-critical technology businesses, cut inefficiencies, and maximize free cash flow. 

Broadcom’s AI semiconductor revenue is projected to exceed $115 billion in fiscal 2027. It’s up from an initial $100 billion outlook and scaling further toward $230 billion in fiscal 2028, fueled by heavy demand for custom AI accelerators (XPUs) and high-speed networking silicon.

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Cramer said, “I wouldn’t shoot Broadcom,” meaning he wouldn’t sell the stock. And it’s easy to see why.

Broadcom has benefited from surging AI semiconductor revenue, strong demand for custom AI accelerators built for customers like Google and Meta, and momentum in next-generation networking hardware.

Those strengths helped push the stock to an all-time high of $495 in June 2026, as noted by TheStreet. But Broadcom has since given back its year-to-date gains.

To me, that shows what can happen when investors price in years of strong growth ahead of time. Even an exceptional business can struggle to meet expectations that high.

What Coca-Cola just reported, and why it surprised everyone

The main reason Cramer is turning his attention to Coca-Cola (KO) is its better-than-expected earnings report, released just a day before his Lightning Round appearance.

Coca-Cola reported Q3 fiscal 2026 revenue of $13.4 billion, up 7% year over year (YoY), beating consensus estimates of $12.9 billion. Non-GAAP comparable EPS came in at $0.91, up 11% YoY, beating estimates of $0.88. Global unit case volume grew 5%, with particularly strong performance in Latin America, India, China, and Brazil.

CEO Henrique Braun issued a confident statement: “By staying close to consumers and executing with agility across our global system, we are delivering quality growth while continuing to invest in the capabilities, brands and people that will fuel our future.”

Related: Pepsi vs. Coca-Cola: Which Dividend King stock will outperform in 2027?

Management also raised full-year 2026 guidance. Comparable EPS growth is now expected to increase by at least 11%, up from prior guidance of 9%-10%. Organic revenue growth is expected to climb at least 5%. Free cash flow is projected at at least $13 billion, according to the Q3 fiscal 2026 statement.

For context, Coca-Cola has typically delivered low-single-digit sales growth, and mid-to-high-single-digit earnings growth in recent years.

Guidance calling for at least 11% earnings growth is a meaningful step up that reflects two specific tailwinds: the company’s FIFA World Cup sponsorship driving volume growth, and a weak U.S. dollar boosting results from international operations.

My take: Cramer is right on direction, but timing matters

I want to be honest about something here, because the chart is telling me something worth noting alongside Cramer’s call.

Coca-Cola now trades at 26 times forward earnings, according to Yahoo Finance. For most of the past decade, KO has traded in the low 20s. The premium is largely explained by the acceleration in growth and the World Cup market, as mentioned in the Q2 report.

If either of those factors fades heading into 2027, the stock could de-rate toward its historical multiple, and that’s a meaningful downside risk.

Technically on the daily chart, KO has respected an ascending trendline since January 2026, with six tests and six rejections, each followed by a bullish trend. 

That technical support around $88 remains intact. But the current forward yield of approximately 2.29%, according to Macrotrends data, is below the 3% level that has historically represented the best entry zone for long-term dividend investors.

Cramer says buy Coca-Cola. My view is that I’d prefer to see the stock pull back toward its ascending trendline, where the dividend yield could approach 3%. That’s where I think the long-term investment case becomes more attractive, regardless of short-term price momentum.

As for Broadcom, I think the decision is much simpler. With AI revenue projected to reach $115 billion in fiscal 2027 and a decade-long track record of 39% annualized total returns, I wouldn’t give up on the stock just because it has surrendered its year-to-date gains.

For me, this looks more like a test of patience than a reason to walk away.

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On Oct. 26, UBS said a new strategy under CEO James Conroy could finally help Ross catch up to its biggest rival. Because of that, the firm upgraded Ross Stores (ROST) from Neutral to Buy and raised its price target to $315 from $239. 

If you are not familiar with Ross, the company sells items under two brands, Ross Dress for Less and dd’s DISCOUNTS. The company buys extra inventory from brands and vendors at low prices, then resells them at even lower prices than regular retail.

What UBS analysts see in the stock

Ross wants its sales to catch up to its rival, and last year, the company got a new CEO to help achieve that goal.

Back in 2017, Ross and TJX made roughly the same amount of sales per square foot of store space. However, by the end of 2025, TJX’s number had increased by 44%, while Ross’s had grown by just 24%, TradingView reported.

Also read: Starbucks CEO reveals what he thinks will keep customers coming back

However, UBS analyst Jay Sole thinks investors are underestimating how fast Ross’s latest CEO can close that distance. “We think the market doesn’t appreciate how much ROST closing this gap will drive comp growth in FY27 and beyond,” Sole wrote.

He believes that with the CEO’s plans, Ross should grow its sales by about 8.5% per year over the next two years, about 260 basis points above what Wall Street generally expects.

How Ross Stores CEO James Conroy plans to turn things around

Conroy became Ross’s CEO on Feb. 2, 2025. Before he took on the chief executive role, he was in charge of Boot Barn, a company he grew from a mid-sized western-wear chain into a national name. Now he plans to help Ross improve its sales.

The first way he plans to do that is by getting better merchandise. Ross is adding more recognizable brands and a steadier mix of “good, better, and best products” to its lineup. Investing.com reported that this shift has already boosted the sales of women’s apparel.

Related: Levi’s CEO admits the company missed the biggest jeans trend of the year

The CEO is also focusing more on marketing, and Sole said the marketing shift is “probably the one most underappreciated by the market.”

He noted that Ross used to spend only 0.4% of sales on ads, while TJX spent 1.1%. However, Conroy is investing more in social media and streaming ads to attract younger shoppers.

In addition, the company is paying more attention to the stores themselves, including things like faster checkout and cleaner aisles. It even moved more staff from back rooms to the sales floor.

Why value shoppers keep picking discount stores

A UBS Evidence Lab survey found that 79% of U.S. consumers say value for money is the main reason they pick a retailer, Yahoo Finance reported.

And with the current economic situation, every dollar matters.

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According to the National Retail Federation, discount stores rank as one of the top destinations for 2026 holiday shopping.

And because the price tag at Ross is 20% to 60% below the department-store average, Ross should keep pulling in shoppers looking to cut costs compared with pricier chains such as Macy’s and Kohl’s.

What to consider before buying ROST stock

Ross’s sales grew well from the second half of 2025 into the first half of 2026. However, sales growth usually slows down after a company experiences a big year. That means it might be hard for Ross to get better numbers than it did during this period.

Also, I believe that if diesel prices keep climbing due to the war in the Middle East, Ross will have to spend more to move goods from suppliers to its stores, which will affect its profits. 

Even with those risks, UBS sees ROST increasing by about 37% from its Oct. 23 close of $229.30. In addition, the stock already trades near 26 times forward earnings for fiscal 2026, which means a lot of the good news is already priced in.

So if you’re thinking of buying the stock, it might be better to wait for a pullback, or at least the next earnings report in late November, to get a better entry point.

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I always end up booking the Uber through my account because it somehow shows me lower prices than my husband for the same trip. It may be a serious matter, but we always shrug it off with a joke.

However, a recent development by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is bound to make consumers like you and me think twice about a price discrepancy the next time we encounter one.

On Oct. 28, the FTC demanded information from nine major companies to study how prices are set and whether factors like loyalty programs, browsing history, and personal data influence what individuals pay.

The companies receiving the orders are:

• Walmart
• DoorDash
• Instacart
• Target
• Uber
• Lyft
• Delta
• United
• JetBlue

These nine names cover several major consumer-facing industries, from groceries and retail to transportation and travel.

But the underlying question remains: Does your screen look the same as mine when it comes to pricing?

FTC questions Walmart, Target, Uber over personalized pricing

The FTC inquiry seeks to uncover the methods these companies use to set prices and encourage greater transparency for consumers and workers alike.

The nine companies have 45 days from the date they receive the orders to submit detailed information. If they fail to comply, the FTC has the authority to seek a federal court order compelling them to respond.

According to the FTC’s 15-page special order, companies must also contact agency officials within 14 days to discuss their responses and identify any information they cannot provide.

Read more: Walmart has a new plan to solve one of its customers’ biggest problems

The investigation goes beyond asking whether companies charge different prices. Regulators this time are stricter and want to know exactly how those prices are calculated and what personal information is used.

Companies must also disclose the algorithms, software, and other tools used to adjust prices, along with the factors influencing those decisions. The order specifically covers information such as location, income, browsing history, shopping behavior, and a consumer’s estimated willingness to pay.

The FTC is also demanding details of pricing experiments, including A/B tests conducted or proposed since January 2021, and whether those strategies increased or decreased the prices consumers paid.

For delivery and ride-hailing companies, regulators want information on how drivers are assigned jobs, how their compensation is calculated, and how customer payments are split between workers and platforms.

The agency wants to scrutinize how companies determine what consumers pay for the same product or service, as well as how ride-hailing and delivery platforms calculate gig workers’ compensation.

“Consumers deserve to know whether companies use their web surfing habits or other personal data to estimate the highest price they can charge each consumer,” said Andrew N. Ferguson, FTC chairman.

“Workers also deserve to know if their compensation is affected by how companies use their personal data,” Ferguson added.

In January 2025, the FTC released preliminary findings from an earlier surveillance-pricing investigation. It showed that information such as a person’s location or browser history could be used to target consumers with different prices for identical goods and services.

That earlier investigation focused on technology intermediaries rather than on these retailers and service providers who make actual pricing decisions.

But the latest inquiry goes directly to those businesses, seeking information about their pricing practices.

Consumers have already reported different prices for the same products

There is evidence that consumers sometimes see substantially different prices for identical purchases.

A December 2025 investigation by Consumer Reports and Groundwork Collaborative, involving 437 shoppers, found that 74% of grocery items tested on Instacart were offered at multiple prices.

Some shoppers saw prices as much as 23% higher than others viewing the same products from the same store at the same time.

For example, a dozen Lucerne eggs at a Safeway in Washington, D.C., appeared at five different prices, ranging from $3.99 to $4.79.

The researchers found that identical grocery baskets varied in price by an average of approximately 7%.

Following the investigation, Instacart ended its item-price testing program in December 2025. However, the company maintained that its tests were randomized and did not rely on shoppers’ personal data, demographics, or individual purchasing behavior.

Grocery shopping isn’t the only area where consumers have encountered such discrepancies.

A June 2026 Consumer Reports investigation involving 174 volunteers found significant price differences between Uber and Lyft for the same routes at nearly the same time.

Across 30 virtually tested routes, the median difference between the highest- and lowest-price groups was 42.4%.

Both companies disputed the conclusions and denied personalizing base fares using individual consumer information, attributing differences to real-time market conditions.

These investigations demonstrate that price discrepancies exist, but they do not establish that the companies used personal information to determine how much individual shoppers should pay.

Delta, Instacart respond to FTC pricing inquiry

In a statement provided to TheStreet, a Delta spokesperson denied using personal data to offer individualized airfares.

“There is no fare product Delta has ever used, is testing or plans to use that targets customers with individualized offers based on personal data. We have zero tolerance for discriminatory or predatory pricing and fully comply with applicable privacy, pricing, and advertising laws,” the spokesperson said.

Delta had also addressed concerns about AI-powered pricing in an August 2025 statement, explaining that it uses aggregated information rather than individual customer data to inform fare pricing.

Instacart similarly rejected the suggestion that it engages in surveillance pricing.

“Instacart does not and will not engage in surveillance pricing. We do not use personal information to set prices, and we never will,” an Instacart spokesperson told TheStreet.

The company added that it welcomed the FTC’s focus on the practice and would continue working with policymakers and regulators to explain its pricing model.

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In its pricing principles document, Instacart emphasized that retail partners control product prices on its platform. About shoppers, it said that their compensation is determined by job-related factors, including driving distance, number of items and estimated shopping time, rather than workers’ personal characteristics.

According to Instacart, shoppers offered the same delivery assignment at the same time will see identical batch pay.

Target, meanwhile, directed TheStreet to an October 15 pricing fact sheet.

“Target does not use your personal information to raise an item’s price,” the retailer stated.

Target said prices may vary due to local costs, regulations and competition. It also acknowledged using customers’ shopping histories to recommend relevant Target Circle deals, but maintained that this information is not used to increase prices.

Walmart, which had not responded to TheStreet’s inquiry by publication time, previously pledged not to use shoppers’ income, shopping history or urgency to charge them higher prices.

TheStreet previously reported on Walmart’s pricing promise.

JetBlue also pointed to its public statement saying it “does not use personal information or web browsing history to set individual pricing.”

“Fares are determined by demand and seat availability, and all customers have access to the same fares on jetblue.com and our mobile app,” the statement noted.

DoorDash, Uber, Lyft, and United Airlines had not responded to TheStreet’s requests for comment by the time of publication.

The discrepancies are concerning because many consumers already distrust variable pricing practices.

A January 2026 Ipsos Consumer Tracker survey found that 78% of Americans believe every buyer should pay the same price. Six in 10 respondents considered dynamic pricing a form of price gouging, while only about one-third believed it would help them find better deals.

The FTC plans to use the companies’ responses to produce a study examining whether personal data plays a role in setting consumer prices and worker compensation. It wants to determine whether these differences are simply the result of demand, promotions, and market conditions, or something more personal.

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The carrier revealed in its latest earnings report that it added 406,000 new postpaid phone customers in the third quarter of 2026, up more than 820% year over year. Its wireless retail postpaid phone churn (the percentage of customers who canceled their service) also hit 0.94% during the quarter, down from 0.98% in the same period in 2025. 

These improvements follow Verizon CEO Dan Schulman’s pledge earlier this year to remove customer pain points and avoid price increases without corresponding value, in an effort to curb switching behavior.  

The carrier later launched lower-priced wireless plans: Simplicity and Verizon One in June, along with a new loyalty program.

“The customer value proposition we launched in mid-June continues to deliver beyond our expectations,” said Schulman on an Oct. 26 earnings call.

Verizon customers are putting off phone upgrades

Despite seeing success in attracting and retaining customers, Verizon is noticing that many are avoiding device upgrades.

During the third quarter, upgrade volumes among Verizon customers declined more than 20% year over year. The carrier’s equipment revenue during the quarter was down 9% from the prior year, which Verizon said in the earnings report was “primarily from significantly lower upgrade volumes.”

On the earnings call, Verizon Chief Financial Officer Tony Skiadas said that the company’s “continued focus on microsegmentation,” its “disciplined approach to upgrades,” and “customer-first focus” all contributed to lower upgrade volumes during the quarter.

“With the success of Simplicity and our focus on giving more choice to customers, we expect the trend of lower upgrades to continue in the fourth quarter,” said Skiadas. 

Read more: Verizon launches generous customer perks after raising prices

Verizon customers are pulling back on upgrading their devices as smartphone prices increase worldwide. This is due to the global memory chip shortage, which has inflated component costs. 

Global smartphone retail prices have increased by 20% so far this year. Global smartphone shipments also declined 20% year over year in the third quarter of 2026, the lowest third-quarter level since 2012, according to data from Counterpoint earlier this month.

“Q3 was the second successive quarter to take the full brunt of the memory crisis,” said Shilpi Jain, a senior analyst at Counterpoint, in a press release. “The extreme memory shortage is pushing the smartphone market into a more selective phase, reshaping OEM (original equipment manufacturer) strategies and even consumer behavior.” 

“Consumers are holding on to their devices longer than estimated, increasingly considering refurbished devices and prioritizing higher-value devices, while OEMs are adjusting portfolios, pricing, and market strategies to protect profitability,” she continued. 

Amid this trend, a recent Reviews.org survey found that Americans, on average, are opting to upgrade their phones every 32 months in 2026, which is three months longer than last year, mainly because new phones are getting pricier. 

Verizon recently reduced free phone offers for customers

Verizon is seeing a decline in phone upgrades after scaling back its free-handset deals earlier this year, driven by evolving consumer habits. 

“The era of just the free handset, that’s gone right now,” said Schulman on Verizon’s earnings call in April. “We are looking at what does the customer need. They have a handset that is last year’s model that’s been refurbished. Do they need a new handset? Many of them, because of the economy, are keeping their handsets longer right now.”

On the carrier’s Oct. 26 earnings call, Schulman emphasized that it was the right decision to make for the company. 

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“I said a year ago that we were no longer going to be prey, that we were going to stop losing market share, and that was true this quarter,” said Schulman. 

“We did all of that in what I think was a very fiscally responsible manner,” he continued. “We’re competing the right way to win in the market. We aren’t competing on promotions or free phones or subsidies, which, by the way, to me, gives no one in the market any competitive advantage.”

He said that Verizon has instead sharpened several areas in its business to “gain competitive advantage” in the wireless market.

“The way to gain competitive advantage is to make sure that you look at your overall end-to-end customer experience, your value proposition, the strength of your network, because there you can create sustainable and lasting competitive advantage,” said Schulman. “Clearly, our value proposition is resonating with our customers.”

As Verizon sees success in retention and mobile account additions, Schulman said that customers could potentially see higher wireless prices in the future. 

“I’m not against taking up pricing as long as we add value to that,” he said. “In the past, we took up pricing without adding any value to customers, and eventually that comes back to haunt you.”

“Your churn starts to go up,” he continued. “You lose the trust of your customers. We’ve added a tremendous amount of value in the last year, and there’s potentially room for us to adjust that price-to-value equation by increasing pricing as well.”

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The retailer’s Nov. 7 Holiday Kick Off With Toys event will give shoppers a free Holiday Bear keychain while supplies last. The event also features toy demonstrations and activities designed to help families get a head start on their holiday wish lists.

Read more: Kohl’s adds a new way to shop, just in time for the holidays

The timing makes sense. According to Attentive’s 2026 holiday shopping survey⁠, 71% of consumers plan to start shopping before Black Friday, while 46% begin before November. Retailers have plenty of reason to get their holiday promotions in front of shoppers early.

How to get Target’s free holiday bear keychain

The event runs from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, at participating Target stores. Shoppers can find the promotion on Target’s official holiday page⁠, while The Krazy Coupon Lady’s Target event guide⁠ provides additional details.

Here’s what to know before heading out.

• When: Saturday, Nov. 7, from noon to 4 p.m.
• Where: Participating Target stores. Check the official store locator⁠ for local information.
• Cost: Free, with no purchase required.
• Limit: One keychain per guest, while supplies last.
• Age requirements: Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

The event also includes a demonstration of the new LEGO Christmas Stocking, opportunities to try Puppetronic Pikachu and the Mini Brands Tiny Vinyl Player in the toy department, and ideas for holiday wish lists.

The giveaway is first come, first served, and not every location necessarily participates. Checking the local store’s event details before making a trip could save shoppers a wasted drive.

Target is getting an early start on holiday shopping

The giveaway comes as Target ramps up its holiday offerings. In an Oct. 21 announcement⁠, the retailer said it was introducing more than 8,000 new holiday gifts, with thousands priced at $5 or less.

Target also plans to offer a Deal of the Day every day from Nov. 1 through Dec. 24, with early Black Friday deals running Nov. 5-7. The free keychain event falls on the final day of that early deal window.

There’s also a timely reason to put toys in the spotlight. U.S. toy dollar sales rose 17% in the first half of 2026, the strongest first-half growth in six years, while unit sales increased 12%, according to Circana⁠. Adult-only households accounted for 55% of toy sales, reflecting demand that extends well beyond children.

Black Friday has become a shopping season

Target has used free giveaways to attract shoppers on Black Friday, too. In 2025, the retailer offered limited-edition holiday totes to the first 100 guests in line at each store, with 10 shoppers per store receiving additional prizes valued between $99 and $350.

The promotion was part of Target’s broader effort to turn Black Friday into a multi-day shopping event. In its November 2025 announcement⁠, Target Chief Commercial Officer Rick Gomez said, “Our guests are starting their holiday shopping earlier than ever, so we’re turning Black Friday into a multi-day celebration made just for them.”

This year, Black Friday falls on Nov. 27, but retailers are already competing for holiday spending weeks ahead of the date. The National Retail Federation expects holiday retail sales to reach $1.013 trillion in November and December⁠, up 4.2% from 2025.

Target’s free bear keychain isn’t a Black Friday doorbuster. It’s an early holiday promotion aimed at getting shoppers into stores while they’re still building their gift lists. And with holiday shopping starting earlier each year, even a small freebie can give families one more reason to stop by.

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Contrary to Publix’s trademarked promise, shopping no longer feels like a pleasure. Despite the polite staff, immaculate wide aisles, and spotless floors, prices suddenly matter more than the perks.

For decades, shoppers treated Publix as an accessible indulgence. But that loyalty is being tested as federal data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows grocery prices, as measured by the food-at-home Consumer Price Index, rose approximately 28% from September 2020 to September 2026.

While soaring price tags are the biggest flashpoint, they are only one way the grocer has tested customer patience lately through quiet store cuts and policy shifts. Still, it is the climbing total at the checkout counter that remains the primary complaint among regulars.

Thousands of shoppers question ‘insane’ Publix receipts

Nowhere is some of this frustration more visible than on Reddit, where a viral discussion on r/publix drew more than 6,600 likes and 1,200 comments from shoppers discussing their grocery bills.

While an online forum is not a scientific polling sample, it serves as a snapshot of consumer frustration when thousands of everyday shoppers share nearly identical experiences about register shock.

Commenters pointed to examples like nearly $10 packages of Nathan’s hot dogs and $6.45 pints of ice cream, everyday goods that some shoppers say cost less at mass retailers. For many shoppers, the wide gap prompted questions about whether the regional grocer has pushed markups far beyond general inflation.

Across more than thousands of comments, shoppers largely viewed Buy-One-Get-One (BOGO) sales as the store’s primary redeeming feature. Many regulars noted they have stopped doing full grocery runs at Publix altogether, turning to a strict “BOGO-only” strategy while buying standard staples at discounters.

Read more: Publix faces customer backlash over an unusual discount policy

User DontForgetTheDivy summed up that reliance: “At this point I have no control over what I’m eating each week. Publix determines what my dinners will be based on BOGO.”

For shoppers who once treated the grocer as an everyday destination, routine trips have increasingly turned into an exercise in chasing weekly sales tags.

Similar concerns have surfaced across consumer platforms. 

An analysis by The Daily Meal identified rising prices across national brands and store labels alike as the top grievance among Publix regulars.

“Publix is only good for BOGO and even then it’s often still more expensive than Aldi or Walmart even,” wrote Facebook user David David David. 

Meanwhile, a reader poll published by Florida Today and republished by AOL found that 44% of respondents were seeking more BOGO deals and discounts as grocery prices climbed, while another 33% had switched to discount grocers or lower-budget foods.

The numbers behind the receipt shock: Aldi, Walmart typically cheaper 

The high prices are backed by comparative pricing data.

According to a nationwide grocery pricing evaluation conducted by Consumer Reports, store selection creates substantial variance in annual spending. Researchers compared grocery baskets across multiple metropolitan areas, so the findings should not be treated as a universal price difference at every location.

The study found that discount chains like Aldi price roughly 8% cheaper than Walmart on typical market baskets, while traditional grocers like Publix frequently price upwards of 20% to 30% higher on standard name-brand goods.

This reflects what TheStreet recently found when comparing prices for seasonal staples like Halloween candy: Walmart was the clear price leader, and standard items were “generally more expensive at Publix,” making the grocer competitive only for shoppers willing to settle strictly for whatever happened to be on a BOGO promotion that week.

