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News Articles: consumer spending

NPR has tracked the prices of dozens of items at one Walmart in Georgia over multiple years.

Tagged as: 

  • Business

NPR shopped for 96 items at Walmart to track how prices are really changing

NPR has tracked the prices of dozens of items at the same superstore in Georgia, including eggs, T-shirts, snacks and paper towels. Here's what got cheaper over the past year, and more expensive.

January 15, 2025
|
By:
  • Alina Selyukh and
  • Juweek Adolphe
Dollar General is attracting new customers, as inflation-weary shoppers hunt for bargains. Many of the discount chain's core customers are checking out with fewer items in their baskets.

Tagged as: 

  • Business

Discounting is back in fashion, as Americans get tired of paying more

Consumer spending rose only slightly in April, as shoppers pushed back against rising prices.

June 01, 2024
|
By:
  • Scott Horsley
Restaurant prices rose 4.2% over the last year. But Americans continue to dine out regularly.

Tagged as: 

  • Economy

Wages, employment, inflation are up, causing headaches for the Fed

The Federal Reserve is expected to hold interest rates steady this week — and possibly for months to come — as policymakers try to sort through mixed signals about the U.S. economy.

April 30, 2024
|
By:
  • Scott Horsley
John Hunt catches a fish during his extensive fun-filled summer.

Tagged as: 