The BOGO might help you save but there are strings attached

Publix has historically defended its price structure through aggressive weekly circulars, particularly its signature Buy-One-Get-One-Free (BOGO) promotions.

For many shoppers, navigating BOGO deals is the only way to keep the register total competitive.

“As a Florida resident who does comparison shopping for TheStreet, Publix is usually the most expensive choice, but it does offer some buy-one-get-one deals on items like cereal that can bring your overall bill down,” said TheStreet Co-Editor-in-Chief Daniel Kline.

Yet, relying solely on BOGOs introduces shopping friction.

To capture those savings, consumers are forced to purchase in duplicate and restrict their meal planning strictly to the specific brand names on sale that week. 

For shoppers buying single items, basic pantry staples, or fresh proteins that rarely appear in BOGO circulars, the price gap remains wide. And for a growing number of Americans, that gap is no longer just a financial inconvenience — it is forcing difficult choices at the dinner table.

Americans are skipping meals because of rising food prices 

About half of respondents reported skipping meals because of rising food costs, according to an August 2026 survey, by financial firm Self Financial. 

The high food prices are affecting consumers in more ways than just what they’ll put in their basket, the Self Financial survey of 1,000 people revealed. Respondents said that high grocery prices impacted their mental health and stress levels even more than physical activity, fitness, diet, nutrition, and rest. 

Beef prices have risen 67%, making this nutrient-rich staple increasingly expensive. Cutting back on nutritious foods can make it harder to maintain a balanced diet. Beef is a valuable source of protein, iron, zinc, and vitamin B12, which support muscle health and other essential bodily functions, according to the Beef Cattle Research Council. 

Instead of offering relief during this nationwide financial squeeze, Publix has spent much of the past year introducing store changes that have actively deepened customer frustration.

Publix has been testing customer patience this year 

Price tags, though crucial, tell only part of the story. Over the past year, Publix has rolled out a series of operational changes that have prompted complaints from some shoppers.

The grocery chain recently moved to shutter locations across Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. That contraction comes after a 0.5% drop in quarterly same-store sales as shoppers pulled back.

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At the same time, a series of store changes has frustrated regulars. Publix quietly eliminated its contactless in-app payment tool, Publix Pay. It also removed the 10-item limit from express checkout lanes, leading to slower lines and mixed reactions at the registers.

That irritation grew worse over the chain’s signature discounts. Outside of Florida, shoppers can buy a single sale item for 50% off. In Florida, however, Publix still requires customers to buy two full items to secure the full BOGO discount.

The difference in how the promotion works has prompted complaints from some Florida shoppers, at a time when grocery bills are already straining household budgets.

A warning sign in financial filings

Publix’s latest financial results show a decline in comparable-store sales, although the company did not attribute the decline specifically to dissatisfaction with grocery prices.

In its official second-quarter 2026 earnings report, Publix disclosed that comparable-store sales dropped 0.5% for the quarter.

Management noted that business performance was “negatively affected by economic conditions impacting consumer spending,” and said the decline in comparable-store sales was primarily due to the impact of Medicare drug-price changes. 

According to Numerator data reported by TheStreet’s Patricia Battle, Walmart dominates the U.S. grocery market with a 20.3% share, followed by Costco and Kroger at 8.3% each, and Albertsons at 4.5%. Publix sat in fifth place at 4.1%, its market share remained unchanged year-over-year while lower-cost rivals continued to gain ground.

Supermarket retail is a game of fractional profit margins, and Publix has built an employee-owned business on superior service. But with discounters expanding across the Southeast, shoppers weighing price against service may increasingly look to lower-cost alternatives.

Related: Walmart has a new plan to solve one of its customers’ biggest problems

Between delivery charges, service fees, and subscription costs, shoppers may end up paying more before even considering the price of their groceries.

Still, the demand for online grocery shopping continues to grow. Especially if you take into account the cost of gas, parking, and time spent going shopping, or the convenience it offers to those with health complications who are unable to shop in-store.

According to the latest Brick Meets Click Grocery Shopping Survey, U.S. online grocery sales increased more than 16% year over year in September 2026.

A record 64% of U.S. households purchased groceries online during the month, while average order frequency increased 9%.

Delivery also attracted customers at a faster rate than pickup, signaling that convenience remains an important consideration, even as consumers watch their spending.

That is creating a meaningful opportunity for retailers to compete: paid memberships that promise to make frequent grocery deliveries more affordable.

And Albertsons, the parent company of Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, and several other supermarket chains, has introduced a membership that undercuts Walmart, Amazon, Target, and Kroger on annual subscription prices.

Albertsons slashes membership price to $39

Albertsons recently replaced its $99 annual FreshPass membership with a new subscription called forU+. At $39 annually, the replacement costs roughly 61% less than the previous program.

According to the company’s official membership information, forU+ includes:

• Unlimited free same-day delivery on qualifying orders of at least $30
• Flash delivery upgrades for $2 per order, with delivery available in as soon as 30 minutes in participating areas
• Free Flash pickup at participating locations
• Loyalty points that do not expire while the subscription remains active

However, as TheStreet previously reported, the lower price comes without several benefits that were originally part of the FreshPass.

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This includes the $5 monthly grocery credits, double points on certain private-label purchases, and additional discounts on select Albertsons brands, none of which will be part of forU+.

Shoppers who previously used those discounts could end up losing benefits that exceed the reduction in membership costs. But for households primarily interested in grocery delivery, the lower annual fee is competitive.

Which grocery delivery membership is cheapest in 2026?

Walmart, Amazon, Target, and Kroger offer paid memberships combining delivery services with additional shopping benefits.

I compared their standard annual subscription prices, delivery minimums, and additional benefits to see how Albertsons stacks up.

At their regular annual rates, Albertsons forU+ costs $59 less than Walmart+, $60 less than Target Circle 360, and $100 less than Amazon Prime.

It also costs $30 less than Kroger’s entry-level Boost Essential membership.

Albertsons has another advantage over Walmart, Target, and Kroger: Its minimum order for free delivery is $30, compared with $35 for its rivals.

But price alone does not tell the entire story.

Kroger’s Boost membership provides double loyalty points on qualifying purchases, while Walmart+ and Amazon Prime offer shipping, streaming, and other benefits beyond grocery delivery.

Target Circle 360 also lets members order from participating retailers outside Target through Shipt, potentially making it more useful for shoppers who frequently visit multiple stores.

Amazon’s pricing is particularly complicated. Prime members can receive free same-day delivery on eligible grocery orders above $25 in participating locations, but Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh deliveries operate under separate fee structures.

For frequent customers of those grocery services, Amazon offers an additional $99.99 annual subscription that waives delivery fees on qualifying orders.

Does Albertsons’ cheaper membership actually save shoppers money?

There is one important distinction shoppers should consider before switching subscriptions: A cheaper delivery membership does not guarantee lower grocery prices.

In February, Consumer Reports published a nationwide supermarket price comparison based on research conducted by Strategic Resource Group.

The research compared grocery baskets across major chains in six metropolitan areas, using Walmart as the baseline.

Its findings revealed considerable price differences:

• Safeway’s average grocery prices were 8.8% higher than Walmart’s.
• Albertsons’ prices were 24.8% higher.
• Vons’ prices were 26.6% higher.
• Kroger’s prices were 14.8% higher.
• Target’s prices were 5.9% higher.

The study used in-store prices collected in late summer 2025, including sales and free loyalty-card discounts, rather than current grocery delivery prices.

Nevertheless, it shows why a household could save money on an annual delivery subscription but spend more on the groceries themselves.

Additional service fees may apply even with the forU+ membership.

This is particularly important for shoppers making large grocery purchases, where relatively small differences in product prices can quickly outweigh the savings from a lower subscription fee.

Why Walmart, Amazon, and Albertsons are competing for grocery memberships

Retailers are increasingly using subscription programs to encourage repeat purchases and keep customers shopping within their businesses.

Brick Meets Click’s September research found that 29% of active online grocery shoppers also purchased from Walmart online during the month, up 4.2 percentage points from a year earlier.

Meanwhile, 50% also placed at least one order with Amazon.

That cross-shopping behavior means traditional supermarkets are no longer competing only with other grocery chains for customer loyalty.

Walmart is also expanding its membership strategy.

On Oct. 20, the company introduced a combined Walmart+ and Sam’s Club Plus membership for $120 annually, bringing together grocery delivery, warehouse-club shopping, fuel discounts, and streaming benefits.

The bundled price represents $98 in annual savings compared with buying the two memberships separately.

Albertsons is taking a different approach.

Rather than adding benefits, it has lowered the cost of entry while removing several existing discounts.

For someone who already shops at Safeway, Vons, or another Albertsons supermarket and regularly orders delivery, the $39 membership could help consumers save on delivery fees.

But Walmart, Amazon, Target, and Kroger each offer distinct advantages that may matter more to households that use multiple shopping services.

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A few clicks on a website are all you need to get the job done. Technology has really made it easier for smaller sellers to compete with established retailers.

Shopify (SHOP) is the software behind a huge number of stores like that. It serves millions of merchants in more than 175 countries, has processed $1.6 trillion in total sales since launch, and holds more than 14% of U.S. e-commerce.

In the second quarter, revenue grew 34%, and free cash flow margin reached 18%. President Harley Finkelstein called it “a monster quarter,” with growth above 30% in sales volume, revenue, gross profit, and free cash flow. 

CFO Jeff Hoffmeister credited “financial discipline.” However, strong results now set a higher bar for the next report.

Also Read: Shopify bets you’ll change how you shop online

Shopify’s growth is strong, but the bar keeps rising

In a note shared with me at TheStreet, Morgan Stanley maintained an Overweight rating and a $192 price target on Shopify in a preview titled “3Q26 Preview – Delivering Against a Higher Bar.”

Shopify will report its third-quarter (3Q) 2026 financial results on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, before the U.S. market opens.

Morgan Stanley wrote that Shopify has rallied into the report, raising expectations. The firm expects about 33% growth in gross merchandise volume, the total value of goods sold through Shopify stores, against Street forecasts near 30%. It also expects gross profit growth of 31% to 32%.

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The second quarter showed that AI spending need not hurt profit, the bank says, because extra revenue flowed through to gross profit.

The shares have not run away. Shopify is up 2.98% this year and down 7.38% over one year through Oct. 28, according to Yahoo Finance, though it is up 257.24% over three years.

Shoppers are helping. Morgan Stanley says U.S. retail and non-store sales returned to growth in August and September after a weak July. Adobe forecasts record U.S. online sales this holiday season. Growth came from both new merchants and existing ones selling more.

Why AI and a fragmented internet matter to Shopify

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve come across a product on social media that I wasn’t even looking for. Sometimes curiosity gets the better of me, and I end up checking the seller’s website. Shopping can start almost anywhere online these days.

People now find products through search, social media, marketplaces, and increasingly AI shopping agents. Morgan Stanley argues that gives merchants more reason to run their catalog, inventory, checkout, and orders from one platform instead of juggling each channel. Shopify earns on the transaction, not the ad, so it benefits without owning the winning app.

The momentum is showing up in the numbers. Traffic and orders from AI channels both tripled in the second quarter, and new-buyer orders grew at nearly twice the pace of other channels. AI-assisted testing has shortened enterprise setup times from six or seven months to roughly five to five and a half months.

That speed helps big brands switch from Adobe, Salesforce, or custom-built systems. Merchants with $25 million or more in sales are the fastest-growing group. International sales volume grew 37% in the second quarter, and offline sales grew 32%.

AI comes with a bill. Sidekick, Shopify’s merchant assistant, adds computing costs that weigh on subscription margins, and investors have asked whether Shopify will raise subscription prices to cover them. 

Morgan Stanley thinks Payments is the answer. When Sidekick helps merchants sell more, Shopify earns on that volume without a separate AI fee. Payments penetration reached 68% in the second quarter.

Despite pressure on gross margins, the bank expects operating and free cash flow margins to improve, forecasting at least 100 basis points of annual free cash flow margin expansion.

Morgan Stanley says the holiday guide decides what’s next

The key is the fourth-quarter outlook. Morgan Stanley expects revenue growth guidance in the low-30% range and gross profit growth guidance in the high-20% to low-30% range, versus Wall Street forecasts of about 30% and 28%. 

More weight is put on gross profit than revenue. Its early Black Friday math holds Shopify’s growth near 27%, but it says new merchants and big enterprise launches could beat that.

A strong guide would support about 30% sales volume growth into 2027, against Street forecasts moderating to the mid-20s.

At about 60 times 2027 free cash flow, Shopify trades above the roughly 36 times average for large software companies. Adjusted for growth, though, Morgan Stanley says it is in line, at about 1.77 times.

For investors, the message is that growth and margins, not a higher multiple, need to do the work. The bank says that a beat plus a strong holiday guide would extend upward estimate revisions beyond one quarter.

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Sprouts Farmers Market is feeling that pressure as customers become more selective about their grocery purchases.

But rather than scaling back, the specialty grocer is introducing new products, expanding affordable prepared meals, and preparing a nationwide pricing overhaul to make healthier food more accessible.

Sprouts launched more than 1,400 unique products during its third quarter, according to its Oct. 28 earnings presentation.

It also reported strong adoption of its loyalty program and opened a record 15 stores.

Now, incoming CEO Nick Konat has confirmed plans to reduce prices on healthy and holiday essentials nationwide, with a broader pricing strategy to follow in January 2027.

Sprouts faces affordability challenge

Recent foot traffic data suggests Sprouts’ existing stores began to stabilize after a difficult first half.

According to an Oct. 21 Placer.ai report, same-store visits to established locations declined just 0.1% year over year in the third quarter, compared with a 4.1% decline in the previous quarter.

However, performance varied across major markets for the same-store visits:

• Florida: increased 2.2%.
• California: rose 1.1%.
• Arizona: declined 0.6%.
• Texas: fell 3.2%.

Placer.ai found stronger performance in markets where shoppers’ household incomes were closer to their state’s median income, suggesting that Sprouts may be becoming a regular grocery destination in some communities rather than an occasional specialty stop.

Still, affordability remains a challenge. In an Oct. 23 research note, UBS analysts estimated that roughly half of Sprouts’ customer households earn less than $100,000 annually, despite the retailer’s relatively affluent customer base.

That pressure was reflected in Sprouts’ latest results. Total sales increased 5% to $2.3 billion, helped by new stores, but comparable-store sales declined 0.9%.

Transactions at existing stores fell 3.3%, while average transaction size increased 2.5%, indicating that fewer shopping trips were partially offset by higher spending per transaction.

The company expects comparable sales to decline another 2% to 4% during the fourth quarter.

During its Oct. 28  Q3 2026 earnings call, Konat acknowledged that weaker shopping frequency was no longer limited to less-engaged, lower-income customers.

Sprouts is beginning to see even its core customers purchase fewer items and make slightly fewer trips.

Sprouts plans nationwide grocery price cuts and changes

This slowdown has prompted Sprouts to develop a more substantial response.

“Our current pricing strategy has not delivered against that goal,” Konat said, referring to making healthy eating more affordable.

Sprouts plans to introduce lower prices on selected healthy and holiday staples across the country before rolling out a rebuilt national pricing strategy in January.

During the call, Konat identified three areas where the company intends to improve affordability:

• Lower-priced entry options: Products such as Sprouts Brand cage-free eggs and raw almonds
• Frequently purchased essentials: More competitive pricing on conventional produce
• Premium healthy-food staples: Items important to Sprouts shoppers, including organic grass-fed beef

Actual price reductions and savings amounts have not yet been announced.

“This is not a shift to broad-based discounting,” Konat said.

Instead, the company wants to improve prices on products customers regularly buy while keeping its specialty assortment.

Sprouts’ earlier pricing experiments produced mixed results. Discounts helped customers purchase more items in certain categories but did not consistently increase the frequency of return visits.

The latest strategy will cover a much broader selection, with pricing adjusted according to the market and the products shoppers consider most important.

Sprouts expands healthier products and affordable meals

Product innovation is core to the retailer’s strategy.

The 1,400-plus items launched in the third quarter followed approximately 1,300 additions in the previous quarter.

Sprouts has been expanding organic, protein-rich, high-fiber, and seed-oil-free options, alongside products addressing specific nutritional needs.

During its July earnings call, management highlighted additions including Pasturebird chicken and Better Than Pop.

The chain has also been promoting prepared meals as alternatives to restaurant takeout.

Previously announced offerings include:

• $29.99 family meals for four
• Fresh-made salads below $9
• Wellness bowls priced below $10
• Fresh-baked organic sourdough bread for $4

Prices and availability may vary by location.

Konat said innovation is performing well in the frozen foods, bakery, and deli departments, particularly in products that combine health, convenience, freshness, and value.

Interestingly, broader eating trends may favor Sprouts.

A Cornell University study found that households using GLP-1 medications reduced grocery spending by an average of 5.3% within six months, with particularly sharp declines in snacks and sweets.

While some healthier products gained popularity, the findings suggest consumers may be eating differently without necessarily spending more on groceries.

That raises a question for Sprouts. How can a retailer specializing in healthier food persuade shoppers to visit more often?

Sprouts improving produce prices and freshness

Produce remains another major focus.

Sprouts acknowledged growing competition from conventional supermarkets, particularly in produce categories where shoppers can easily compare prices.

Konat said the company has performed well in organic produce but sees room to improve pricing on conventional fruits and vegetables.

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The retailer is also working to improve freshness and reduce waste.

Management explained that slower product turnover can affect produce quality, making it important to sell fresh items more consistently.

Sprouts plans to simplify some in-store processes and improve inventory management to address the issue.

The retailer also faced disruption from the cyclospora outbreak earlier this year.

As TheStreet reported in July, a major Taco Bell supplier pulled lettuce after concerns about contaminated produce.

Sprouts estimated that the broader disruption reduced third-quarter comparable-store sales by 0.6 percentage points, although it did not identify that supplier’s recalled lettuce as a product sold in its stores.

During the latest call, management said the disruption peaked around August and early September and has gradually eased, although it remains a slight headwind.

Sprouts bets on loyalty rewards and personalized savings

Loyalty programs are becoming increasingly important as retailers compete for shoppers making fewer trips.

As TheStreet recently reported, convenience-store loyalty members visit their preferred retailers more frequently than nonmembers, although satisfaction with rewards apps has declined.

Grocery chains are pursuing similar strategies. Safeway and Vons recently reduced the price of their paid grocery memberships while removing several benefits.

Sprouts takes a different approach through its free Sprouts Rewards program. Members earn five points per dollar on eligible purchases, with 1,000 points redeemable for a $2 reward.

The program also offers personalized coupons, exclusive promotions, and bonus-point opportunities.

Konat said Sprouts is preparing to make greater use of customer data to develop more relevant product recommendations, offers, and shopping experiences.

The company wants to move beyond simply promoting individual dietary attributes, such as gluten-free products, toward helping customers find solutions for broader wellness goals, including gut health.

Sprouts expands delivery and considers store improvements

Despite weaker sales at established locations, Sprouts continues to expand.

The company opened 15 stores during the third quarter, bringing its total to 504 locations across 25 states. It still expects 42 net-new stores in 2026.

But existing stores could also see changes. Konat said Sprouts is evaluating ways to refresh older locations, improve how customers discover new products, and better highlight fresh foods.

Tests are being prepared, although the company has not announced a chainwide remodeling schedule.

Online shopping is another bright spot. Sprouts reported 12% e-commerce growth during the third quarter, with digital orders accounting for more than 16% of total sales.

As TheStreet previously reported, the retailer also partnered with Shipt to offer same-day delivery from more than 500 stores, complementing Instacart, DoorDash, and Uber Eats.

The changes come ahead of a leadership transition in January 2027, when Konat will succeed Jack Sinclair as CEO.

For shoppers, Sprouts’ next chapter promises more affordable healthy essentials, new specialty products, personalized savings, and potentially refreshed stores.

The first changes will begin as early as the holiday shopping season, and the broader nationwide pricing strategy is scheduled for January.

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However, with all the chaos from AI-generated imagery, it becomes incredibly tough to spot whether the item in the listing is really what will arrive at your door.

Those are no longer abstract questions for Etsy’s shoppers, and the problem was best explained by Reddit user u/ZealousidealTowel229 in the r/Etsy community, who complained that searching for fall decor brought up what appeared to be AI-generated products from shops with barely any sales.

“I will never buy something I can’t see what it is in reality,” the user wrote.

That said, CEO Kruti Patel Goyal believes the answer isn’t about retreating from artificial intelligence. In fact, it’s more about using the technology to help customers find genuine craftspeople and products that feel personal.

That unexpected message comes at a point when Etsy’s latest earnings show active buyers growing year over year for the first time in two years, with merchandise sales climbing 8.8%. The turnaround has caught Wall Street’s attention, too, with Etsy’s stock price surging nearly 28% this month.

To keep that momentum, Goyal will have to make good on a bigger promise: AI strengthening the very human connection Etsy shoppers value.

Etsy CEO says AI could make handmade shopping more personal

Etsy has about 100 million listings, which means finding the perfect handmade gift can sometimes feel like searching for a needle in a haystack.

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CEO Kruti Patel Goyal believes AI can change that without taking away what makes Etsy special.

In her October 28 shareholder letter, she explained:

“There’s an inherent paradox in how we think about AI at Etsy: we’re harnessing technology to make commerce more human.”

The idea is to use AI to help shoppers discover products that match their tastes while making the people behind those products more visible.

Etsy is already using machine learning to personalize recommendations and search results. Four out of five active buyers now have profiles powering personalized feeds and marketing.

Meanwhile, the company is testing ways to highlight sellers’ stories, craftsmanship, and creative processes, giving shoppers a better sense of who they’re buying from.

And the approach appears to be gaining traction.

Etsy estimates that personalization improvements contributed roughly two percentage points to its annualized year-over-year merchandise-sales growth rate by Q3.

More importantly, its active buyer base grew 1% to 87.5 million, marking the first year-over-year increase in two years. Marketplace merchandise sales also climbed 8.8%.

However, the caveat was that repeat buyers remained 0.8% below last year’s level, while habitual buyers declined 0.2%. Purchase frequency also remained slightly lower. That suggests Etsy is getting better at attracting shoppers and increasing spending per buyer, but hasn’t fully convinced them to return more often.

For Goyal, the next challenge is turning a more personalized shopping experience into lasting customer loyalty.

What Etsy’s shopper comeback means for its stock investors

Etsy’s customers aren’t the only ones returning.

Its stock price closed on October 27 at $87.66, up roughly 58% in 2026 and about 28% over the past month. That said, Etsy stock trades at 14.8 times forward non-GAAP earnings, 25% below its 5-year average.

After reporting strong earnings on October 28, shares initially shot up about 8.5% in premarket trading, and clearly, the enthusiasm has a foundation. Quarterly sales jumped 10.9% to $692.5 million, merchandise sales climbed 8.8%, and adjusted EBITDA margin reached 30.4%. More importantly, Etsy’s 87.5 million active buyers represented its first year-over-year customer growth in two years.

For independent sellers, a larger pool of shoppers means more chances to make a sale. For shareholders, the bigger prize is turning occasional gift buyers into dependable repeat customers.

That remains a challenge.

Etsy expects holiday-quarter merchandise sales to grow 5% to 7%, slower than Q3’s pace. Repeat and habitual buyers remain below year-ago levels, a reminder that bringing shoppers back once is different from making Etsy a regular destination.

There’s a financial wrinkle, too. Etsy bought back $394.6 million in shares during the quarter, roughly 167% of its $236.4 million in free cash flow.

Its Depop sale boosted available cash, but shareholders need to consider how sustainable that pace of repurchases is, especially with CFO Lanny Baker due to depart in March 2027, according to a company news release. 

Moreover, Etsy’s headline $853.5 million net profit includes a large Depop sale gain; continuing operations earned $113.6 million.

Etsy’s recovery is real, but after a 58% stock rally, Wall Street will demand evidence that its use of AI to enhance trust, personalization, and customer loyalty can sustain growth beyond the holidays.

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“Our ambition at Kroger is simple: To build America’s favorite grocer. And today, you’re going to hear us talk about our plan to do that as we strengthen our core advantages, our scale, our store network, strong local banners, deep customer relationships, powerful brands and digital data and media assets,” CEO Gregory Foran shared during the event.

New foot traffic data from Advan Research shared with TheStreet shows what that shift looks like on the ground, and how Kroger’s starting position compares to Albertsons, which announced a similar pivot earlier this year.

Kroger and Albertsons have different strengths

Foran is confident that Kroger can turn around its business.

“Supermarkets done well are a fantastic business. They deliver value, they deliver convenience, and they hold a trusted relationship with their customers,” he said.

The Advan data showed that the two chains are coming from different starting points. Key findings from Advan’s location data include:

• Kroger enters this transition with a stronger-performing store base than Albertsons. Both chains have roughly 20% of locations in the weakest-performing tier by relative traffic, the group most likely to see closures or divestitures as both companies prune their footprints.
• The EDLP-plus-perishables strategy (enhanced prepared foods, more localization, deeper delivery build-out) signals a format shift that puts pressure on two adjacent groups: Grocery-anchored shopping centers that rely on grocer-driven foot traffic and packaged food suppliers whose shelf space and promotional terms depend on Kroger’s old model.
• If Kroger’s e-commerce push actually reaches 30% of sales, that changes the traffic math for every co-tenant in a Kroger-anchored center: fewer trips, different trip patterns, and less incidental spend at neighboring stores.

Kroger and Albertsons face a real challenge

Thomas Paulson, head of market insights at Advan, answered some questions from TheStreet about the challenges facing both grocery chains.

TheStreet: Can Kroger and Albertsons offer a competitive product compared to Walmart, Aldi, and Costco?

Thomas Paulson: On price alone, no. Walmart, Aldi, and Costco have scale advantages and business model differences that neither Kroger nor Albertsons can match. Where they can compete is on offering: localized and farm-to-store produce, a better/tailored prepared meals / ready-to-eat offering, better service, easy-to-access, convenient stores.

TheStreet: Was denying the merger a fundamental mistake?

Paulson: No. The merger would have given Kroger and Albertsons more scale with vendors, but it would have made localization harder, and localization, not scale, is what both companies actually need right now.

TheStreet: Will Kroger’s e-commerce have a negative ripple effect on its plazas?

Paulson: Yes. As e-commerce moves toward Foran’s targeted 30% of sales, it becomes a real headwind to traffic for co-tenants in Kroger-anchored centers. That shift also increases the leverage of limited-service and quick-service operators over landlords, since away-from-home eating captures more share of stomach as at-home grocery visits decline.

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TheStreet: Is there really that much more fat to cut?

Paulson: That was the biggest surprise to me. Apparently, there’s more to trim.

TheStreet: Are we going to see widespread closures?

Paulson: More likely, more consolidation, along the lines of what happened with Giant Eagle. Regional players are increasingly just handing over the keys at a lower valuation multiple than the acquirer would otherwise pay, rather than compete store by store.

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Replacement demand was the steady core of the company’s business and was the part appliance makers could always count on.

Longbow Research analyst David MacGregor put it at roughly 55% to 60% of total demand during Whirlpool’s (WHR) Q3 earnings call.

Lately, even that core has started to wobble, and Wall Street noticed. Goldman Sachs responded with a note that shows how analysts now see the road ahead.

Appliance shoppers hit pause

In Q3 of 2026, Whirlpool reported net sales of $3.7 billion, down 8.8% year over year due to soft demand in North America. 

Demand across the North American appliance industry fell 3.3% in the third quarter. Whirlpool expects industry demand to finish the year down about 5%. 

Also Read: McDonald’s, Whirlpool CEOs flag the same concern on the economy

CEO Marc Bitzer explained where the drop is coming from. The market is now mostly a replacement market, he said, and the decline is tied to discretionary purchases. 

Discretionary purchases, like upgrades and premium models, are where Whirlpool benefits from higher-margin products.

When shoppers only buy what they must, the company sells more basic models at thinner margins.

Some households are also choosing to repair instead of replace. Bitzer said he has seen this before and pointed to the 2008 financial crisis, when shoppers held back on items like dishwashers or a second appliance. 

Goldman cuts Whirlpool stock price target

Goldman Sachs (GS) lowered its price target on Whirlpool to $35 from $41, according to TheFly.com. The firm kept its Neutral rating after the third-quarter earnings miss and the guidance cut.

The research note says consumers are delaying appliance purchases because of the macro backdrop, which includes replacement units, thereby impacting volumes and product mix in North America. 

However, Goldman said that as operating conditions get tougher, Whirlpool’s focus on protecting profitability and liquidity should help position it for an eventual recovery.

Related: Goldman Sachs sends a stern warning to stock market investors

Given consensus estimates compiled by TIKR, Whirlpool is projected to improve free cash flow from $78 million in 2025 to $228.7 million in 2028. 

If the stock is priced at 8.33x forward FCF, which is in line with its five-year average, it could gain 5% over the next 15 months. 

Out of the nine analysts covering WHR stock, six recommend “Hold” and three recommend “Sell.”

The average Whirlpool stock price target is $27, 1.5% below the current price. 

Price hikes are the big bet

Whirlpool is trying to price its way back to healthier margins.

It raised prices in April and July, while retail price data shows gains of 8% to 9% over January 2025 levels. 

Bitzer admitted the company “had to course correct a little bit” in the third quarter after aiming very high in June and July.

Whirlpool announced a 7% increase effective Nov. 1 in Canada and Dec. 3 in the U.S., while Latin America will see increases of up to 10%.

One analyst asked whether rivals had followed Whirlpool’s summer increases. Bitzer said he could not speak for competitors, but noted he had seen competitor price moves in October. 

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He added that Whirlpool will lead when costs justify it and said market share has held steady all year, helped by new products.

Several factors impacted profit margins for Whirlpool in Q3:

• Price increases in North America and Latin America more than covered weaker product mix, adding about 250 basis points.
• Tariffs pulled margin down by about 225 basis points, mainly from new Section 232 tariffs in the U.S.
• Higher steel, resin, and base metal costs took away another 75 basis points.

Steel is a major cost pressure. Bitzer said North American steel prices rose about 50% over the past 12 months. 

He called that increase disconnected from reality, since iron ore and international steel prices fell. Whirlpool has locked in two of its three long-term steel contracts at what he called fair prices. 

Whirlpool’s own cost cuts are the other half of the plan.

Plant upgrades, supply chain changes, and a 25% cut in local distribution centers add up to $290 million in structural savings, most of which arrives in 2027.

In Q3, Whirlpool reported a loss of $0.21 per share, while the EBIT (earnings before interest, and tax) margin stood at 2.6%, an increase of 80 basis points sequentially, but lower than consensus estimates. 

Here is what the company now expects for 2026:

• Organic revenue down about 1.5%
• Ongoing EBIT margin between 2% and 2.2%
• Free cash flow of about $300 million, or roughly 2% of net sales
• Year-end net debt below $4.5 billion, better than the earlier target of under $5 billion
• Gross cost savings of about $250 million, with net savings below $150 million

Cash and debt give Whirlpool a cushion

The third quarter was rough on cash. Whirlpool burned through about $1.1 billion more than it generated. 

Part of the hit came from Grupo Casas Bahia, a major Brazilian retailer that filed for bankruptcy reorganization in August. Whirlpool had not yet collected money tied to that retailer.

Bitzer said the fourth quarter is typically when cash flow flips from negative or low to positive.

Whirlpool expects to collect about $100 million of the Casas Bahia money, plus most of its related insurance payments.

CFO Roxanne Warner said the company has more than $3 billion of available liquidity, and Bitzer said the revolving credit line has not been touched since August. 

Bitzer was candid about the trade-off. “I’m prepared to carry a little bit too much liquidity around us because we’re living in a very uncertain environment.” 

My take on Whirlpool stock

I read Goldman’s Neutral rating as fair. 

The 2027 setup has three things going for it:

• First, price increases carry over. Bitzer said Whirlpool exits the year with several points of positive pricing heading into 2027. 
• Second, about $290 million in structural cost savings arrive, mostly next year. 
• Third, inventories are low at both Whirlpool and its retailers, so the company does not need to cut production further.

The small appliance business adds a lift. It posted an 18.6% EBIT margin, and its October U.S. orders were up about 40%.

But the plan needs a lot to go right. Prices must not weigh heavily on product demand and commodities prices should cool off. 

Further, shoppers who are putting off a new washer or dishwasher cannot trade down to cheaper models in large numbers.

Bitzer put the priority plainly. “Our clear focus for Q4 and also for next year is margin expansion, period,” he said.

Whirlpool will share 2027 guidance on its January call. That is when I will judge whether this waiting room has a door out.

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For many shoppers, a trip to Costco isn’t complete without a $1.50 hot dog and soda, a slice of pizza, or another inexpensive bite after navigating the warehouse’s crowded aisles. 

The food court has become an important part of the Costco experience, reinforcing the retailer’s value-focused image and giving members another reason to shop. 

The hot dog deal, whose $1.50 price point has been locked in since 1985, is particularly iconic. 

Former Costco CFO Richard Galanti told Fortune in 2024 that the retailer sells approximately 199 million food court hot dogs annually, describing the hot dog and the company’s $4.99 rotisserie chicken as “foundational” to its business.

But not every customer is happy with the food court experience. And recent complaints highlight a challenge for Costco: maintaining the low prices that attract customers while delivering a convenient experience that keeps them satisfied.

Costco shoppers complain about crowded, dirty food courts

Cleanliness and overcrowding are two of the most persistent complaints about Costco’s food court, Tasting Table recently highlighted.

Some shoppers say finding a clean table can be difficult, with customers often leaving behind trash and food debris. 

Related: Ross Stores has a plan to win over TJ Maxx shoppers

“I have yet to find a clean table at a Costco,” one Reddit user said.

Other customers have raised concerns about food court employees’ cleaning practices. In one anecdote cited by Tasting Table, a shopper said they witnessed an employee using a broom that had been used on the floor to sweep a tabletop.

Meanwhile, the food court’s popularity can create another headache. Customers contend that crowded dining areas, long lines, and limited seating make it difficult to enjoy a quick meal, particularly during busy shopping periods.

The menu itself is also drawing criticism. Although Costco offers inexpensive comfort food, including pizza, hot dogs, and chicken bakes, some customers would like more nutritious alternatives.

“I love Costco, and I would eat at the Costco food court so much more if they had actual somewhat healthy options,” said another Redditor.

Other customers have questioned the taste and quality of certain items, with some describing Costco’s pizza as overly greasy and expressing disappointment with the food court’s sandwiches.

Slow service and confusing systems frustrate members

The food court’s ordering and pickup process is another source of frustration.

For some customers, having to order at a digital kiosk and then wait in another line to receive their food is a deal-breaker. Shoppers have also attributed delays to understaffing and inefficient order handling.

The result can be a lengthy wait for an inexpensive meal, undermining the convenience customers expect from a quick-service operation.

These seemingly minor problems can make an already crowded food court feel more chaotic, particularly for families shopping together.

Ultimately, complaints like these underscore the balancing act Costco faces. Its food court remains a major value driver, but low prices alone cannot eliminate frustrations over cleanliness, convenience, and quality.

For Costco, improving the experience without undermining the affordability that made the food court famous could help preserve one of its most recognizable customer perks. And it could also help the company grow its membership base.

During Costco’s most recent earnings call, CFO Gary Millerchip noted an uptick in younger members. 

“You may have seen actually there was a recent article that talked about for younger consumers, how they’re really engaging and excited about experiences and the opportunity that Costco presents to be in a brick-and-mortar retail environment and to enjoy the treasure hunt experience and engage in whether it’s the food court or the nonfood items that we offer,” Millerchip told investors.

Fixing problems with the food court could further drive younger member engagement, which is another reason for Costco to prioritize it. 

Maurie Backman owns shares of Costco.

Related: Costco is getting a new kind of member

Both put customer data in the hands of people who were not supposed to have it. A class-action lawsuit followed, and a federal judge has now granted final approval to a $177 million settlement that will pay out to customers who filed a timely claim.

The size of your payment depends on which settlement class you qualify for and whether you documented your losses at the time.

Some claimants could receive up to $5,000. Others will receive less, or a proportional share of what remains in the fund after costs are taken out. The exact amount will not be known until payments are distributed.

The deadline to file has already passed. If you submitted a claim, you can check your status at TelecomDataSettlement.com. Here is what the settlement covers, how payments are calculated, and what to watch for before the money goes out.

What AT&T’s 2 breaches actually exposed

The first incident became public on March 30, 2024. AT&T said a data set containing customer information had appeared on the dark web.

The company confirmed the exposed data included Social Security numbers, account numbers, passcodes, email addresses, and birth dates for roughly 73 million current and former customers.

Also read: AT&T accelerates the end of a network that’s losing customers

On July 12, 2024, AT&T said limited data had been illegally downloaded from its workspace on a third-party cloud platform. The downloaded data was call and text records. It covered nearly all of AT&T’s wireless customers. The records spanned May through October 2022.

The lawsuit alleged that AT&T failed to put adequate cybersecurity protections in place before either incident occurred. AT&T denied wrongdoing but agreed to settle rather than take the case through trial.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas granted final approval to the settlement on Oct. 2. If no appeal is filed, the effective date is Nov. 12. An appeal would push that date back and delay any payments by the length of the appeals process.

How much you could receive from the AT&T settlement?

Your payment depends on which of the two settlement classes you fall into. The classes are defined by when your documented losses occurred, not by which breach affected you.

The first class covers documented losses that took place in 2019 or later. If your claim falls into this class, the maximum payment is $5,000. Valid documentation includes records of identity theft, fraud losses, credit-monitoring expenses, or other out-of-pocket costs you can connect to the breach.

The stronger your documentation, the closer to the cap your payment is likely to be.

The second class applies to documented losses that occurred on or after April 14, 2024. Payments in that class are capped at $2,500.

If you did not document a specific financial loss when you filed, you may have selected the pro rata option instead. That gives you a proportional share of whatever remains in the $177 million fund after administrative costs, attorney fees, and service awards are paid out.

The pro rata payment will be smaller than the documented-loss caps, and the exact amount depends on how many claimants choose that option.

When your payment will arrive

Payments must go out within 60 days of the effective date. The estimated effective date is Nov. 12. The distribution deadline is around mid-January.

You will receive an electronic payment or a paper check, based on what you chose when you filed. If your contact details or banking information have changed, update them at TelecomDataSettlement.com before payments go out.

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• AT&T puts $3 billion behind expanding a key service for customers
• Apple’s priciest iPhone is giving some AT&T customers problems
• AT&T launches free healthcare perk for customers

Your claim is already on file. The administrator will send your payment after Nov. 12, assuming no appeal is filed.

If you are unsure whether your claim was accepted, the settlement website is the place to check. The administrator sends status updates through the site, not through unsolicited messages.

Watch for scams using the AT&T settlement as cover

The filing deadline has closed. No third party can help you submit a new claim or move up your payment.

If you receive an unsolicited call, text, or email offering to help you collect a settlement payout or expedite your check, it is a scam.

Legitimate updates come from TelecomDataSettlement.com or directly from the settlement administrator. The administrator will not contact you to ask for payment information, Social Security numbers, or personal details beyond what you already provided when you filed.

Even if you did not file a claim, treat the two breaches seriously. Data exposed in a security incident can be used for identity theft months or years after the initial event.

Pull your credit reports from each of the three major bureaus and look for accounts or inquiries you do not recognize. You are entitled to a free report from each bureau weekly at AnnualCreditReport.com.

A credit freeze prevents new credit from being opened in your name without your authorization and costs nothing to place or lift. A fraud alert is a lighter option that flags your file without blocking new accounts outright.

Either step is reasonable, given the scope of what was exposed in the two 2024 breaches.

Related: AT&T CEO holds firm stance on Elon Musk’s SpaceX phone strategy

The discount retailer’s pricing troubles don’t appear to be ending anytime soon, as the allegations this time extend nationwide.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), joined by 20 states, has sued Dollar General, accusing the retailer of repeatedly overcharging customers at checkout despite knowing about the pricing discrepancies for years.

The lawsuit, filed on October 26, alleges that customers were routinely charged more than the prices displayed on shelves, on product tags, in weekly advertisements, and in digital promotions.

According to the FTC’s original complaint, the company received at least 29,265 complaints involving advertised prices not being honored between January 2023 and March 2026, spanning all 48 states where Dollar General operates.

The latest lawsuit has put renewed scrutiny on the retailer’s low-price promise to millions of Americans who depend on discount stores for everyday essentials.

FTC and 20 states sue Dollar General over widespread pricing problems

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee and includes the 20 participating states, including California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, and Tennessee, among others.

Federal and state regulators allege that Dollar General generated millions of dollars through repeated overcharges at thousands of stores while failing to implement adequate safeguards to correct the problem.

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The complaint also cites investigations in which FTC employees made undercover purchases at Dollar General stores in Ohio, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Maryland between January and April 2026.

According to the complaint, every undercover purchase resulted in multiple products ringing up at higher-than-advertised prices.

At a Cleveland, Ohio, store, investigators found eight overcharged items among 58 purchases, along with five items priced below their advertised amounts. The errors resulted in a net overcharge of $3.25.

At another store in Springfield, Missouri, six of 59 products had incorrect prices, resulting in a net overcharge of $4.07.

The findings were not limited to shelf labels.

Related: Wawa, Sheetz, 7-Eleven face new challenge keeping shoppers coming back

The lawsuit also cites customers who complained that advertised discounts, buy-one-get-one-free offers, and digital promotions were not applied correctly at checkout.

In one example, a Pennsylvania shopper complained that a promotion advertising five two-liter soda bottles for $5 was not honored, with the bottles instead ringing up at $2.95 each.

The complaint alleges that inadequate staffing and failures to replace outdated shelf labels contributed to recurring pricing discrepancies.

Dollar General pushes back against FTC allegations

Dollar General has disputed the allegations and said it intends to defend itself in court.

In an October 26 statement, the company maintained that accurate pricing remains a priority. “Our goal is 100% accuracy between shelf and register prices in every store,” Dollar General said.

The retailer said about the suggestions in the lawsuit, “Nothing could be further from the truth.”

The retailer acknowledged that occasional pricing discrepancies can occur but said employees are instructed to correct them when customers raise concerns.

Dollar General also disputed the FTC’s calculation of potential consumer compensation, arguing that the proposed amount was significantly higher than what could reasonably be attributed to pricing errors.

The company said it cooperated with investigators, providing more than 200,000 documents and 350 gigabytes of data.

It also said it had attempted to negotiate a settlement before the FTC filed the lawsuit.

The agency and participating states are seeking a permanent injunction to prevent future violations, as well as monetary relief and civil penalties.

No settlement amount or consumer refund program has been established in the new federal case.

The allegations have not been decided by a court.

Dollar General recently settled another overcharging investigation

The federal lawsuit comes less than two weeks after Dollar General reached a separate agreement with New York Attorney General Letitia James.

I previously reported that an investigation found that Dollar General repeatedly charged New York customers higher prices than advertised.

Investigators reviewed 913 price-accuracy inspections across 287 locations and found that 43% failed to meet the state’s pricing-accuracy requirements.

In a separate undercover investigation, officials were overcharged on approximately 14% of the items purchased.

Dollar General agreed to a $1.875 million settlement, payable through donations of food and personal-care products to nonprofit Foodlink, along with changes to pricing practices and customer receipts.

The agreement does not provide direct refunds to affected shoppers. Dollar General neither admitted nor denied the state’s findings.

New York is not among the 20 states participating in the new federal lawsuit.

According to the latest FTC complaint, Dollar General has entered into seven settlements with six state enforcement agencies over inaccurate pricing since 2019, paying more than $6 million in penalties.

Related: Dollar General accused of overcharging shoppers, settles for $1.9 million

The company also previously settled a nationwide consumer class-action lawsuit valued at $15 million.

The escalating legal challenges come as Dollar General continues emphasizing its affordability to Americans struggling with everyday expenses.

According to the FTC complaint, households earning $35,000 or less account for approximately 60% of Dollar General’s revenue. The company also offers around 2,000 products priced at $1 or less.

The latest lawsuit could result in additional pricing reforms and financial relief for consumers if regulators prevail, although no compensation is guaranteed.

For now, shoppers may want to compare shelf prices, weekly promotions, and digital coupons against their checkout receipts.

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The move comes after it confirmed the retirement of several legacy wireless plans in June and automatically placed some customers affected by the change onto higher-priced alternatives.

On an earnings call in July, the company revealed that it expects an uptick in customer losses and a slowdown in account additions in the third quarter of this year as a result of this change, while reaffirming its focus on delivering value.

“Our strategy is simple, but truly powerful,” said T-Mobile CEO Srini Gopalan on the call. “Give customers the best network, the best value, and the best experience all in one place. That’s how we eliminate trade-offs for our customers, and that’s what truly sets us apart.”

T-Mobile introduces its new T-Mix plans

Amid this strategy, T-Mobile has finally revealed its new T-Mix plans, which allow customers to customize their perks and device promotions, a “first-of-its-kind approach” in the wireless industry, according to a recent press release.

Earlier this month, T-Mobile teased the release of T-Mix at one of its Kansas stores with signage that read “pick what you want” and “change what you want.”

T-Mix comes in three different plan tiers: Standard, More, and Loaded, which start at $55, $75, and $95 for a single line, respectively. The plans officially launch in November. 

Standard offers 50 GB of premium data, 480p video streaming, unlimited 3G hotspot, unlimited 2G data in Canada/Mexico, and unlimited texting in over 215 countries and territories (a feature that is included in all tiers).

Read more: T-Mobile adds monthly fee to a new iPhone feature for customers

T-Mix More has more bandwidth with unlimited premium data, up to 4K UHD video streaming, up to 60GB of high-speed hotspot data, 15GB of high-speed data in Canada/Mexico, and 5GB of high-speed international data (then goes to unlimited at 256 kbps). 

The Loaded tier is pretty similar to More; however, it offers up to 250GB of high-speed hotspot data, 30GB of high-speed data in Canada/Mexico, and up to 15GB of high-speed international data. 

How T-Mobile customers can use “Picks” for perks and wireless benefits

The new T-Mix plans also introduce a new “Picks” system, where customers can use picks to obtain wireless benefits like device promotions, T-Satellite, and optimized video calls, a new feature that gives video calls “prioritized access” to T-Mobile’s network.

They can also be used for a wide range of perks, such as subscriptions to Apple TV, Netflix, Hulu, and DoorDash DashPass. Newer perks include access to Delta SkyMiles, ESPN Unlimited, Google Gemini, YouTube Premium, XBOX Game Pass, and more. 

Picks are included in all T-Mix plans, and the amount customers receive to spend on perks and wireless benefits depends on the plan tier and the number of lines. 

For instance, Standard offers one pick per line, up to a maximum of four lines. Under the More tier, customers earn two picks for each of their first three lines, and one pick for the fourth line.

Finally, for Loaded, customers get three picks each for lines one through three, but for the fourth line, they get two. 

Each customer perk customers want to add to their T-Mix plans costs a certain number of picks. For example, the Netflix Standard with ads perk costs one pick, the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate perk costs three picks, and ESPN Unlimited costs four picks. 

“Customers are empowered to change their benefit mix every three months as their needs and preferences change,” T-Mobile said.

“The wireless industry has spent decades telling customers what their plan should be — even though 84% of consumers surveyed want more control over what they pay for,” said Allan Samson, chief marketing officer of T‑Mobile, in the press release. 

“One-size-fits-all was simple for the industry, but for customers it turned into one-size-fits-nobody,” he continued. “T-Mix flips that model, giving customers more say in what matters to them and plans that they can change as their lives change. This is another big step in our journey to make wireless value more relevant, more flexible and built around the customer.”

T-Mobile’s new T-Mix plans arrive as consumers rethink wireless value

The new T-Mobile T-Mix plans come at a time when more Americans are seeking value in their wireless plans as prices rise.

Prices for wireless services increased 3.2% year over year in September, according to Consumer Price Index data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

As wireless plans become more expensive, a new survey from Oxio, which was shared with TheStreet, found that 56% of U.S. consumers would consider switching wireless carriers for a lower-priced plan. 

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In addition, 38% said they value and actively use the digital services and perks included in their wireless plans, while 26% would prefer a lower monthly bill and the ability to select their own subscriptions.

Bob O’Donnell, a chief analyst at TECHnalysis Research, wrote in a recent Forbes analysis that the timing of T-Mobile’s new T-Mix plans “just makes sense,” given “recent stories about the challenges that many US households are facing when it comes to paying all their bills.

“Getting people excited or even interested in service plans can be a challenge for any telco company, but the concept of offering a customized set of services that people actually care about bundled with your cellular service is bound to be appealing to some people,” wrote O’Donnell.

“Plus, when you consider that, according to research that T-Mo shared, the average US household is spending $219 a month on services similar to the ones being offered (including cellular), it becomes a compelling value story,” he continued. 

Related: T-Mobile reduces a generous discount as customers see prices rise

In my case, I’d never taken care of anything more complicated than a cat, and to be fair, my wife did all the heavy lifting there.

When you have a baby, they send you home with a blanket, a hat, and not even so much as a handbook. And for the mom, there’s the added pressure of raging hormones, the physical trauma of birth, and the societal prejudice that men don’t experience, where you’re just supposed to know what to do.

If something goes wrong, and many things inevitably will, it can be challenging to find support. That’s where Oat Mama comes in. Its founder, Eliza Larson, experienced some problems after giving birth and used her experience to help others.

“After struggling with milk supply and postpartum recovery, I couldn’t find nourishing, functional products that truly supported me through motherhood — so I made my own. What started with homemade lactation granola bars quickly grew into a full line of functional wellness products designed to care for women from fertility through postpartum and beyond,” she shared on her company’s website.

Now, while it’s still operating, Oat Mama has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to legal documents found on PacerMonitor.

Oat Mama files Chapter 11 bankruptcy: key bullets

• Oat Mama LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Oct. 26, 2026.
• Court: U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Washington
• Case number: 2:26-bk-13419
• Creditors: 1-49

• Business: Oat Mama sells products aimed at breastfeeding and postpartum mothers, including lactation bars, protein powder, and supplements. It sells its products through Target and Amazon, as well as its own website.
• Assets and liabilities: Oat Mama reported assets of $100,000 to $500,000 and liabilities of $1 million to $10 million.
  • Source: PacerMonitor

The company’s biggest liability, according to the filing, is an $825,000 business loan. It also shows a number of other debts to banks and credit companies.

Oat Mama saw its sales grow from $201,766 in 2024 to nearly $1.4 million in 2025. Sales so far this year, through Oct. 27, appear to have stalled out, coming in at $528,749.

Oat Mama faces legal troubles

Oat Mama was named in a California Proposition 65 notice alleging that its Mama Power Protein Powder exposed consumers to lead without the required warning.

The notice is dated Sept. 29, 2026, and was filed by The Living Gallery, LLC. It names Oat Mama, iHerb, Target, and YouBar, Inc. as alleged violators.

The notice is an allegation, not a court finding that the product violated the law.

What the notice alleges

• The chemical: Lead, which California lists as a chemical that can cause cancer and reproductive harm.
• The product: Oat Mama’s Mama Power Protein Powder, including the product identified by UPC 8-60011-96983-3.
• The alleged violation: Sales in California dating back to April 15, 2025, allegedly occurred without the clear and reasonable warning required by Proposition 65.
• The parties named: Oat Mama, the online retailer iHerb, Target, and YouBar, which is identified in the notice as an alleged violator.
• The requested resolution: The notifying party says it intends to sue unless the parties agree to measures that could include recalls or warnings for products already sold, future warnings or reformulation, and a civil penalty.

The September notice is a second supplemental notice. It says it supplements earlier notices dated April 15 and Aug. 6, 2026. The California Attorney General’s record says the latest notice added a manufacturer to the matter.

What is a Proposition 65 Notice?

A California Proposition 65 notice is a formal legal warning that someone alleges a business violated the law.

It is not a lawsuit, a government finding of wrongdoing, or proof that a product is unsafe, according to state documents.

What legal standing does the notice have?

• It starts a required notification process. The notice identifies the alleged violation and gives the business and government agencies an opportunity to evaluate it.
• It creates a potential path to litigation. After the notice period, the private enforcer may file a lawsuit if the statutory requirements are met and the government has not initiated its own enforcement action.
• It can lead to financial penalties or corrective action. If a violation is established, a court may order the business to stop the violation and impose civil penalties of up to $2,500 per day for each violation. Settlements can also result in warnings or product changes.

Oat Mama’s next steps remain unclear

It remains unclear why Oat Mama has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and whether the California notice had an impact on that decision. The company’s website remains operational, and its Target and Amazon storefronts continue to take orders.

Larson shared why she started Oat Mama, speaking to Seattle Refined in January.

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“I believed moms deserved more, and that lactation support shouldn’t feel like a punishment,” she says. “It shouldn’t taste medicinal or hard to choke down; it should be enjoyable, even craveable, all while being nourishing and supportive.”

At the time, Larson also shared some challenges her company was facing.

“Rising costs, ongoing supply chain issues and trying to grow with a small team all come with their own hurdles,” she told the website.

This is a developing story and will be updated if more details become available.

Related: Target has a problem that sends shoppers to Amazon

The retailer says it’s revamping Threshold, its $3 billion private brand, with more than 800 new products, a broader range of design styles, and lower prices on many items.

The move is a part of the company’s larger plan to rebuild its homewares business, a category that it has identified as a key part of its broader turnaround strategy.

Target is making major changes to Threshold

In late October, Target announced it would be completely revamping Threshold, its largest private label homewares brand.

The move is “part of Target’s multi-year strategy to reinforce its style authority in Home with more distinctive products and shopping experiences that reflect how guests live and decorate today,” the retailer said in a statement.

Updates to the range include improved quality and materials, a wider range of design aesthetics, better in-store merchandising intended to make it easier to find what you’re looking for, and lower everyday prices.

“Homes are an extension of our guests’ personalities and sense of style, and Target’s Threshold reinvention makes it easier for everyone to create spaces they’ll love,” Mara Sirhal, senior vice president of home merchandising at Target, said. 

“As we’ve refreshed Threshold throughout the year and continue to rebuild our Home business, it’s exciting to see how guests are already responding to the merchandising authority we bring with a range of styles, elevated design, and incredible value,” she continued.

According to the retailer, reinvented products that have already hit store shelves, like throws and decorative accessories, are seeing double-digit growth, and tests of updated product presentations are seeing mid-single-digit lifts in both sales and units.

Target has a bigger problem to solve in homewares

Regular Target shoppers will know that the retailer has been slowly revamping its homewares department for months.

The push to rework the category started at the close of the 2025 fiscal year, when Cara Sylvester, Target’s chief merchandising officer, noted that the company had “lost its way” in the category.

“[Homewares] is foundational to the Target brand,” she told investors. “Having led this business before, I understand both its potential and the discipline required to win here. Home is where our design ethos first became tangible, but it’s also a space where we’ve lost our way. You see that in our recent results.”

“Transforming this category will be a multi-year journey,” she continued. “We are going category by category to reinvent key areas that have not been touched in years…. We are not adding complexity. We’re getting back to what differentiates Target, sharper curation, clearer storytelling, and a compelling presentation in stores. Own brands play a big role in how we deliver style and design, and so does the design collaboration strategy we invented more than 25 years ago.”

The revamp comes at a key time

These particular Threshold updates come at a key time for the retailer.

As the holiday season approaches, and shoppers get ready to spend, Target is hoping to nab a good portion of those sales. 

“This holiday season, guests will see and feel the changes we’ve been making across Target, bringing together the style, design and value they expect from us with an experience that makes shopping easier and more inspiring,” Target CEO Michael Fiddelke said in a recent statement. 

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Deloitte’s 2026 Holiday Retail Survey found that the average household plans to spend $1,654 this year, but also notes that “the value hunt is very much on.”

Consumers are increasingly looking to promotions and private-label products for their holiday purchases, Deloitte found. That’s a potential opportunity for retailers like Target, which has been working to make its owned brands more appealing to shoppers.

In fact, value-focused shoppers are expected to spend 12% more this season than other shoppers, the report found.

So by pairing a broader selection of designs with more accessible prices, Target could give shoppers another reason to explore its home department and add products to baskets they might already be filling with holiday gifts.

That could help the retailer capture more seasonal spending as it works to rebuild a category its leadership has acknowledged needs improvement. 

While the Threshold revamp is part of a longer-term strategy, the holiday season gives Target an important opportunity to put those changes to the test.

Related: Bath & Body Works makes a big move for the holidays

For years, Planet Fitness was trying to address this issue by offering and promoting a “Judgement Free Zone.” The chain has dominated the budget-friendly fitness industry, targeting the casual, first-time gym goer, and expanding to more than 2,900 locations nationwide. 

That strategy helped fuel Planet Fitness’s growth, but recent results suggest the company is finding it harder to sustain membership momentum.

Recent reports suggest that the fitness giant is dealing with a few headwinds of its own, due to shifts in consumer behavior, and recent gym closures are only a small piece of the puzzle. 

Planet Fitness faces “internal and external headwinds”

Signs of weaker-than-expected membership growth emerged in the company’s financial results earlier this year.

During the first-quarter earnings release in May 2026, management admitted they experienced a “slower-than-expected start from a net member growth perspective.”

Facing what the company described as “internal and external headwinds” during the critical New Year resolution sign-up period, Planet Fitness was forced into a sudden retreat. Management abruptly paused a planned price increase on its premium Black Card tier, stating they needed to conduct a “broader pricing review” to avoid scaring off increasingly price-sensitive shoppers.

Then, the second-quarter earnings reported in August painted a clearer picture. The fitness giant reported a positive 1.7% increase in system-wide same-club sales. However, Planet Fitness noted that 1.7% growth was driven entirely by rate increases (higher prices), not by volume increases. 

The data suggest the gym chain is battling a stall in new memberships. Moreover, the management said it expects same-club sales growth to keep moderating.

“We anticipate quarterly same club sales growth to moderate sequentially as we move through the year,” CFO Sudhanshu Priyadarshi told investors on the August call, according to a transcript provided by The Motley Fool. 

More recently, it was confirmed that the fitness chain will close five locations. 

Planet Fitness to close five locations across different states 

Planet Fitness is shutting a handful of locations across five U.S. states, according to a recent report by Inc. Magazine. 

The confirmed closures for late 2026 include gyms in:

• New York (25 Broadway, New York, NY)
• Florida (2101 N University Drive, Coral Springs, FL)
• Indiana (1129 N Baldwin Avenue, Marion, IN)
• Vermont (530 Community Drive, South Burlington, VT)
• South Carolina (601 Belle Station Boulevard, Mount Pleasant, SC – temporarily closed)

While closing a few gyms in a system of thousands is typically a sign of a standard real estate churn, one franchise attorney suggests Planet Fitness closures also point to a broader macroeconomic problem.

“What the closures do show is that the easy growth phase is over, even for the industry leader. Planet Fitness has spent years capturing the casual, first-time gym-goer in most U.S. markets, and many of those people are already members or have already tried it and quit,” franchise attorney Beverly Bradshaw recently told Inc. Magazine.

Bradshaw notes that rising competition from newer budget gyms makes a slow start to the year difficult to overcome, especially since closing locations still leaves franchisees on the hook for 10- to 15-year lease liabilities.

Meanwhile, required equipment upgrades and other franchise-related costs are putting pressure on franchisee margins, particularly where membership growth is weak. Because of this, she argues that individual club profitability, not adding new locations, is the true indicator of the brand’s financial health.

Planet Fitness changes strategy and tests a national $10 Classic Card promotion 

With membership growth coming in below expectations and consumers remaining sensitive to prices, Planet Fitness is testing a different approach to attracting new members. Rather than permanently reversing its previous price increases, the company plans to run a limited-time national promotion to measure demand and regional price sensitivity.

During the Q2 call, CEO Colleen Keating revealed that the brand would “test a national $10 Classic Card promotion later this quarter to evaluate regional price elasticity and demand indicators.”

Management noted on the Q2 call that Gen Z is now the fastest-growing proportion of their membership base, heavily driven by their “High School Summer Pass” program, which logged 12 million workouts this year alone.

Wall Street analysts question the possibility of a discount trap 

During the earnings call, TD Cowen’s analyst Maksim Rakhlenko raised concerns that frequent rollbacks could create “shadow pricing,” a trap where bargain-hunting shoppers get used to sales and refuse to ever pay full price again.

Rakhlenko also asked the management how it will “maintain the $15 classic card members from not quitting and rejoining at $10.” 

Management pushed back on concerns that the $10 promotion would cannibalize full-price memberships, emphasizing that it would be a limited-time national promotion rather than a permanent reduction in the Classic Card’s standard price.

Both CEO Colleen Keating and former Interim CFO Thomas Fitzgerald noted that previous localized testing and historical data from 2024 showed virtually zero existing members downgrading or “trading down” from the standard $15 tier to the $10 rate during promotional windows.

Consumers are not abandoning fitness, but they are changing where they spend the money 

Survey data suggest that Americans continue to prioritize fitness spending, even as they reassess their household budgets.

According to the Health & Fitness Association (HFA), approximately 82 million Americans planned to spend a combined $60 billion on health, fitness, and exercise in 2026. When forced to cut costs, 44% of consumers said they would scale back dining out and 36% pointed to travel. Only 23% said they would trim their fitness spending.

“Americans are not just setting fitness goals; they are budgeting for them. This research shows that people increasingly see exercise as an essential investment in their long-term health,” said HFA President and CEO Liz Clark. 

However, where that money goes is shifting. Growing interest in boutique fitness, recovery amenities, and specialized strength training is reshaping parts of the fitness industry.

“Boutique fitness is experiencing one of the strongest growth periods we’ve seen, with record openings from existing brands and new names,” according to the Health & Fitness Association’s industry trends analysis. 

For a mass-market brand like Planet Fitness, that means surviving the next era requires more than just competing on price; it means providing consumers exactly what they need. 

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That’s something we’ve seen doing live price comparisons at TheStreet, and it’s backed up by a more extensive study from Consumer Reports.

In addition, grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons both admit that they can’t compete on price.

“We are not in the game of being the cheapest because we do not have the lowest costs. But we can provide the best value,” Kroger CEO Gregory Foran said during his chain’s second-quarter earnings call.

Albertsons CEO Susan Morris said almost exactly the same thing during her company’s Q2 earnings call.

“Our goal is not to be the cheapest guy in town, but rather to have the right balanced value proposition that resonates with the customers that we serve uniquely by market,” she said.

Price Chopper is a family-owned chain that shares a brand name but has no connection to the New York and New England chain of the same name. It’s part of Cosentino’s Food Stores, and the company has launched a new banner designed to be the cheapest option for grocery shoppers.

Price Chopper’s new brand offers price transparency

Retailers rarely offer transparency when it comes to prices. That’s at least partially because on many items, the markup is fairly high, or would seem high to consumers who don’t understand all the costs of running a store.

Back in my retail days, for example, many products were “keystoned,” which means sold at double the price we acquired them for. That’s a 50% retail margin, and it helped cover the fact that some items we sold, Legos being the largest brand, were sold at manufacturer-set prices that gave us a 30% margin.

Since our operating overhead was around 40%, we actually needed to sell some items over that number to offset the ones that fell below it.

Retailers generally don’t share their markup or retail margin numbers. The Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIEE) publishes a study showing markup and margins for 13 national chains, with Costco and Walmart having the lowest markups.

• Costco markup 14.4%, margin 3.6%
• Walmart markup 32.2%, margin 4.2%

Among grocery chains, only Kroger had a lower markup than Walmart, coming in at 28.6%, with a margin of just 2.1%. Aldi and Lidl, two discount grocery chains with a national footprint, were not on the list.

“Markups are calculated by subtracting the cost of goods sold from sales, then dividing the result by the cost of goods sold. Retail margins are calculated as operating income divided by sales. The markup average is 48%, and the retail margin average is 6%,” according to PIIE.

Costco marks goods up less than Walmart, but only makes a slightly lower margin because of its lower operating costs and cheaper cost of acquiring goods.

Price Chopper’s new store, ChopMore by Price Chopper, offers full pricing transparency.

“You pay cost plus 10% at checkout,” the company shared on its website.

Price Chopper launches a discount brand

Price Chopper’s ChopMore model looks a lot like the business model being used by Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs, which marks up all the prescriptions it fills by 15%.

“We calculate our 15% markup by multiplying the price we pay for the medication by 0.15. This gives us the markup we add to the original price. For example, if the medication costs us $50, the markup would be $50 x 0.15 = $7.50. We then add that $7.50 to the original $50, plus any pharmacy labor and shipping fees,” the company shared on its website.

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As an online-only company, Cost Plus Drugs does not have the costs associated with running a storefront. Operating a grocery chain that does not charge a membership fee like Costco and only marks items up 10% seems like a very challenging business model.

Price Chopper’s parent company, Cosentino’s, said it’s able to offer such ChopMore discounts by cutting expenses in other areas.

“Stack it high and sell it low. No marketing, no ads, no gimmicks, no loyalty cards,” Executive Vice President John Cosentino told KCUR. “Some products are in bins. Pallet drops on the endcaps. So it’s a different way of merchandising. Quicker, less labor.”

The new store, which replaced a traditional Price Chopper, will operate with fewer employees.

“The former Price Chopper store in the space had about 100 employees a year ago. ChopMore now has about 60. But the company did not lay off workers. Instead, it gradually downsized through attrition,” Startland News reported.

10% is a really low markup

As a former retailer, I have a hard time believing that ChopMore can operate profitably on a 10% margin.

“Look, a 10% markup sounds great until you realize that’s only about a 9% gross margin. From that little slice, you’ve got to pay the employees, keep the lights on, cover rent, credit card fees, and pay for all the food that spoils before somebody buys it,” RTM Nexus CEO Dominick Miserandino told TheStreet.

There’s a reason, he noted, that retailers generally mark their prices up higher than that.

“The only way this works is by moving an enormous amount of merchandise and keeping expenses incredibly low. Costco has membership fees helping its economics,” he wrote.

“Price Chopper doesn’t have that cushion here. They need shoppers coming back constantly, and they need those shelves turning over fast. One bad month could eat up whatever profit they’ve made.”

TheStreet Co-Editor-in-Chief Todd Campbell spent nine years in the grocery business working for Stop & Shop, another leading supermarket chain in the Northeast, and thinks the ChopMore model could work.

“Price Chopper seems to be making a market share play to gain scale. Grocery operates on razor-thin margins, which is why so many have turned to lower-cost private label, like Aldi,” said Campbell. “It’s tough to turn a profit on a 10% markup without cutting services and embracing a bare-bones model.”

Even then, he added, with Walmart and Costco’s pricing power, “ChopMore may not be the cheapest option.”

Related: Best Buy offers a price match policy Target dropped

Taco Bell is extending its partnership with the beverage giant for another 11 years, securing the future of its popular Mountain Dew Baja Blast and other PepsiCo beverages through 2036.

The agreement, announced Oct. 22, covers participating Taco Bell restaurants, Taco Bell Cantina locations, and its expanding Live Más Café concept across the United States.

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“What makes this partnership special is how we bring together Taco Bell’s connection to culture with PepsiCo’s consumer insights, culinary capabilities and beverage expertise to create what’s next,” said Anne Fink, president, PepsiCo Global Away from Home.

“We’re excited about what we can build together over the next 11 years.”

But the deal goes beyond keeping familiar sodas on Taco Bell’s menu. PepsiCo and Taco Bell are planning additional specialty drinks, energy beverages, and food innovations as the restaurant chain seeks to attract customers throughout the day.

For Baja Blast fans, the agreement offers long-term continuity at a time when another Mountain Dew restaurant-exclusive flavor faces an uncertain future.

Taco Bell secures Mountain Dew Baja Blast through 2036

Under the renewed partnership, customers will continue to see Pepsi, Pepsi Zero Sugar, Mountain Dew, Starry, Mountain Dew Baja Blast, and Baja Midnight at participating locations.

Baja Blast, which debuted at Taco Bell in 2004, has become one of the most recognizable products associated with the chain.

The tropical-lime-flavored beverage has since grown into a billion-dollar brand, according to PepsiCo.

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Its popularity also generated numerous spin-offs, including Baja Blast Gelato, limited-time pink Baja Blast beverages, and other specialty offerings.

In August 2025, Taco Bell introduced Mountain Dew Baja Midnight, a permanent flavor combining Baja Blast’s signature tropical-lime taste with passion fruit.

The renewed agreement protects the relationship that made these products popular; however, Baja Blast is not a Taco Bell exclusive product.

After years of restaurant exclusivity and limited retail releases, PepsiCo expanded the original flavor to year-round grocery and convenience-store sales in 2024.

Baja Midnight, however, remains a Taco Bell-exclusive offering.

Taco Bell is preparing more beverages and new menu items

The two retailers now plan to develop more crafted drinks, functional beverages, and energy offerings, with particular attention to younger consumers and morning and afternoon visits.

PepsiCo said the next phase will build on innovations such as Taco Bell’s Refrescas, a line of specialty beverages featuring fruit-inspired flavors.

The collaboration is also expanding beyond drinks.

Doritos Locos Tacos, introduced in 2012 through Taco Bell’s partnership with PepsiCo’s Doritos brand, will celebrate its 15th anniversary in 2027.

PepsiCo confirmed that new flavors are planned, although the companies have not announced specific products or launch dates.

The partnership also extends internationally, with PepsiCo continuing as Taco Bell’s beverage partner in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Thailand.

The companies also intend to develop additional drinks tailored to these markets.

Taco Bell has more new drinks arriving in December

The agreement comes as Taco Bell aggressively expands its beverage business through Live Más Café, a concept that offers specialty coffees, frozen drinks, Refrescas, and other beverages.

As TheStreet previously reported, Taco Bell introduced its first permanent Cold Brew lineup at Live Más Café locations earlier this year.

The concept has since grown to 39 locations and has sold approximately 1.3 million beverages since its launch, according to an Oct. 15 Taco Bell announcement.

That same announcement introduced four horchata-inspired beverages at Live Más Café, including a Purple Horchata Chiller, Chocolate Horchata Cold Brew Float, and two flavored Refrescas.

Three additional nationwide offerings are scheduled for Dec. 10, when participating Taco Bell restaurants will begin serving Strawberry Horchata Refresca, Vanilla Spiced Horchata Refresca, and Vanilla Spiced Horchata Freeze for a limited time.

Taco Bell is also expanding Live Más Café into additional locations in Indiana, Southern California, and Las Vegas.

The chain has set a goal of generating $5 billion in beverage sales by 2030.

The renewed PepsiCo partnership gives Taco Bell an established beverage supplier and product-development partner as it pursues this ambition.

Related: Wawa, Sheetz, 7-Eleven face new challenge keeping shoppers coming back

KFC is switching to Coca-Cola instead

Taco Bell’s decision stands in contrast to KFC, even though both restaurant chains are owned by Yum! Brands.

On Oct. 15, KFC confirmed a new U.S. partnership with Coca-Cola, ending its domestic relationship with PepsiCo that began in 1986.

Coca-Cola products will begin appearing at KFC restaurants in January 2027, with the transition expected to reach all 3,600 U.S. locations by spring.

The change also affects Mountain Dew Sweet Lightning, a peach-and-honey-flavored soda developed specifically for KFC in 2019.

As TheStreet previously reported, PepsiCo confirmed that Sweet Lightning will remain available at KFC through Dec. 31, 2026.

The company has indicated it intends to find other ways for fans to enjoy the beverage but has not disclosed how or where it might return.

That creates a notable difference between the two Mountain Dew flavors: Baja Blast has a secure restaurant partnership and an established retail presence, while Sweet Lightning’s future remains unresolved.

PepsiCo faces mounting competition in soft drinks

The Taco Bell agreement also comes at a difficult time for PepsiCo’s North American beverage business.

During its third-quarter earnings call, CEO Ramon Laguarta acknowledged that the company was struggling to compete in the carbonated soft drink market.

“We are not competing well in soft drinks,” Laguarta said, while outlining plans to increase investment and improve execution.

As TheStreet reported in its coverage of PepsiCo’s plant closures, North American beverage volume declined 2% during the quarter, despite reported revenue growth.

As such, maintaining a recognizable restaurant partnership gives PepsiCo an important platform for introducing new products to consumers.

And for Taco Bell customers, the good news is that Baja Blast is staying, with more drinks and flavors planned in the years ahead.

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In the third quarter of 2026, Comcast lost 144,000 U.S. broadband customers and 274,000 U.S. cable TV customers, according to its latest earnings report. Its domestic broadband revenue also dropped 4.7% year over year, while cable TV revenue slipped 8.7%. 

The losses follow Comcast’s increased efforts to attract and retain these customers. For instance, in 2025, the company refreshed its internet plans by lowering everyday prices and adding one-year and five-year price-lock guarantees, unlimited data, new speed tiers, and a free Xfinity Mobile line offer. 

Later that year, Comcast also launched five new Xfinity TV packages with an “everyday pricing structure.” 

Comcast plans layoffs as customers keep leaving

While these changes haven’t dramatically slowed customer losses, Comcast is now opting to conduct “a significant number of job cuts” to improve its Xfinity business, according to a recent Bloomberg report. 

The layoffs will reportedly be announced in the next few weeks and will restructure the company’s broadband, wireless, and cable TV businesses. The job cuts are aimed at putting Comcast in a better position to operate as an independent company after it spins off its NBCUniversal and Sky businesses in 2027. 

On an earnings call on Oct. 22, Comcast President Mike Cavanagh confirmed upcoming organizational changes by stating that the company operates in a “competitive environment” that requires it to “execute at a higher level, move faster, and operate more efficiently.”

“We’re taking decisive steps to change how we operate, structurally improve our cost base, and create greater capacity to invest in growth,” he said.

Read more: Comcast CFO warns of a rising threat as internet customers depart

Comcast expects to take a $1 billion+ charge in the fourth quarter of this year due to these restructuring actions, which it believes are necessary for it to operate more quickly, be more nimble in decision-making, and create capacity to invest in growth.

“We’re challenging established ways of working and redesigning how we make decisions, allocate resources, and run the business to create a more agile, efficient organization that can compete more effectively and invest more decisively in growth,” said Cavanagh.

“Taken together, these advantages and the significant changes underway give us confidence in Comcast’s ability to compete more effectively and create meaningful value for shareholders,” he continued. 

The move comes after Comcast sent a memo to employees in September 2025 warning them that it will begin cutting a layer between its corporate and regional offices in Janurary this year, resulting in layoffs and a simplified management structure in its connectivity and platforms sector.

“This change is not a reflection of anyone’s contributions — it is about simplifying how we work so we can compete more effectively,” reads the memo. 

Comcast’s job cuts also come right before Michael Angelakis is set to become CEO of the company when the planned spinoff of NBCUniversal and Sky businesses from its broadband, cable TV, and wireless operations is completed in 2027. 

Why Comcast is struggling to compete in broadband

Cavanagh said on the Oct. 22 earnings call that the company has “been operating in an intensely competitive environment for some time.” 

He said Comcast’s broadband business is struggling to navigate fixed wireless and fiber internet competition, with satellite internet options, such as SpaceX’s Starlink, also becoming a growing threat. 

“Fixed wireless remains aggressive and continues to take share, while fiber construction remains elevated, with pockets of irrational pricing and promotional activity,” said Cavanagh. “While satellite is not yet a material factor, we recognize the importance of anticipating emerging forms of competition and positioning our business to respond as the market evolves.”

Comcast Chief Financial Officer Jason Armstrong said on the call that Comcast saw “irrational competition” in the second and third quarters of this year and the trend is continuing into the fourth quarter. He said the pricing of fiber internet from competitors is what’s particularly “irrational,” as it’s “going to be really hard to sustain” in some cases. 

“We obviously do a lot of overbuilding and deploy a lot of this (fiber) ourselves,” said Armstrong. “It’s $1,500+ per home, getting more expensive with construction costs up as you get into more suburban and rural areas.

“The underlying cost structure (of) deploying fiber (is) going up against what we saw as $30-$40 pricing in specific markets in the third quarter,” he continued. “As we look at the return profile of that, to us, that is irrational competition.”

Wireless carriers have been attracting a large number of customers to their fiber and fixed wireless offerings. 

T-Mobile reportedly added roughly 520,000 broadband customers in the second quarter of 2026, according to data from research and consulting firm Recon Analytics. Verizon reported attracting about 348,000 during the quarter. 

Meanwhile, AT&T revealed in its most recent earnings report that it added 696,000 internet customers in the third quarter of this year. 

These notable additions come as U.S. consumers have been switching internet providers in recent months to dodge high prices.  

A survey from Reviews.org in March found that 73% of Americans saw their internet bills spike this year, up from 43% in 2025. The research also showed growing frustration with unexpected charges, with 67% having switched or considering switching internet providers due to hidden or unexpected fees, versus 56% a year earlier. 

In an analyst note, Wolf Research analyst Peter Supino said his firm expects “competition to intensify in 2027” for Comcast as “Starlink’s capacity growth explodes” and the pool of DSL (wired internet service) customers “shrinks to irrelevance,” according to a recent Fierce Network report. 

He also said it would be beneficial if funds from Comcast’s upcoming job cuts and other cost-saving efforts were allocated to growth engines such as edge compute and mobile.

“We worry competition will instead divert cost savings into lower broadband prices,” wrote Supino.

Comcast customers can expect several notable changes

In response to shifting customer behavior, the company is putting a sharper focus on improving the customer experience, in addition to organizational restructuring, Comcast Cable Chief Operating Officer Steve Croney said on the earnings call. 

“As we assess the overall environment, we are going to continue to compete aggressively, but we are going to compete with discipline and really focus on differentiating our products, adding value through deepening our customer relationships, and continuing to provide a great customer experience so we are not giving our customers a reason to leave,” said Croney.

Armstrong said the company will be “accelerating” its “technology transformation, product innovation, and AI adoption” to simplify customer interactions and reshape how they “discover, purchase, and manage services.”

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“We’re bringing in new technology leadership to increase the pace of innovation,” said Armstrong. “AI is already embedded across our network to optimize performance, and we’re expanding its application across customer experience through partnerships with Sierra and Cresta.”

He also said the company will double down on customer retention and adding more value. 

“We’ve reduced historical pain points around promotional pricing expirations,” said Armstrong. “We’ve invested to increase awareness of our wireless product, and now we’ll push wireless relationships even deeper.”

“Our free line strategy has been a key tool in building awareness, but we’re now positioned to push further on multi-line customers, premium plans, and new device offerings, which meaningfully reduce churn and strengthen the overall relationship,” he continued.

Related: Comcast adds new service to internet plans as customers leave

The retailer has a generous price matching policy that gives shoppers 15 days to ask for a partial refund if they see the exact same item at a lower price at a list of retailers that includes Walmart, Amazon, and Target.

My Best Buy Plus and Total members get 60 days on most eligible items.

The competitors list includes: Abt, Amazon, Apple, B&H Photo Video, BJ’s Wholesale Club, BrandsMart USA, Costco, Crutchfield, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Menards, Microcenter, Nebraska Furniture Mart, P.C. Richard, RC Willey, Sam’s Club, Target, and Walmart. 

“Please note that the Best Buy Price Match Guarantee does not apply to products shipped from and sold by third-party Marketplace Sellers on these websites,” the company shared on its website.

It’s a generous policy, especially when you look at the policies offered by Walmart, Target, and Amazon.

Target dropped its price match policy

Target dropped its competitor price match policy in July 2025.

“For 12 years, Target customers who found a product that was sold for less on Amazon or Walmart’s websites could request to buy the same product that was sold at a Target store at the lower price,” ABC News reported.

Target first introduced its “Price Match” policy in 2013, becoming the first brick-and-mortar retail chain to launch price matching of products, often sold for cheaper online.

The retailer shared a statement at the time explaining the change.

“We’ve found our guests overwhelmingly price match Target and not other retailers, which reflects the great value and trust in pricing consumers see across our assortment and deals,” a Target spokesperson told ABC News.

Target, Amazon, and Walmart only match their own prices

Target, Amazon, and Walmart all have similar price-matching policies, but they do have some key differences.

Target

• No longer matches Amazon or Walmart prices. Target ended its competitor price-matching policy on July 28, 2025, after 12 years.
• Matches its own prices: Target matches eligible identical products sold at Target.com, in Target stores, or through qualifying Target Circle deals.
• 14-day window: Customers can request a price match at checkout or within 14 days of purchase if the price drops.
• Proof required: Shoppers must show the current price on Target.com, the Target app, or an eligible digital ad. Screenshots and photos are not accepted.
• Restrictions apply: Clearance, refurbished, open-package, and certain promotional items are excluded. Target Circle bonuses and Target coupons generally cannot be combined with price matching.
  • Source: Target’s official price-match policy

Walmart

• Matches Walmart.com prices in stores: Walmart will match an identical item listed on Walmart.com if it is in stock and available to purchase online.
• No competitor price matching: Walmart stores do not match prices from Amazon, Target, or other competitors.
• No online price matching: Walmart.com does not match competitor prices or prices at Walmart stores.
• No retroactive online adjustments: Walmart.com will not match a lower price after a customer has already purchased an item online.
• Restrictions apply: Store price matches exclude special-event deals, including Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions, as well as third-party Marketplace sellers. Store managers have the final say on requests.
  • Sources: Walmart’s official price-match policy and Walmart’s customer FAQ

Amazon

• No formal price-matching policy: Amazon does not promise to match prices offered by Walmart, Target, or other retailers.
• No guaranteed price adjustment: If an item’s price drops after purchase, customers generally cannot claim an automatic refund for the difference.
• Prices can still change: Amazon adjusts prices and offers promotions independently, so shoppers may find that an item becomes cheaper without requesting a match.
• Customer service is not a guarantee: Shoppers can contact Amazon to ask about an order, but any courtesy credit is discretionary, not a published price-match entitlement.
  • Source: Amazon’s customer-service guidance

Best Buy has a competitive edge

As a consumer, I have to admit that even though I buy a fair amount of electronics, I often forget that Best Buy exists because Amazon makes shopping (and impulse buys) so easy.

With this price-matching deal, however, I may consider buying my next Apple laptop or television from the brick-and-mortar chain.

Broadcast Retirement Network CEO Jeffrey H. Snyder agrees that the price match is a generous offer that might drive him to Best Buy.

“Yes, I would definitely look for that option,” he told TheStreet. “When shopping for larger ticket items such as TVs and computers, I appreciate a retailer being able to match another retailer’s prices and Best Buy is kind of the only game in town.”

RTM Nexus CEO Dominick Miserandino thinks that being the last major retailer offering competitor price matching could benefit Best Buy this holiday season.

“I think anything to gain trust in this market is important. Now, the way pricing works, everyone’s looking at each other’s pricing anyway, so they probably know what the competitive pricing is, but at least it creates that consumer comfort,” he shared with TheStreet.

Related: New supermarket promises to only mark items up 10%

They sell drinks and snacks to the same shoppers, yet the past year has treated their shareholders very differently.

PepsiCo has trailed Coca-Cola over the last 12 months.

Since October 2025, shares of Coca-Cola (KO) have surged 36% after adjusting for dividends. Comparatively, Pepsi (PEP) stock is down 10%. 

Two recent management discussions could help explain the gap. They also hint at whether 2027 could flip the script.

Also Read: Goldman resets PepsiCo stock target amid inflation and cost pressures

Why Pepsi lagged Coke

In its Oct. 8 third-quarter call, PepsiCo reported organic revenue growth of 3.1%. CEO Ramon Laguarta said that was the fastest pace since the fourth quarter of 2023.

Core operating profit rose 3%, and earnings per share rose 2%.

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Organic sales in international markets rose 8%, while operating margin widened by 105 basis points. Laguarta said international already makes up 45% of Pepsi’s profit in 2026. 

“We are not satisfied with the performance in the U.S.,” Laguarta noted.

North America beverages slowed in the quarter, while hydration and energy drinks performed well. Pepsi also cut its fourth-quarter earnings outlook.

CFO Steve Schmitt said margin performance is running below management estimates.

Sales are still expected to remain robust, which will be offset by higher input costs and lower profit margins. 

Schmitt said it is keeping its growth investments in place, including advertising spending in both North America and international markets.

This strategy leaves little room to absorb higher costs. 

Pepsi’s hedges, which lock in prices for six to 12 months, are starting to roll off. A tariff benefit that helped North America beverages in the third quarter will also fade.

Schmitt said Pepsi is looking for structural cost cuts and plans to use pricing tools in the coming months to ease the pressure. He said those benefits should start helping as the calendar turns.

Coke’s steadier playbook

At the Barclays consumer conference on Sept. 9, Coca Cola CEO Henrique Braun spoke less about repair and more about rhythm.

Braun has spent 30 years with the Coke system and aims to grow volume and pricing simultaneously. 

He described the goal as “volume and price mix coming in tandem.” Braun also called the global consumer “uneven,” with lower-income shoppers under pressure. Coke is not immune to macro headwinds, but it has a broad product portfolio. 

The company sells about 2.2 billion servings a day and runs 32 billion dollar brands across more than 200 countries. 

Innovation travels fast inside that machine, and it often starts with shoppers. 

Take Sprite + Tea. Braun said the idea came from consumers where Fans around the world were dropping tea bags into their Sprite at home, the same way they do with “dirty sodas.” 

Coke saw those posts on social media and decided the habit made sense as a product.

It tested the idea, then launched it in the U.S. It worked, so the company moved it to China, a key tea market. Braun called it a highlight of Coke’s second quarter.

Braun calls the approach the “four I’s”: insights, innovation, intimacy with each market, and integration with digital.

Related: Coca-Cola is changing its soda lineup as Americans watch their weight

Basically, Coke starts with what shoppers are doing, builds a product around it, then fits it to the local market.

Two examples show how it works.

In Europe, Coke noticed people want less caffeine as the day goes on. 

The European team turned that insight into Coca-Cola Zero Zero Zero, a redesign of an existing Zero Zero drink. It comes in a black-and-gold package, and Braun said it is doing well. He thinks it can now be launched in other countries. 

In the U.S., Coke reworked Mr. Pibb. The new version has a bolder cherry flavor and a little more caffeine. 

Coke’s message was simple: Do what we already do well, only better.

Pepsi’s 2027 comeback plan

Pepsi has real fixes in motion.

• Snack volume in North America has swung from a low single-digit decline last year to low single-digit growth due to price resets and new product launches. 
• Advertising spending grew by double digits in both U.S. businesses last quarter.

Asked about splitting the company or changing its bottling model, Laguarta said Pepsi is open to revisiting every option, which includes speeding up refranchising in some regions.

Schmitt said cost savings and pricing should start helping as the calendar turns. However, costs may keep climbing. 

Schmitt said raw materials, from packaging to ingredients, are getting more expensive. Pepsi’s hedges have held those costs down so far. As they expire, more of the increase will hit its profits, starting in the fourth quarter.

Coke is selling steadiness, and Pepsi is selling a comeback. 

Pepsi vs. Coke dividend scorecard

Now the part income investors care about.

PepsiCo: In February, Pepsi raised its annualized dividend 4%, to $5.92 per share from $5.69. That was its 54th straight annual increase, according to a company statement. The quarterly payout is now $1.48. 

The yield sits at just over 4%. 

Pepsi has an annual dividend expense of around $8 billion, while it is projected to report a free cash flow of $10.5 billion in 2026. Data compiled by TIKR shows Wall Street estimates FCF to grow to $14.9 billion in 2030. 

Coca-Cola: Coke raised its quarterly dividend about 4%, to $0.53 per share from $0.51 per share, its 64th straight annual increase. The yearly payout is $2.12 per share, and the yield is about 2.3%. 

Coca-Cola has an annual dividend expense of around $9 billion, and it is projected to report free cash flow of $12.2 billion in 2026. Data compiled by TIKR shows Wall Street estimates FCF to grow to $15.8 billion in 2030. 

Here is the simple math. At those yields, $10,000 in Pepsi earns roughly $440 a year. The same amount in Coke earns roughly $230.

So Pepsi pays more today, but Coke’s payout looks safer. The 2027 call likely comes down to one race: Do Pepsi’s savings arrive before costs bite? 

Given consensus price targets, Coca-Cola stock trades at a discount of 5.5%. Comparatively, Pepsi stock offers an upside potential of less than 4%. 

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For many of us, finding the right care means navigating a maze of providers, insurance requirements, and prices that can leave you exhausted before you even schedule an appointment. 

But Walmart is trying to make the whole process a little easier.

The retailer recently announced its Better Care Services platform would be partnering with General Medicine, a digital healthcare marketplace, to expand its care options.

Walmart expands Better Care Services platform

On Oct. 26, Walmart announced it will partner with General Medicine, a digital “store” where patients can search for, compare, and book medical care.

The retailer says that the partnership is designed to simplify the healthcare system by making it more shoppable. 

“At Walmart, we’re always looking for ways to make the customer experience simpler and more useful,” Ralph Clare, executive vice president, Health & Wellness at Walmart U.S., said in a statement. 

“Expanding Better Care Services [through the partnership] brings more care options into one place, helping customers explore what’s available, compare choices, and take the next step in a way that works for them,” he continued.

General Medicine is the 11th third-party provider employed by the marketplace.

Walmart’s healthcare push is about more than just convenience

Walmart launched Better Care earlier back in January as a “one-stop digital destination,  designed to help empower millions of customers to take control of their health journeys with ease, transparency and confidence.”

The platform wasn’t Walmart’s first foray into the healthcare space. The retail giant had previously opened, and then shuttered, a chain of clinics and a virtual care initiative.

“The challenging reimbursement environment and escalating operating costs create a lack of profitability that makes the care business unsustainable for us at this time,” the company said in a statement at the time. 

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Despite the setback, the company said it intended to continue innovating in the space and would launch additional services if it made sense.

However, that dedication to simplifying and democratizing the healthcare system may not be driven by convenience alone.

“This customer cohort is incredibly important for us,” Walmart U.S. CEO David Guggina said during the company’s second-quarter earnings call. “When someone becomes a health and wellness customer, they spend on average three times more than the average Walmart customer. When they begin using pharmacy delivery in addition to being a health and wellness customer, that almost doubles, yet again.

“We have a very unique opportunity to connect our pharmacy expertise, our digital capabilities, and our local fulfillment network to make healthcare more convenient and accessible while deepening our relationship with these customers,” he continued.

Engaging customers through a larger, easier-to-use Better Care platform, then, may help the retailer shore up its bottom line.

Also read: How many employees does Walmart have in 2026? Its workforce, locations & layoffs explained

Walmart isn’t the only retailer eyeing healthcare

The expanded platform also helps the retailer better compete against major companies such as Amazon.

In 2024, Amazon launched Amazon One Medical, a platform that gives consumers access to on-demand healthcare. The service builds on Amazon’s broader push into healthcare, which includes its online pharmacy business. 

Like Walmart, Amazon has been working to make healthcare more convenient by providing a more integrated experience.

For both retailers, the opportunity extends beyond healthcare itself. By making it easier for customers to access services through their platforms, they can strengthen customer relationships and encourage shoppers to return for other needs.

That’s particularly valuable for Walmart, given Guggina’s comments about how much more health and wellness customers spend compared with the retailer’s average customer.

However, making healthcare easier to navigate is only part of the challenge. 

Whether Walmart’s expanded platform can meaningfully improve the customer experience will depend on the options available, how easily consumers can compare prices, and whether they ultimately find care that meets their needs and budgets.

Related: Walmart gets aggressive when it comes to holiday sales

But shoppers went to Target more so for the selection than the savings.

Target has long trailed behind competitors like Walmart and Costco on price, and for a long time, that wasn’t an issue. That’s because Target’s inventive products were so much of a draw that customers were willing to bust their budgets a bit to load up a full cart.

These days, shoppers are being more cautious with their money. With inflation up 3.7% on an annual basis, according to the most recent Consumer Price Index, the old joke about walking into Target for milk and leaving with a $100 shopping cart isn’t as funny.

But it’s not just an affordability issue. Target has fallen out of favor with customers due to issues like disorganized stores, empty shelves, and employees who don’t seem happy to be there. 

Now, Target is taking steps to make its products more affordable. But that’s not necessarily the right approach toward winning customers back.

Target moves forward with price cuts

Target recently announced that it’s lowering prices on nearly 2,000 home, apparel, and accessories products ahead of the holiday shopping season. 

The move builds on more than 10,000 price reductions Target says it has made over the past year.

“Guests are looking for great products at an incredible value, and that’s an important part of what we aim to deliver every day,” said Cara Sylvester, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, Target. 

“By continuing to lower prices across our assortment, we’re making it even easier for busy families to create moments of joy this fall with the style, design and exceptional value they can only find at Target.”

The discounts could of course help price-conscious families, particularly as they prepare for the holidays. But Target’s challenges extend beyond the price tags on its shelves.

Target needs more than cheaper merchandise

Target needs to rebuild its reputation for differentiated merchandise, improve inventory availability, and give customers compelling reasons to choose its stores over competitors.

The good news is that the company has spent months trying to sharpen its identity around style, design, and value. And during the company’s most recent earnings call, CEO Michael Fiddelke said Target was encouraged by customer responses to its merchandising changes.

But Sylvester was candid about two important categories.

“If I turn to home and apparel, just to be clear, we are not satisfied with the performance in either of those businesses, and there’s more work ahead in 2027 and beyond,” she said during the earnings call.

That admission highlights why price cuts alone may not be enough. 

Customers need to see merchandise they actually want to buy, whether that means refreshed home decor, fashionable clothing, exclusive collaborations, or products that reflect current trends.

And customers tend to respond when Target combines attractive products, a distinctive shopping experience, and competitive prices.

Lower prices can make those offerings more appealing, but discounts cannot substitute for merchandise that feels fresh or an assortment that gives shoppers a reason to visit.

Target must rebuild trust with shoppers

Target’s second-quarter results showed progress, with comparable sales increasing 3.8% and traffic rising 3.6%. However, management acknowledged that more work needs to be done in terms of merchandising and store management.

Inventory reliability, for example, needs to be part of the turnaround. 

Customers who visit a store expecting to find a particular product may not return if it’s repeatedly unavailable or the shopping experience feels inconsistent.

Target said its inventory reliability metrics reached multiyear highs during the quarter. Maintaining those gains across its stores and merchandise categories will be critical.

Target also needs to restore a clear sense of what makes it different. Its strongest opportunities may lie in combining exclusive brands, trend-focused merchandise, and affordable design with the convenience customers expect from a major retailer.

That means making disciplined assortment decisions, refreshing underperforming departments, and ensuring that stores consistently deliver on their promises.

Price reductions do remain a useful tool, especially for families managing tight budgets. 

But Walmart, Costco, and other retailers can also compete on price, making it difficult for Target to build lasting customer loyalty through discounts alone.

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Ultimately, Target needs shoppers to believe that its stores offer something worth coming back for. 

Better prices can help bring customers through the doors. But fresh merchandise, reliable availability, and a distinctive shopping experience will determine whether they return.

Maurie Backman owns shares of Target.

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It’s part of a troubling trend that shows that at least some American consumers continue to struggle financially. Multiple recent surveys back up their broad idea, which multiple CEOs have said directly, that consumers are focusing on “needs not wants.”

“Consumers are not abandoning holiday spending, they’re becoming increasingly purposeful about where and how they spend,” said Kiara Barrett, head of global thought leadership at Circana. “Throughout 2026, we’ve seen shoppers shift toward a new definition of value, one that extends beyond price alone. “

That matches the findings of a study from EY Parthenon.

“Approximately 72% of consumers say they still have room to pull back dining, beauty and personal care, and apparel spending without meaningfully affecting their day-to-day lives, highlighting discretionary spending as an ongoing pressure valve for household budgets,” the research firm shared in its August consumer sentiment report.

Ollie’s Bargain Outlet CEO sees consumers trading down

Ollie’s Bargain Outlet CEO Eric Van der Valk offers the most recent example of citing consumer behavior as a drag on sales. He talked about it during Ollie’s second-quarter earnings call in September.

“Lower income customers are prioritizing needs over wants, shopping closer to need, and in many cases, delaying discretionary purchases where they can, while higher income customers continue to trade down in search of value,” he said.

Net sales for the chain rose by 9.1%, driven by new store openings, while same-store sales were down 1.8% year-over-year, according to the chain’s Q2 earnings release.

van der Valk shared more insight on his chain’s customers.

“The consumer remains resilient, but increasingly selective in how they choose to spend,” he added.

He noted that the chain was positioned to be a value on both ends.

“Our assortment spans both the consumable products that customers need and the discretionary products that they want,” he said.

Five Below and Dollar General see the same trend

“Our core customer, they are clearly prioritizing needs over wants,” Five Below CEO Joel Anderson said during the chain’s first-quarter 2025 earnings call.

Five Below delivered total sales growth of 11.8%, but posted a comparable sales decline of 2.3%, he shared during the call.

“Consumers were more discerning with their dollars, increasingly buying to need. We saw this in the types of products they purchased, choosing more items in our version of consumable categories such as candy, food and beverage, beauty, and HBA,” he added.

Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos, commented on similar things during his company’s September second-quarter earnings report.

“Coming out of Q2, obviously, the customer is strained. We see that, and the customer obviously is feeling it every day. And we’ve always said, we reserve the right to go in and do what we believe is necessary for our core consumer as well as any trade down consumer that we see coming in,” he said.

Home Depot and Lowe’s see a similar trend

Both Home Depot and Lowe’s executives commented on consumers putting off some projects during their most recent earnings calls.

“Larger discretionary projects remain under pressure,” Home Depot Executive Vice President of Merchandising Billy Bastek said during the chain’s second-quarter earnings call.

Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison blamed the cutbacks squarely on one thing during his company’s second-quarter earnings call.

“Elevated fuel prices combined with broader economic uncertainty have influenced household budgets. Customers continue to tell us that they are being cautious about their spending and prioritizing where and when they invest in their homes. As a result, discretionary DIY demand remains under pressure,” he said,

Gas prices remain high

“The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline fell 6 cents in the last week to $4.27,” AAA shared on Oct. 22.

But, high crude oil prices are preventing steep declines at the pump.

“Currently, the price for a barrel of crude oil is nearing $100 per barrel amid instability in the Strait of Hormuz. This month is poised to set a record as the most expensive October ever for gas prices following similar records set in August and September of this year,” the agency said.

• Oct. 22 National Average: $4.27 
• One Week Ago: $4.33
• One Month Ago: $4.47
• One Year Ago: $3.06 

“The hit to real disposable income from higher gas prices tends to weigh in particular on spending on cars and discretionary goods and services,” Goldman Sachs economist Jessica Rindels wrote in an April note.

The pinch is not felt equally across income brackets. Surging fuel costs act as a regressive burden, forcing lower-income families who have less financial cushion to curb driving or cut back sharply on basic merchandise, while higher-income shoppers can absorb the higher pump prices and instead shift to discount retail outlets to stretch their dollars.

Shoppers are being more careful

“Consumers haven’t stopped wanting things. They’ve just gotten better at talking themselves out of buying them,” RTM Nexus CEO Dominick Miserandino told The Street.

He thinks that consumers have shown restraint because they know they have bills to pay.

“People still want the new television, the nicer shoes and the weekend getaway, but unfortunately, the electric company and the grocery store get first dibs on their paycheck. When housing, insurance and groceries take up more of the budget, everything else has to earn its place in the shopping cart,” he added.

It’s a situation, he noted, that’s hitting some retailers harder than others.

“Consumers are still shopping, but they’re giving themselves fewer reasons to buy. That’s a tough environment for retailers that depend on impulse purchases, because consumers aren’t necessarily losing their appetite for spending. They’re just running out of room to indulge,” Miserandino shared.

Maurie Backman, a freelance retail and personal finance with over 20 years of experience, thinks it comes down to people simply not having the cash for extras.

“Given high costs, consumers have to make tough choices. That could mean maxing out the budget on essentials and skipping extras. It will be interesting to see how far consumers are willing to stretch themselves as the holidays approach. Some folks may be cutting back now to make room for added spending in late November and December,” she told TheStreet.

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And the efforts appear to be paying off. U.S. comparable-store sales rose 7.9% in its latest reported quarter, while customer transactions increased 4.2%.

In September, CEO Brian Niccol declared, “Starbucks is back,” signaling confidence in the company’s turnaround strategy.

Also read: Wawa, Sheetz, 7-Eleven face new challenge keeping shoppers coming back

But stronger sales have not stopped the coffee giant from closing underperforming locations and eliminating jobs. It is all part of its strategic return.

An Oct.7 regulatory filing identifies five permanent Starbucks coffeehouse closures in Washington state, affecting 43 store employees, as well as 8 additional job cuts at its Seattle headquarters.

In total, 51 employees are affected, with employment terminations scheduled between Nov. 14 and Dec. 4, 2026.

The latest disclosures follow another 5-store closure notice filed in Washington earlier this year. 

Meanwhile, 2 Starbucks locations at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport are also set to close following a separate decision regarding concession contracts.

Starbucks closes five coffeehouses in Washington

According to an Oct.7 Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) reviewed by TheStreet, Starbucks identified five locations for permanent closure across Seattle, Redmond, Spokane, and Vancouver.

The filing lists the following coffeehouses and affected employees:

Separately, Starbucks disclosed 8 permanent job cuts at its Seattle headquarters at 2401 Utah Avenue.

The affected corporate positions include an accountant, a director, a senior manager, a project manager, two managers, and two service representatives.

However, not all 51 affected employees will necessarily lose their jobs. Starbucks said some store employees would be offered transfers to nearby coffeehouses.

The filing also confirmed that employees at the Redmond and Spokane locations are union-represented.

One closure stands out for another reason.

The Starbucks at 999 Leary Way in Seattle opened in Feb. 2026 but closed in late September, just eight months later.

Related: How much SBUX stock does Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol actually own?

Starbucks previously closed five Seattle stores in 2026

The Oct. filing is not the first time Starbucks has disclosed multiple store closures in Washington this year.

A separate WARN notice dated March 27 identified five Seattle coffeehouses scheduled to close between March 29 and April 5, affecting 69 employees.

Those closures included locations on Madison Street, University Way, Minor Avenue, Harrison Street, and Sand Point Way.

Together, the March and October notices identify 10 distinct coffeehouses and 120 affected employee positions, including the eight headquarters jobs in the October filing.

The repeated disclosures come alongside corporate workforce reductions in Seattle.

As TheStreet previously reported, Starbucks disclosed in August that 224 headquarters employees were affected, including approximately 120 who declined transfers to its expanding Nashville operations.

The company has also been consolidating regional offices and streamlining its corporate organization.

Two Starbucks locations close at Seattle airport

Starbucks is also preparing to lose two coffeehouses at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, although these closures are unrelated to its corporate restructuring.

An Oct. 23 WARN notice filed by airport concession operator HMSHost confirms that its Starbucks location in Concourse A will permanently close as its airport contract expires.

The notice states that approximately 13 employees are expected to lose their jobs between Dec. 31, 2026, and Jan. 13, 2027.

However, there is a discrepancy in the filing.

While the letter identifies approximately 13 affected employees, its attached roster lists roughly 135 positions, including baristas, utility workers, and managers. Washington state’s WARN database also records 135 affected workers.

The difference has not been publicly clarified.

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Another Starbucks in Concourse C is also set to close, but its WARN notice has not yet been issued, and the precise store closure dates have not been announced.

The changes follow a competitive bidding process in which the airport selected 17 new dining and retail locations.

In its Sept. 15 announcement, the Port of Seattle confirmed Anchorhead Coffee and The Flora Bakehouse among the selected businesses.

Starbucks expressed disappointment that its concession contract was not renewed, telling local media it hopes to expand its presence at the airport again.

Once both locations close, two Starbucks coffeehouses will remain at the airport.

The airport closures are decisions made by the concession operator and the Port of Seattle, rather than part of Starbucks’ company-operated store closure program.

Why Starbucks continues to close stores?

The Washington closures are part of Starbucks’ broader “Back to Starbucks” restructuring, which aims to improve the customer experience while eliminating locations that do not meet its financial or operational expectations.

In a Sept. 24 announcement, Chief Operating Officer Mike Grams said Starbucks had identified approximately 250 North American coffeehouses for closure.

“While most are benefiting from this overall momentum, some coffeehouses continue to underperform,” Grams said.

According to the company’s September SEC filing, Starbucks expects approximately $300 million in restructuring charges, including $200 million in cash expenses primarily for lease exits and employee separation benefits.

The company had already reduced its U.S. store network before the announcement.

According to its third-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings report, Starbucks operated 16,933 U.S. locations at the end of June, down from 17,230 a year earlier.

Notably, Starbucks removes permanently closed coffeehouses from its comparable-store sales calculations beginning the month after closure.

This means improving sales at continuing locations do not necessarily reflect the performance of every coffeehouse in its network.

At the same time, Starbucks continues investing in renovations, faster service, and more comfortable seating, with a target of completing at least 1,500 coffeehouse upgrades in North America.

For customers losing their neighborhood Starbucks, the company says it will direct them to nearby locations. Employees who cannot be transferred will be offered severance support.

Starbucks is scheduled to report its fourth-quarter and full-year fiscal 2026 earnings on Oct. 29.

The results will provide a clearer picture of whether the coffee giant maintained its sales momentum and how its restructuring is affecting the business.

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At the time, I had an annual contract with the chain, so because there was another location about four miles away, I was not allowed to cancel my membership. That distance, however, was deceptive. During rush hour — the time period I was most often free to work out — it took more than 30 minutes to drive that four miles.

Now, tens of thousands of LA Fitness members will find themselves in the same boat, as the chain has been closing locations nationwide. In some cases, those shuttered gyms are being reopened under the higher-end Club Studio’s name, another brand owned by LA Fitness’ parent company Fitness International.

Once my contract expired, I never actually got around to canceling my membership because the company does not make that process easy. That’s actually the subject of a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigation that has been ongoing since August 2025.

It’s also a situation that’s repeating itself for me because the LA Fitness about three miles from our new home closed and will be replaced by a Club Studios.

LA Fitness closes one chain to sometimes open another

LA Fitness has quietly been closing gyms across multiple markets.

“As of October 24, 2026, Store Closure Watch has tracked 19 LA Fitness closure-related events across the U.S., including 16 recorded store closures. Another 3 are conversions: the store changes to another brand at the same site. Where the source names the new brand, 3 are recorded as converting to Club Studio, according to Four Lights Analytics Store Closure Watch.

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Florida was hardest hit with 11 closures, while Connecticut and Illinois both will lose three LA Fitness locations, and New York and Rhode Island will each lose one.

The wave of shutdowns has extended across the country, with Fitness International shutting locations in Centereach, New York; Newington, Connecticut; Holmdel, New Jersey; Southfield, Michigan; and Burnsville, Minnesota.

Alongside the physical closures, members have also faced cutbacks to club programming, including the elimination of cycling classes.

Fitness International has publicly stated that it plans to grow the Club Studios brand from 15 to 50 locations nationwide within the next year.

Club Studios costs a lot more

The LA Fitness closing near me serves a wealthy community adjacent to the town I live in. It’s a city known for hosting polo matches and other equestrian events, and Fitness International likely sees its higher-end brand as a better fit for that market.

Club Studios, which was created in 2023, offers boutique fitness classes and additional wellness amenities.

Both chains come with very different price tags.

LA Fitness and Club Studios membership cost comparison

• Club Studio can cost nearly four times as much. At the example prices above, annual membership costs $1,908 versus $488.88 at LA Fitness.
• Club Studio combines a conventional gym with boutique classes. Its offerings include reformer Pilates, cycling, and other instructor-led workouts, as well as strength and cardio equipment.
• The premium isn’t just about classes. Club Studio locations can also offer amenities such as pools, saunas, steam rooms, and towel service.
• The price gap varies by market. The company’s official enrollment pages show location-specific pricing, so compare the same local market before presenting the difference as a general rule.
  • Sources: LA Fitness official membership pricing and Club Studio official pricing

Prices vary by location.

LA Fitness makes it hard to quit

LA Fitness does not allow contracted members to quit simply because their local gym has closed. Technically, if there’s another gym within 25 miles, you cannot cancel your contract, according to its membership agreement.

Even when your contract expires, the company makes quitting a challenge, which is the subject of the FTC lawsuit.

“The Federal Trade Commission today sued the operators of LA Fitness and other gyms over allegations they make it exceedingly difficult for consumers to cancel their gym memberships and related services that continued indefinitely unless canceled. The agency is seeking a court order prohibiting the allegedly unfair conduct and money back for consumers harmed by the difficulty in canceling memberships,” the federal agency shared in an August 2025 press release.

Traditionally, LA Fitness has required consumers who want to cancel their membership to either go to the gym itself or send a cancellation notice by mail.

“To start the process, LA Fitness has instructed consumers to log into its website and print a cancellation form. But even logging in can be cumbersome because consumers often do not recall their login credentials, and LA Fitness requires consumers to use the email address used to establish membership, the ‘key tag’ number assigned at start up, and the first five digits of their credit card or bank account number to reset their login credentials,” the FTC shared.

In my case, I don’t have my key tag anymore, nor do I remember which credit card I used to start the account.

“At the hearing, LA Fitness’s counsel made several arguments in response. She contended that the gym does offer a simple online cancellation mechanism on its website and that the online cancellation flow requires fewer clicks than enrollment,” law firm Frankfurt, Kurnit, Klein, and Selz shared on its Advertising Law updates page.

She also argued that members knew what they were getting into.

“Consumers, she added, received disclosures about cancellation procedures in their membership agreements and enrollment flows, and none of that information was in fine print. Given what she characterized as the ‘absolute absence of any real allegations’ of harm in the FTC’s complaint, she argued it ‘really boggles the mind’ how the cancellation process could be deemed not simple as a matter of law,” she shared.

The case remains open.

“The bottom line for subscription and membership businesses is this: adequate disclosure of a cumbersome cancellation process does not make it simple, and a cancellation experience that is structurally harder than sign-up is the kind of asymmetry that draws FTC attention regardless of whether a new rule is on the books,” Frankfurt, Kurnit, Klein, and Selz explained.

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Walmart employs about 2.1 million people in total, with roughly 1.6 million associates located in the U.S.

Now, Walmart is making a change to its workplace benefits. 

The move evokes a key Costco strategy that’s long worked well and helped the warehouse club giant stand out in the competitive retail industry.

Walmart boosts its healthcare benefits package

Walmart has announced major enhancements to its U.S. employee benefits package in October, including free prescription medications for hundreds of drugs, expanded access to specialists for rare conditions, and dedicated paid leave for eligible employees whose newborns require intensive care.

The changes will begin in 2027, except for neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) leave, which begins Nov. 17, 2026.

“We’re adding even more ways for our associates and their families to live better through comprehensive and affordable healthcare and benefits,” said Walmart Chief People Officer Donna Morris in the press release.

The new health benefits are designed to target a wide range of employees. 

Walmart’s Zero Dollar prescription tier, for example, applies to more than 250 generic, brand-name, and specialty medications.

The move comes on top of Walmart’s already affordable health insurance options. The company says full-time and eligible part-time employees can access medical coverage starting at $39.80 per biweekly pay period.

The above changes, however, give employees additional financial protection and support during some of life’s most expensive and stressful healthcare situations.

Walmart aims to follow Costco’s lead with top-tier employee benefits

Walmart’s boosted healthcare benefits reflect a broader lesson from Costco, which has long been a huge competitor. 

Costco has built a reputation for offering competitive pay and benefits, including affordable health insurance, helping it retain employees for years rather than constantly replacing workers who leave for other opportunities.

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The company’s fiscal 2026 annual report said approximately 94% of its U.S. and Canadian employees who had been with the retailer for at least one year remained with the company. 

Costco also reported an average hourly employee wage of approximately $33 in the United States at the end of the fiscal year.

Those figures reflect a workforce strategy built around competitive compensation, benefits, and opportunities for advancement.

But strong workplace perks don’t just benefit employees. They benefit customers indirectly.

When employees are happy with their benefits, they tend to stay longer. That stability can translate into a more consistent shopping experience.

A more stable workforce can reduce the disruption associated with frequent hiring and training. Experienced employees may also be better equipped to answer questions, resolve problems, and help customers navigate a busy store.

For Costco, those benefits support a business model that depends on high sales volumes, operational efficiency, and members who believe their annual fees are worth paying.

Walmart’s new benefits do not mean it will automatically achieve Costco’s retention levels. The retailers have different workforces and operating structures, and benefits are only one factor influencing employee turnover.

Still, Walmart’s investment underscores the reality that employee welfare and customer satisfaction are not necessarily separate goals. When retailers help workers manage healthcare expenses and family responsibilities, they may also improve their ability to attract and retain experienced employees.

A better-supported workforce can help create a more reliable, efficient, and pleasant shopping experience that gives customers another reason to return.

Maurie Backman owns shares of Walmart and Costco.

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Furniture stores rely on a strong housing market to prompt customers to purchase their living room, dining room, and bedroom furnishings. When the housing market declines, as it has over the last four years, so do furniture sales.

Existing home sales have declined to their lowest level in 30 years after mortgage rates spiked from over 3% in late 2021 to about 7.24% on Oct. 26, 2026, according to Realtor.com. In the first half of 2026, furniture store sales declined 2% year-to-date to $65.1 billion, according to U.S. Department of Commerce in July.

Four furniture retailers close businesses

Four independent furniture retailers — Garnand Fine Furniture, Hurwitz Mintz, American Home Furniture & Mattress, and Hart’s Home Furniture & Mattress — announced they would close their stores and liquidate all inventory over the next few weeks.

“The traditional business model is no longer viable,” bankruptcy attorney Jonathan Shenson, of Greenberg Glusker LLP told TheStreet in an email. “Consumers are sourcing furniture overseas, purchasing online, or buying through mass distributors and national chains such as Ikea, and independent, family-owned stores cannot compete on those economics.”

“At the same time, furniture is a big-ticket, discretionary purchase, and a weakening economy and persistent inflation have led customers to defer those purchases. Where the underlying business is no longer sustainable, an orderly liquidation of inventory and closure is often the most rational outcome, and that is the pattern emerging across the sector,” Shenson said.

116-year-old store liquidates

Garnand Fine Furniture in Garden City, Kan., which at its peak operated five locations in Kansas and one in Nebraska, is closing its final location at 1401 East Kansas Ave. after operating for 116 years, the company said in an Oct. 22 statement.

The family-owned and operated store will be open for the next four to five weeks or however long it takes to liquidate its inventory, a person who answered the store phone said on Oct. 26.

“The decision comes after much consideration and marks the end of a truly remarkable chapter — one made possible by the loyalty, friendship and trust generations of customers have placed in Garnand Fine Furniture over more than a century,” the retailer said in a statement.

Garnand Fine Furniture did not state a specific reason for closing the store.

Another store closes after 102 years

Family-owned Hurwitz Mintz in Metairie, La., announced on its website that it is closing after 102 years of operating but has not set a final date of operations.

“Thank you for more than a century of shopping with Hurwitz Mintz!,” the company said on its website. “Until we say goodbye, we invite you to enjoy tremendous savings of 60% to 70% off storewide.”

Hurwitz Mintz also did not state a reason for closing.

Albuquerque, N.M.-based American Home Furniture & Mattress, which has been in business for 90 years, announced on its website that it is going out of business and liquidating its inventory. The store will close its doors permanently in a couple of weeks after it finishes selling off its inventory, a person who answered the store phone said on Oct. 26.

American Home Furniture & Mattress did not indicate why it was shutting down.

Finally, Auburn, Mass.-based Hart’s Home Furniture & Mattress, which opened three years ago, has scheduled a final day of operation for Oct. 27, which will be followed by an online auction at the end of the week, a person who answered the store’s phone said on Oct. 26.

The furniture store is closing after its building was sold to another furniture retail operation.

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If I need something only available from Target and I need it fast, I’ll place my order on Uber Eats, even though it will often cost more than buying it in-store.

It’s a weakness for the retail giant, as it’s losing sales to Amazon and Walmart because those retailers offer next-day, and in some cases, same-day delivery.

That’s an area where Target has been quietly investing in an effort to bridge the gap with its rivals.

Target improves its delivery

While Target has never been top-of-mind for me when it comes to delivery, the chain has been expanding its reach.

“Over 60% of the U.S. population has access to quicker, easier shopping as Target expands next-day delivery of online orders to more markets. Guests in more than 50 top U.S. metro areas will be able to get their purchases delivered next day — in many cases for free. It’s yet another option among Target’s fulfillment offerings, which also includes guest-favorite same-day services and two-day shipping,” the chain shared in a press release.

Target owns Shipt, which offers free same-day delivery on orders over $35. It also offers a $99 annual membership that waives those limits.

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The chain has also expanded its selection of items available for delivery.

“Most items eligible for shipping at Target are eligible for next-day delivery. That includes hundreds of thousands of items — 85% of what we sell in Target stores,” the chain shared.

Next-day delivery is free for orders over $35 or with no minimum order amount if you’re a Target Circle 360 member or use your Target Circle Card for purchases.

“This is just one of the ways Target offers a convenient digital shopping experience. We already reach 80% of the U.S. population with same-day delivery — often within two or three hours — and 99% with two-day shipping. And our Order Pickup and Drive Up services are always free and available for guests on their timeline,” Target shared.

Target needs to fix delivery

Target has a big bridge to cross in order to catch up to its rivals.

Walmart already serves nearly the entire country with same-day service.

“We expanded our U.S. store-fulfilled delivery areas in Q4 FY25. We can now reach 93% of U.S. households with same-day delivery,” the company shared in its fourth-quarter 2025 earnings release.

That number climbed to 95%, according to an April press release.

eMarketer analyst Rachel Wolff warned in April that Target faces a difficult path to catching up with Amazon and Walmart on delivery speed.

“Target’s delivery speed disadvantage underscores how difficult it is to catch up as Amazon and Walmart are zooming ahead. At this point, it’s unclear whether Target has the means — or even the vision — to close the gaps with its competitors.

“Much of the company’s turnaround strategy is rooted in returning to its pre-pandemic model, rather than reinventing the business for an age in which customer loyalty is more fragile and more spending is shifting online,” she wrote.

Target tries to catch up to Amazon and Walmart

RTM Nexus CEO Dominick Miserandino had a simple response when I asked him about Target investing in delivery.

“They need to! They’re the go to for that quick purchase and that feeling of getting it asap is the consumer standard,” he told TheStreet.

Target COO Lisa Roath talked about delivery during the chain’s second-quarter earnings call.

“We also saw meaningful gains in delivery speed. This past quarter, we fulfilled nearly 30% more same-day and next-day units than last year, and we will continue investing to get even faster,” she said.

Delivery, she noted, is part of a broader effort to improve customer service.

“When we combine the impact of our in-store transitions, assortment changes, tech enhancements and improvements in inventory reliability, it all adds up to an elevated experience that is being noticed by our guests,” she added.

Those efforts, Roath shared, have started to pay off.

“Overall satisfaction scores continue to improve across multiple measures of the guest experience, extending the momentum we shared with you last quarter and reinforcing that our continued investments in our teams, training and our team’s tireless execution are making a difference,” the COO said.

The chain has been addressing concerns that GlobalData Managing Director Neil Saunders raised in September ahead of Michael Fiddelke taking over as CEO.

“Visiting Target stores is less pleasurable and less fun than it used to be,” Saunders said in an email. “There is far too much friction, and the experience is sometimes unpleasant. That’s an issue as it lowers the probability of people making visits, reduces visit frequency, and weakens conversion and basket size when people are in stores,” he told Retail Dive.

Related: Best Buy offers a price match policy Target dropped

But what happens when the advertised price isn’t what customers actually pay at checkout?

A New York investigation found that Dollar General repeatedly charged customers more than advertised, sometimes by as much as 39% on individual items.

Now, the retailer has agreed to a $1.875 million settlement and major changes to its pricing practices. The discount retailer has denied any wrongdoing.

However, those who were overcharged will not receive direct refunds under the new agreement.

Also read: Coffee Price Check: Starbucks, Dunkin’, 7 Brew, Wawa, and McDonald’s

Dollar General agrees to settle for $1.875 million for overcharging

On Oct. 15, New York Attorney General Letitia James confirmed the settlement following an investigation into complaints that Dollar General customers were charged higher prices at the register than those displayed on shelves and in advertisements.

According to the original settlement agreement, investigators reviewed 913 government price-accuracy inspections involving 287 Dollar General stores between fiscal 2021 and 2023.

They found that 43% of those inspections failed to meet the state’s requirement that stores should price at least 98% of inspected items accurately.

They also conducted an undercover investigation during which officials purchased 114 items at 11 Western New York stores. They were overcharged on 16 items, or approximately 14% of those purchases.

The four largest overcharges were 39%, 38%, 26%, and 22% above the lowest advertised prices.

The investigation also found inconsistent pricing across shelf tags, digital coupons, and weekly advertisements.

Receipts created another problem. Some displayed original prices without clearly identifying the discounts customers received, making it difficult to verify what they had actually paid.

“When New Yorkers see a sale price advertised on the shelf, they should be able to trust that they’ll be charged that same price at the register,” James said in her Oct. 15 announcement.

Dollar General neither admitted nor denied the investigation’s findings.

What will Dollar General change for shoppers?

Under the settlement, Dollar General must honor the lowest price displayed on an item’s shelf label, advertised promotion, price tag, or checkout register across its New York stores.

The retailer also agreed to:

• Provide employees with price-accuracy training.
• Display notices informing customers about its lowest-price policy.
• Redesign receipts to show discounts and savings more clearly.
• Conduct independent pricing audits twice annually at every New York store.
• Correct discrepancies identified through inspections and audits within 24 hours.

The company has 18 months to complete the receipt changes.

The settlement amount is not in cash and will not be used to refund overcharged customers.

Instead, the state has asked Dollar General to donate $1.875 million worth of food and personal care products to Foodlink, a nonprofit serving New York communities.

Dollar General previously faced a $15 million pricing lawsuit settlement

The recent settlement is not the first of its kind for Dollar General. This New York agreement follows a separate nationwide legal dispute over similar checkout-price discrepancies.

Earlier this year in February, a New Jersey court approved a class-action settlement valued at $15 million in Braun v. Dolgencorp LLC.

That agreement included an $8.5 million cash settlement fund and additional relief valued at $6.5 million.

Unlike the latest New York agreement, the nationwide class-action settlement offered qualifying customers compensation for documented overcharges and a $3 in-store discount benefit.

The deadline for submitting claims or registering for benefits was April 13, 2026.

Dollar General denied wrongdoing in that case.

The settlement comes as Dollar General continues to emphasize low prices to attract customers feeling the pressure of household expenses.

In its second-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings report, the retailer reported sales rising 5.2% to $11.3 billion and comparable-store sales increasing 3.5%.

The company has also promoted thousands of products priced at $1 or less as part of its strategy to attract value-conscious shoppers.

But the settlement highlights why accurate pricing matters just as much as advertised discounts. Next time you are in a store, make sure to look at the advertised prices against your receipt.

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Customers are making fewer trips, even as retailers expand their food menus, mobile apps and loyalty programs to give shoppers more reasons to return.

Convenience store transactions fell 4.5% during the first half of 2026 compared with a year earlier, according to data from the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) presented at its annual industry show and as reported by C-Store Dive.

This roughly means more than 1,100 fewer transactions per store on average. Visits to fuel pumps have also declined, with consumers becoming increasingly likely to skip the store even when stopping for gas.

Higher fuel prices have added to the pressure on household budgets, encouraging shoppers to reconsider unnecessary trips and purchases.

For convenience store chains such as Wawa, Sheetz, and 7-Eleven, the challenge is no longer simply attracting customers to the gas pump. It is convincing them that stopping inside to shop or ordering through an app is worth their money.

And a new customer satisfaction study suggests some chains are doing better than others. Let’s take a look at what some of the major convenience chains are doing to get higher scores.

Also read: Spectrum faces new customer problem after Cox acquisition

Meijer beat Wawa, Sheetz in customer satisfaction

Midwestern retailer Meijer emerged as the highest-rated convenience store operator in the 2026 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Convenience Store Study, released earlier this month.

Meijer’s satisfaction score rose to 82 out of 100, up from 78 in 2025, the only one in the top spot.

Wawa and Sheetz, meanwhile, each dropped two points to 80, tying with QuikTrip for second place. Kwik Trip, last year’s leader, fell five points to 79.

But despite Meijer’s improvement, the general satisfaction across the convenience store industry slipped to 75 from 76.

The study, based on 9,475 completed surveys, identified declining mobile app quality and store conditions as major weaknesses.

Mobile app quality fell to 80 from 84, even as convenience stores increasingly rely on digital ordering and rewards to encourage repeat purchases.

This contrasts with what retailers expect and what they deliver to their users.

While they are being encouraged to use loyalty apps to save money, customer satisfaction with those apps is declining.

Why convenience stores are betting on loyalty rewards

Loyalty programs are becoming an important way for retailers to maintain repeat business as consumers grow more selective about where they shop.

The ACSI study found that 65% of convenience store loyalty members visit their primary store at least once a week, compared with 46% of nonmembers.

Rewards members also reported higher satisfaction, with an overall experience score of 77 versus 73 for nonmembers.

The biggest difference was in promotions, which members rated 8 points higher than shoppers who didn’t participate.

And the value of those programs varies considerably across major convenience store chains. I compared loyalty rewards and discounts across five major convenience stores to create this table.

Which gas station offers best discounts and rewards program?

I looked at Meijer, Wawa, Sheetz, 7-Eleven, and Quik Trip to analyze loyalty awards. Data sources included Meijer mPerks, Wawa Rewards, Sheetz Rewardz, 7Rewards, and QT Pay.

Meijer has an advantage that some traditional convenience store operators cannot easily replicate. Customers can earn rewards on qualifying grocery purchases and redeem accumulated points for fuel discounts at Meijer Express stations.

QuikTrip takes a different approach, offering an immediate percentage discount on eligible purchases through QT Pay instead of requiring customers to accumulate points. The trade-off is linking a checking account to the service.

Meanwhile, Wawa shoppers have questioned whether their accumulated points still offer the same value.

In a May discussion on Reddit’s r/Wawa community, customers complained that some food rewards required more points than before, including a breakfast burrito, which users said had increased from 500 to 750 points.

These individual reports do not automatically establish the extent of customer dissatisfaction, but they highlight an important concern with points-based programs.

Even if shoppers continue earning points at the same rate, changes to redemption requirements can reduce the value of those points.

7-Eleven looks beyond gas stations to win customer orders

Convenience stores are also looking for ways to reach customers who don’t want to make a separate trip.

7-Eleven, for example, offers delivery through its 7NOW platform and third-party services such as Uber Eats, allowing customers to order snacks, drinks, groceries, and prepared foods without going into the store.

Uber Eats also allows shoppers to bundle orders from a nearby convenience store or another participating business into a single order, without paying a second delivery fee.

The multi-store ordering feature was introduced in 2023, illustrating how convenience stores can compete for purchases that might otherwise go to supermarkets or restaurants.

I think this was genius because as a consumer, I don’t want to pay $4 for a soda can when I can buy a 2L cold drink bottle for the same price by clubbing my order with a convenience store.

7-Eleven has also expanded its subscription strategy through Gold Pass, which costs $9.95 per month or $95 annually.

Members receive benefits including seven eligible free drinks per month, additional fuel discounts, and zero delivery fees on qualifying orders, although other charges may still apply.

The approach mirrors a wider shift across retail.

On Oct. 20, Walmart introduced a combined Walmart+ and Sam’s Club Plus membership for $120 annually, bundling fuel savings, delivery benefits, and other shopping perks.

The announcement underscores how major retailers are increasingly using memberships to encourage customers to make more of their purchases within a single shopping ecosystem.

For convenience stores, however, loyalty rewards alone may not be enough.

The ACSI study shows that while rewards members report higher satisfaction, customers are becoming less pleased with the apps and store experiences that support those programs.

For shoppers, the consideration goes beyond the lower prices that come with a loyalty program. The actual savings depend on how frequently they shop, which rewards they redeem and whether the benefits outweigh the extra steps required to use them.

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Now, Costco is finding another way to make its membership more valuable.

The warehouse club’s pharmacy business is growing rapidly as it expands programs aimed at improving affordability and convenience for members. 

And if Costco continues on this path, members might have even more reasons to renew.

Costco’s pharmacy business is booming

Costco reported that pharmacy sales increased nearly 20% during fiscal 2026, helped by GLP-1 programs, fertility offerings, and digital tools that allow customers to pay for prescriptions ahead of pickup.

The results highlight how Costco is extending its value-focused business model into healthcare, an area where consumers are particularly sensitive to rising costs.

“Our ancillary businesses also performed very well across the board with gas, pharmacy, and travel leading the way, all growing at a faster pace than our overall growth rate,” said Costco CEO Ron Vachris during the company’s most recent earnings call.

Pharmacy’s performance is especially notable because the company achieved double-digit prescription growth, despite pressure from lower drug prices tied to Medicare’s Maximum Fair Price changes.

Costco is making pharmacy more convenient

Costco’s pharmacy growth reflects investments in services designed to make obtaining medication easier, including programs targeting demand for GLP-1 drugs and digital prescription tools.

GLP-1 medications have attracted significant attention for their role in treating diabetes and, for certain drugs, obesity. 

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Their cost and accessibility have become important considerations for patients, making affordability-focused pharmacy programs particularly relevant.

Costco also expanded its fertility programs, giving members another healthcare-related service through the retailer.

On the convenience side, Costco is pushing digital options such as Rx Mobile Pay Ahead and prescription pickup lockers. 

These tools allow customers to complete more of the prescription process before arriving at the pharmacy, potentially reducing waiting times and making errands easier to fit into busy schedules.

The adoption numbers suggest members are responding. According to Costco management, many U.S. warehouses now see more than one-third of prescriptions processed through Rx Pay Ahead.

Vachris also emphasized the company’s approach to lower drug prices during the call.

“At Costco, when we see lower prices, we see an opportunity,” Vachris said, explaining that the company had taken advantage of lower GLP-1 and other drug prices to generate additional growth.

That approach fits Costco’s broader strategy of using competitive pricing to attract customers and encourage them to purchase more, rather than relying exclusively on higher prices to drive sales.

Pharmacy strengthens Costco’s membership value

Pharmacy is important to Costco because it gives members another reason to renew their memberships and visit its warehouses.

The retailer is already known for discounted groceries, household essentials, and affordable gasoline. Healthcare services extend that value proposition into an essential category that many households need throughout the year.

Prescription medications can represent a recurring expense, particularly for people managing chronic conditions or taking multiple medications. 

Making the purchasing process more convenient while pursuing competitive pricing gives Costco another opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of membership.

The strategy also supports Costco’s ability to generate more business from existing customers. 

Members who already shop for groceries or fill up their cars at Costco may appreciate being able to handle prescription needs during the same trip. That combination of convenience and value can help strengthen customer loyalty without requiring the retailer to rely solely on merchandise discounts.

The pharmacy business also demonstrates Costco’s ability to grow beyond its traditional retail categories. 

There are still challenges, including pricing pressure and the need to keep healthcare offerings competitive. 

However, Costco’s growth in the category suggests that additional services and digital convenience can help offset some of those pressures.

Maurie Backman owns shares of Costco.

Related: Costco is getting a new kind of member

“More than half of holiday shoppers (56%) say the state of the economy will affect their holiday spending plans this year,” according to the National Retail Federation’s annual consumer survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics.

“Among those consumers, 43% plan to shop for sales more often, 31% will comparison shop online more often, and 29% will use coupons more often, among other strategies to make the season more affordable.”

Walmart plans to address those concerns by holding three major holiday shopping events from Nov. 12 through Dec. 2, bringing savings on gifts, seasonal favorites, and everyday essentials.

It’s a simple strategy designed to give shoppers more value as people try to celebrate the holidays while staying within their budget.

Walmart meets consumers where they are

“With affordability top of mind, holiday shoppers are taking a thoughtful approach to spending, balancing value with preserving traditions that make the holiday season special,” NRF Vice President of Industry and Consumer Insights Allison Zeller said.

Walmart, with its three sales events, is trying to deliver that, according to a press release.

Early Black Friday Deals: Nov. 12-15

• The event begins on Walmart.com at 12:01 a.m. EST and in stores at 6 a.m. local time.
• Walmart+ early access to hot Deal drops also begins at 12:01 a.m. EST on Nov. 12. Any remaining hot Deal drop items will open to all customers at 12:01 a.m. EST on Nov. 13.

Black Friday Deals: Nov. 23-29

• The event begins on Walmart.com at 12:01 a.m. EST and in stores at 6 a.m. local time.
• Walmart+ early access to hot Deal drops also begins at 12:01 a.m. EST on Nov. 23. Any remaining hot Deal drop items will open to all customers at 12:01 a.m. EST on Nov. 24.

Cyber Monday: Nov. 30-Dec. 2

• The event begins on Walmart.com at 12:01 a.m. EST.

Walmart did not share what would be different with each of the three sales. Instead, it offered a broad preview of the events.

“Customers can explore thousands of gifts under $20, discover the season’s most-wanted toys and find elevated fashion, beauty and home favorites at Walmart prices. Walmart’s Top Toys list also makes gift hunting easier, with 25 toys on this year’s list priced under $25,” the company shared.

During both the Early Black Friday and Black Friday events, select online-only deals will be reserved exclusively for Walmart+ members for the first 24 hours, while supplies last, giving members an early opportunity to score savings on holiday gifts.

Walmart is seeing wealthier shoppers

Walmart CEO John Furner commented on where the chain has been succeeding during its second-quarter earnings call.

“For Walmart U.S., I feel good about how the underlying business is performing. The team delivered strong sales growth in categories like toys, pantry and fresh, and we continue to see growth from higher-income households,” he said.

Furner also explained what he sees customers looking for.

“First, everything we do starts with serving customers and members as an omnichannel retailer. Core to that is delivering value and maintaining price leadership. As we said coming out of Q1, customers tell us they’re still feeling some pressure, but it’s clear. Customers are looking for value and convenience and they want things fast, and that’s where Walmart shines,” he said.

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RTM Nexus CEO Dominick Miserandino thinks that Walmart is trying to get a holiday jump on its rivals.

“Walmart is trying to get the customer to check Walmart first and then keep coming back,” he told TheStreet.

Holding multiple events, he added, is a smart strategy.

“Spreading the deals across three events gives them multiple chances to capture the same holiday budget before it goes to Amazon, Target or somewhere else. The Walmart+ early access is smart too, because the discount becomes a reason to keep the membership, not just a reason to buy one cheap television,” he shared.

Related: McDonald’s holiday menu goes in a different direction

When you build your brand around a spokesperson who goes to jail after being convicted of heinous crimes, it’s hard to refocus the discussion on how big his pants used to be.

If Tony the Tiger mauled the soccer team he appears to coach in commercials, Frosted Flakes might still be “great,” but the cereal would be hit with some collateral damage.

You can’t blame Subway’s woes on Jared Fogle’s 2015 conviction, but the chain’s decline did begin falling from its peak in 2015.

Now, another Subway franchisee, Gerold Shelton, has closed all of his locations. That’s a drop in the bucket compared to the chain’s overall decline, but it’s a sign that its troubles remain ongoing.

Subway loses another franchisee

Shelton, who has been a Subway franchisee since 2021, has closed all five of his stores.

“I’ve been a franchisee with Subway since 2021, and I still believe in Subway and want them to succeed, but unfortunately it just won’t be with me,” Shelton told a local news outlet.

It remains possible, however, that the corporate office could re-franchise or reopen the stores itself.

“I had great teams in place at all five of my locations, and I truly appreciate all their time, hard work and energy they put in to build what we had. I am surrendering the locations to Subway corporate in order to speed up the process to get them reopened as soon as possible,” he said.

This closure follows two other Subway franchisees that recently filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

• 43-unit operator MTF Enterprises filed for Chapter 11 earlier this year after it faced financial difficulties arising from Merchant Cash Advance loans, according to court documents filed on Pacer Monitor.
• In 2024, River Sub, a 48-unit operator, declared bankruptcy following a wrongful death case, according to court documents filed on Pacer Monitor.

Subway has been shrinking

Subway’s business always seemed to be driven by offering low prices. As someone who grew up in Massachusetts, an area filled with local sub shops, I can’t see any reason to eat at a chain sub shop aside from price.

Restaurant Business Editor in Chief Jonathan Maze shared his thoughts on the chain’s decline.

“Its fundamental flaw has always been too many locations and a too-long focus on low prices, which has made its prices these days seem too expensive. Franchisees are closing stores. Others have cut back on staff or taken other steps in a bid for survival, such as refusing to accept discounts. That just makes matters worse,” he wrote.

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RTM Nexus CEO Dominick Miserandino agrees that the sandwich chain has built too many locations.

Subway’s problem is that it spent years putting restaurants everywhere. At some point, you can’t have two stores fighting over the same sandwich customer. Closing weaker locations can actually make the remaining franchisees healthier.

Subway’s decline has been steep

• Subway lost a net 729 U.S. restaurants in 2025, its largest annual decline since 2021. It ended the year with 18,773 locations, according to its 2026 franchise disclosure document.
• The chain has lost 3,417 net locations since the start of 2021. Its U.S. restaurant count fell from 22,190 to 18,773 over that period.
• Subway has shrunk by more than 8,300 net locations since 2015. It peaked at approximately 27,100 U.S. restaurants before its long decline began.
• The decline has continued for 10 consecutive years. Subway’s U.S. store count fell every year from 2016 through 2025.
• Low sales per restaurant remain a challenge. Circana estimates Subway’s average unit volume at roughly $500,000 annually, considerably below major competitors such as Jersey Mike’s.
  • Sources: Restaurant Dive, QSR Magazine

Subway still operates 18,773 locations, according to its FDD.

Related: Best Buy offers a price match policy Target dropped

The chain closed 243 locations in 2025, 299 in 2024, and 318 in 2023, according to its 2025 annual report. In addition, rival Walgreens closed roughly 600 locations during the same time period, and Rite Aid shut down entirely.

It’s a crisis that has forced CVS to reconsider its business and make major changes designed to drive more customers to its stores.

CVS and Walgreens “probably do have too many stores because they overexpanded, but the bigger problem is that the stores that they have are not very good,” GlobalData Managing Director Neil Saunders told NPR.

To fix that, CVS plans to add new merchandise designed to drive customers to its stores. It’s an attempt to make the pharmacy chain less about necessities and more about the treasure-hunt experience that Costco and Marshalls offer.

CVS embraces the treasure hunt

Costco and Marshalls use an ever-changing selection of merchandise to attract customers to their stores. Instead of people coming in simply because they need something, this model entices visits just to see what the store might have.

CVS has embraced this model by adding an expanded assortment of collectibles, nostalgic favorites, limited-edition products, and seasonal finds for fall, introducing new brands, exclusive products, and trending products across toys, beauty, snacks, and seasonal categories.

Rolling out this fall at CVS Pharmacy stores and CVS.com, the assortment is designed to bring an element of discovery to everyday shopping trips, the company shared in a press release.

“From Pokémon trading cards and blind-box collectibles to sensory toys, throwback-inspired beauty and limited-edition snacks, CVS Pharmacy is expanding categories shaped by nostalgia and discovery. Frequent product refreshes, seasonal launches and limited-time drops will give shoppers more reasons to see what is new throughout the season,” the company shared.

Here’s how the treasure hunt works

Former Ross Dress for Less CEO Barbara Rentler explained how the treasure-hunt model works during the retailer’s third-quarter 2024 earnings release.

“It’s really about the value you’re putting on the floor, the products and the value, it always comes back to the product and the value. And then it will turn quickly because the customer knows in a treasure hunt environment, if I don’t buy it, it won’t be there next week,” she said.

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Costco CEO Ron Vachris spoke about bringing the treasure-hunt aspect from the warehouse to online shopping during the chain’s third-quarter 2024 earnings call.

“We never want to compromise the treasure hunt of Costco. And that’s equally as important as people that go to Costco.com never knew that they needed a 16-foot shed. And they see a phenomenal value, as they do in the warehouse,” he said.

It’s a model that drives added spending, he added.

“And again, it goes a lot of times with that treasure hunt. … [You’ve] heard the phrase, ‘People come in to spend $100 and walk out with $300.’ That’s because our buyers and our operators do a great job in making the warehouses exciting,” he said.

“When they come in there and do their basic shopping, they pick up a few additional items that just compel them at the time,” Vachris shared.

CVS faces an uphill battle

Maurie Backman, a reporter who has covered retail for more than 10 years, is skeptical that CVS can become a treasure-hunt destination.

“Most people who shop at CVS run in for necessities like shampoo or pain relievers, often in conjunction with a pharmacy visit. It’s a stretch to think that CVS will morph into an actual shopping destination unless the company seriously overhauls its shelves and expands into new categories,” she told TheStreet.

CVS plans to do just that. The company shared some of the merchandise it plans to add:

• CVS exclusives: Joyward Halloween Squishes and limited-edition Well Market® seasonal snacks, including Pumpkin Spice Mini Cookies and Waffle Cones with Milk Chocolate
• Collectibles: Pokémon trading cards, Nook Nook Series 1 blind boxes, and other character-driven surprise-and-reveal products, with new launches rolling out throughout the fall
• Toys and sensory products: Squishy Potato, Plush Sugar Ball, Fried Chicken Squish, Spinner Ball, and seasonal releases including Holiday Butter, Holiday Dumplings, and Snoopy Dumpling
• Beauty: Beauty Creations x Disney’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Lip Oils and Lip Serums, The Creme Shop x Peanuts Great Pumpkin Collection, x+y=beauty Cozy Latte Collection, and Kiss Nails Flaunt Your Haunt Limited Edition Nail Designs, including Glow in the Dark Press-On Nails
• Seasonal treats: Wonka Oompa Loompa Gummies and Magic Garden Ropes, Dunkin’ Pumpkin Spice Ground Coffee and K-Cups, Oreo Apple Pie a La Mode Limited Edition Flavor and Halloween Multipacks, and Tate’s Pumpkin Spice Cookies, with holiday treats arriving in November

RTM Nexus CEO Dominick Miserandino thinks CVS might be able to change how customers perceive the store.

“Nobody walks into CVS expecting to discover buried treasure. That may actually be the opportunity. If you came in for toothpaste and suddenly you’re debating whether you need a Pokémon card or some limited-edition snack, CVS has added something it hasn’t traditionally had well that might be an interesting opportunity,” he told TheStreet.

The assortment is available at participating CVS Pharmacy stores and on CVS.com, but the company says product selection, timing and availability vary by location and while supplies last.

CVS is also targeting adult interest in collectibles. Toy spending among consumers ages 18 and older rose 12% year over year in the first quarter of 2025 to $1.8 billion, and 19% of adults surveyed said they had recently bought Pokémon trading cards for themselves, according to CVS.

Related: Burger King’s new menu item goes heavy into a growing trend

“The phenomenon didn’t appear overnight. Known for its affordable prices and carefully curated selection of seasonal snacks and private-label products, Trader Joe’s has cultivated a fiercely loyal fanbase. Its canvas tote bags, in particular, have become a global obsession, with consumers from around the world eager to get their hands on one,” The Guardian reported.

eBay shows hundreds of listings for the bags, with prices ranging from $8.99 to $50,000 for sets of multiple bags, although it’s unclear whether any have sold at the highest prices.

And now Costco has started selling two new heavy-duty canvas tote bags in the United States.

“And the designs on the club retailer’s bags bear a striking resemblance to ones sold by the specialty grocer. Made by KeepCool, the cream-colored totes sport the Costco Wholesale logo and have either black or red accents. The two-pack, which retails for $10.99 online, includes a small bag and an extra-large one,” Grocery Dive reported.

Costco shows the new items on its website.

Trader Joe’s has created a global sensation

As someone who spends about a third of his time on cruise ships, I often bring gifts for crew members I know. That could be anything from candy to personal care items, or even clothes, they can’t get on board.

In recent months, however, I noticed my travel companions, PostCard Travel Planning owners Dennis and Amy Post, who keep in touch with dozens of crew members, bringing Trader Joe’s totes as gifts.

“We found out talking to several cruise ship staff, especially in the Philippines, it’s a thing. Every woman in the Philippines wants to have one, and if they have the specialty ones that come out seasonal like for Easter with multiple colors, they are a big deal. Also the new mini smaller bag too,” the Posts shared with TheStreet via text message.

They also did some research at the retailer.

“Spoke to a manager at Trader Joe’s Viera Florida, they have to actually limit the amount per person because people are selling them online at inflated prices so they sometimes have a 3, 5, and 10 limit on purchases,” they added. “It went viral several years ago and [in] certain countries, especially the Philippines. It’s a big deal.”

Trader Joe’s sells multiple totes:

• Mini Canvas Totes/Mini Pastel Totes: $2.99 each
• Standard/Large Canvas Totes: $3.99 each (prices can fluctuate slightly based on region and material, but they typically stay under $5)
• Mini Cooler/Insulated Bags: $3.99 each

Costco faces a challenge

Costco has not commented on its new tote bags, but RTM Nexus CEO Dominick Miserandino thinks the chain faces an uphill battle when it comes to equaling the viral success of Trader Joe’s.

“Costco can make the bag. The harder part is making people care about getting the bag,” he told TheStreet.

The formula for success, he noted, has been laid out by the cult-favorite grocery chain.

“Trader Joe’s figured out that a cheap tote can become something people actually hunt for if the colors change, the supply feels limited, and people think they might miss it,” he wrote.

That doesn’t mean the warehouse club can’t capture the same phenomenon.

“Costco already has a fanatical customer base, and two bags for $10.99 is very Costco. If they keep changing them and give people a reason to want the next one, this could absolutely work,” he added.

The chain’s customers seem to support the idea.

“I like Costco for its great prices and good-quality products, so having the Costco tote bags feels like having little collector’s items to me. They’re practical, fun, and something I’m genuinely happy to add to my tote bag collection. I would like them even more if the canvas were a bit thicker, but the current material still feels durable,” Susan wrote on Costco’s website.

Related: Best Buy offers a price match policy Target dropped

Despite having no trick-or-treaters most years, we always buy candy just in case. And for 2026, the candy my wife chose (because she expected I would end up eating it), gummy bears, plays into a trend.

With chocolate prices rising, shoppers have been leaning into cheaper options.

“This Halloween, trick-or-treaters may see fewer traditional colors of chocolate brown and more bright red and blue, as shoppers turn to more colorful, less expensive candy assortments to hand out,” Omnisend retail and ecommerce advisor Greg Zakowicz shared with TheStreet.

ALSO READ: Kroger cuts discounts, promises pricing changes

Amazon’s candy sales

Omnisend sent TheStreet an analysis of Amazon sales data that showed the following:

• Chewy/gummy candy sold the most of any individual candy category at $22.1 million and 1.2 million units, with Sour Patch Kids selling the most units in the category. This beat chocolate bars, at $18.2 million and 730,000 units. 
• As chocolate prices rise, consumers are opting for more cost-effective options: Chewy candy is the best value candy at $16 per unit (compared to chocolate’s $22 and hard candy’s $29 average per unit price). 
• Bulk packs made up 48% of revenue and 40% of units sold as households opt for large bags of crowd pleasers over single bars.
• Brands specializing in allergy-friendly, low-sugar, and better-for-you candy options (like Shameless Snacks and YumEarth) outsold M&Ms, selling a total of $3.73 million.
  • Methodology: Aggregate analysis of Amazon sales data scraped on Oct. 12 using Jungle Scout with the keyword “Candy.” Figures represent Jungle Scout’s 30-day rolling sales estimates, totaling $154.7 million in revenue and 7.3 million units sold.

“Chocolate prices have risen roughly 15% in 2026, making the cost of traditional Halloween handouts less affordable for families. This could lead to fewer Snickers and a plethora of Dum Dums and Sweet Tarts filling up pillowcases this Halloween,” Zakowicz said.

The analyst suggested that higher prices might lead to some families making an extreme decision.

“Due to overall price increases on everyday goods, I suspect we will see more families who venture out of the house on Halloween to either reduce the amount of self-serve candy they leave out or skip leaving it out altogether. I expect those who stay in to purchase less to avoid the dreaded candy leftovers and temptations of overindulgence,” he added.

Candy prices have climbed, but chocolate still rules

Candy prices rose in September and are now up nearly 8% over the past year. On average, prices are 13% higher now than five years ago, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

While chocolate prices have climbed, Instacart’s sales data shows that consumers have not abandoned chocolate-based candies.

“Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups took the No. 1 spot by ounces of candy sold and it wasn’t even close. The top five is a chocolate bloc: Peanut M&M’s in second, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate in third, M&M’s in fourth, and Snickers in fifth. You don’t even get to a non-chocolate candy until No. 7, where Sour Patch Kids sneaks into the mix,” the report showed.

TheStreet’s own study of Halloween candy prices did show that non-chocolate treats were the cheaper option.

Despite the price difference, Americans simply prefer chocolate candies.

A majority, or about 51% of the population, say chocolate is their preferred Halloween candy of choice. In a distant second place, 9% said they love gummies and jelly candy and another 9% said they reach for sour candies, while 7% said caramel candies are their top choice, according to an Ipsos poll.

In addition, 15% of poll respondents said they don’t like Halloween candy at all.

Related: Costco copies a popular Trader Joe’s collectible

Several of these alternatives have seen strong customer growth in the third quarter of this year. According to AT&T’s latest earnings report, the carrier attracted 379,000 postpaid phone customers during the quarter. 

It also added 416,000 AT&T Fiber customers, up 44.4% year over year, and 280,000 new Internet Air (its fixed wireless internet service) customers, a 3.7% increase from the same period in 2025. 

On an earnings call on Oct. 21, AT&T CEO John Stankey said that the company has been focused on “removing friction for consumers by constructing plans built around simplicity, transparent value, and convergence.” 

He said that converged wireless and internet accounts have especially been “driving strong financial results.”

AT&T speeds up plans to shut down copper network 

As AT&T focuses on enhancing its offerings, it is ramping up its efforts to retire its old copper network as its legacy services continue to face significant customer losses. 

According to a recent Light Reading report, only 1% of AT&T customers still use the carrier’s legacy copper-based voice services, down from 5% in December 2024.

“As anticipated, we are continuing to see a decline in the number of customers that are using our legacy services,” said Susan Johnson, AT&T’s senior executive vice president, in an interview with Light Reading.

“That (number) is continuing to descale and customers are leaving (copper-based services) for many reasons, but preeminent among them is it’s no longer meeting their needs for speeds and reliability,” she continued. 

Read more: AT&T makes new customer support promises as it trails rivals

In 2024, AT&T unveiled plans to shut down most of its copper network by 2030 and to push customers affected by the change to newer wireless or fiber-based services. It has already submitted applications this year to retire its legacy copper landline network in parts of California.

AT&T is accelerating these efforts and has so far shuttered 100 of its outdated wire centers, which are local facilities housing equipment that connects customers’ copper telephone lines to the carrier’s network. 

The carrier has decommissioned copper-based services in over 500 communities covering 1.3 million locations across 18 states. AT&T expects to complete this shutdown process in an additional 1,500 communities over the next year.

In California specifically, the Federal Communications Commission said the carrier can begin powering down about 360 of its 615 wire centers in the state on or after June 1, 2027.

“Hitting this first 100 wire centers with no customers left is important for us to prove out that this is working for our customers, and now we are leaning into further scale,” said Johnson.

With respect to customer migrations, “you’re going to see scale pretty materially from here on out,” she added.

AT&T is accelerating this process at a time when its legacy service revenues are declining. AT&T Chief Financial Officer Pascal Desroches revealed on the company’s Oct. 21 earnings call that the carrier’s service revenues in its legacy segment declined 25% year-over-year in the third quarter. 

Its legacy EBITDA ( earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) also dipped by roughly 27%. 

“Copper retirement remains an integral part of our overall cost transformation, and we remain on pace to achieve our target of $4 billion in annual consolidated cost savings by the end of 2028,” said Desroches. 

How AT&T plans to make copper network transition easier for customers

To lessen the blow of the change for customers, especially those concerned about its impact on their access to emergency services, AT&T developed AT&T Phone-Advanced in 2024. 

It is an alternative to plain old telephone service (POTS) that customers can sign up for, and it supports all legacy devices through either wireless or fiber networks. It also supports features such as E911, fax, Caller ID, medical devices, and alarm systems. 

As it rolls out this transition, AT&T is first focusing on shuttering its copper network in locations that have adequate wireless coverage. It will then focus on areas where it has built fiber. 

Johnson said AT&T is carefully testing signal strength in those wireless areas to ensure the network can support AT&T Phone-Advanced.

AT&T’s copper phaseout reflects a wider telecom shift

AT&T isn’t the only wireless carrier that is discontinuing its copper network. 

In August, Verizon submitted an application to the FCC seeking approval to shut down its traditional copper landline phone service in portions of nine states. The change would affect about 277,000 residential and business legacy voice lines.

The carrier said it is retiring this service because the costs of maintaining it are “enormous,” with the company spending billions of dollars annually. 

“Copper infrastructure is too slow to meet modern needs, many decades old, costly to maintain, and vulnerable to damage and theft,” said Verizon in the filing.

More AT&T News:

• AT&T customers threaten to leave after latest warning 
• AT&T rolls out major upgrade for customers, challenging T-Mobile
• AT&T drops 3 new phone plans to keep customers from switching

Verizon has faced backlash from customers over the proposed change, and the FCC paused approval of the carrier’s proposal in September to allow additional time for review. 

Cost savings have been one of the main reasons why wireless carriers have been moving to shut down their copper networks. 

In a report in April 2025, Analysys Mason senior analyst Michela Venturelli said that telecom operators may face limited financial benefits from investing in their fiber networks if they still maintain legacy ones. 

“The opex benefits that fibre networks provide might be offset by the cost of running legacy networks in parallel to the newly deployed fibre networks,” said Venturelli.

Related: Verizon plans to discontinue a phone service customers rely on

I’m not looking forward to booking a cross-country flight to Florida in December, as year-end round-trip airfares are up about 23% compared to 2025, according to the Hopper Holiday Travel Index.

Those rising fuel costs, along with high amounts of debt obligations, have forced several airlines to file for bankruptcy protection this year, and in certain cases, close their businesses.

European airlines file bankruptcy

European airlines, including Spain’s Volotea, Swiss charter airline Air Mountain, Latvian carrier AirBaltic, and Romanian airlines AnimaWings and Dan Air sought bankruptcy protection in their home countries in 2026, TheStreet‘s Veronika Bondarenko reported.

In the U.S., after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy twice in 2024 and 2025, Dania Beach, Fla.-based Spirit Airlines failed to complete a merger and could not find financing or an investor to keep its doors open. The airline ceased operations permanently in May 2026.

And now JetBlue Airways’ creditors are taking a closer look at the company’s debt obligations with help from financial restructuring professionals.

JetBlue creditors hire advisers

JetBlue Airways’ senior creditors have hired restructuring adviser PJT Partners. The creditors also signed up financial restructuring law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, which represented the ad hoc group of secured bondholders in the first Spirit Airlines Chapter 11 bankruptcy case.

The senior creditors hired the financial adviser and law firm as JetBlue suffers from cash burn and elevated oil prices, people familiar with the situation told the Wall Street Journal.

JetBlue’s CEO Joanna Geraghty told employees in April 2026 that the airline was not considering bankruptcy in 2026, according to Reuters, but the company has not commented on its creditors’ adviser hirings.

JetBlue’s $2 billion in senior notes due in 2031 declined to as low as 42 cents on the dollar on Oct. 22, 2026, according to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority after trading at 80 cents on the dollar earlier in October.

The airline listed over $8.47 billion in total debt as of June 30, 2026, which is about $20 million lower than the total as of Dec. 31, 2025, according to JetBlue’s second quarter 2026 financial results.

Jet fuel cost spikes 76%

JetBlue’s fuel cost has risen by 76.3% year-over-year, from $2.40 per gallon in the second quarter of 2025 to $4.23 per gallon in the second quarter of 2026, according to the quarterly report.

The airline’s quarterly revenue increased year-over-year by 14.5% to about $2.7 billion compared to about $2.35 billion in the same period of 2025, but JetBlue reported a $247 million loss in the second quarter of 2026, compared to $74 million in the same period of 2025.

Spirit Airlines filed bankruptcy twice

JetBlue competitor Spirit Airlines filed for Chapter 11 protection for the first time on Nov. 18, 2024, after the proposed merger between the two airlines was terminated March 1, 2024. The merger had been blocked by a federal judge on Jan. 16, 2024, who asserted that the merger would reduce competition and raise ticket prices across the industry.

Spirit filed for bankruptcy a second time on Aug. 29, 2025, after emerging from bankruptcy in March 2025, and permanently shut down all operations May 2, 2026.

Related: Hooters keeps closing restaurants as bankruptcy comeback sputters

That is the quiet trade-off behind ultra-low-price online shopping. The $9 price looks like a steal until the package is marked delivered and never reaches your door.

Most shoppers shrug it off. A few dollars feels too small to fight over, and chasing a refund through an overseas customer service chat can take longer than the order itself.

Plenty of shoppers keep coming back anyway, drawn by prices traditional stores can’t touch. Multiply those small losses by millions of orders, though, and they add up fast.

Federal regulators have been watching.

• Amazon’s FTC settlement window is about to close
• DoorDash, Instacart face critical FTC fight over consumer fees
• Shein rival confirms plans for major U.S. store expansion

Now one of the world’s biggest online fashion sellers is paying to put an investigation behind it.

Shein has agreed to pay $100 million to settle a U.S. Federal Trade Commission probe into delivery delays and other customer complaints, Reuters reported on Oct. 23, citing a source with direct knowledge of the matter.

Shein said in a statement to Reuters that it had “reached a constructive outcome with the FTC” and would share more information soon. An FTC spokesperson declined to comment.

What the FTC investigated at Shein

The complaints were piling up for years. Consumers filed more than 12,000 complaints about Shein over more than $11 million in purchases from January 2020 to June 2026, according to FTC records reviewed by Reuters.

Some customers told the FTC and the Better Business Bureau that they “never received packages that Shein had marked as delivered,” Reuters reported. Reuters said it could not independently verify the complaints or whether they were resolved.

Related: Consumers could see lower prices, increased privacy, from FTC ruling

The $100 million is not pocket change for Shein. It equals about 44% of the company’s second-quarter profit, according to Reuters.

The full settlement terms have not been released. That means it’s still unclear how much, if any, of the money will go back to customers.

Will Shein customers get money back?

Nobody knows yet, and you shouldn’t assume you qualify until the official terms come out. FTC settlements don’t always include direct payments to shoppers.

Some do. In Amazon’s FTC settlement over Prime sign-ups, eligible customers could claim payments, with a claim deadline of July 27, TheStreet reported.

If the Shein deal does include refunds, the FTC typically announces how to claim on its website. Watch for that, and be wary of any email or text promising a Shein settlement payment if you click a link, since scammers often copy real settlements.

How Shein’s fine compares with past FTC cases

The FTC has gone after online fashion sellers over shipping before, but never at this scale.

More Retail:

Here is how the reported Shein deal stacks up against earlier cases, according to Reuters:

• Fashion Nova (2020): Paid $9.3 million for missing shipping promises and handing out gift cards instead of refunds.
• Hey Dude (2023): Paid $1.95 million for failing to disclose shipping delays and suppressing negative reviews.
• Shein (2026): Agreed to pay $100 million, according to Reuters’ source.

That jump in scale sends a message to every retailer that sells cheap goods shipped from overseas. Shipping promises are a legal obligation, not marketing copy.

Your rights if a Shein order never arrives

You don’t have to wait for the settlement details to protect yourself. The FTC’s Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Trade Regulation Rule already spells out what online sellers owe you.

If a seller doesn’t say when it will ship, the FTC’s rules presume shipment will be within 30 days, and merchants must normally be capable of shipping within 30 days, according to the FTC’s business guide to the rule.

If it can’t ship on time, the merchant must offer you the choice to either accept the delay or cancel. The notice must tell you that you “can cancel the order and obtain a full and prompt refund,” the guide says.

Refunds also have a deadline. For a card issued by a bank, the seller has seven working days after cancellation to send your money back, according to the FTC. Store credit or vouchers don’t count as a refund.

Here is what to do if an order goes missing:

• Save everything. Keep order confirmations, tracking pages and any chat or email with customer service.
• Ask for a refund in writing. Use Shein’s official refund process first, and note the date you asked.
• Dispute the charge if needed. If the seller won’t fix it, contact your card issuer and ask about a billing dispute.
• File a complaint. You can report problems to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

What the fine means for Shein investors

Shein, which was founded in China and is headquartered in Singapore, is now a public company, so the settlement lands on shareholders too. Its shares are down 22% from the Sept. 1 listing price in Hong Kong, Reuters reported.

The company had flagged this risk. Its Hong Kong IPO filings in July warned that the U.S. probe could lead to significant fines, according to Reuters.

Investors have bigger worries than one fine. New European Union fees on e-commerce packages have hurt Shein’s European business, Reuters reported.

Demand signals are soft too. App downloads across 10 markets fell 42% in September from a year earlier, according to Jefferies analysts cited by Reuters.

Regulators elsewhere are still circling. Shein remains under a European Commission investigation into illegal products on its marketplace, and France’s data protection authority fined it €150 million, or about $168 million, last year over its use of cookies, Reuters reported.

Why cheap shipping comes with a cost

This is the part I think matters most for your wallet. Ultra-low prices depend on long supply chains, and long supply chains make delays more likely.

That doesn’t mean you should stop shopping for deals. It means you should treat delivery promises as part of the price, and know that the law backs you when a seller misses them.

Before you check out, look at the estimated delivery window and screenshot it. If you need something by a set date, such as a wedding or a trip, a seller that ships from inside the U.S. may be worth a few extra dollars.

A $100 million settlement suggests regulators are taking those small, easy-to-ignore losses seriously. The cheapest order is still the one that actually arrives.

Related: 79-year-old fast-fashion retailer closes 128 stores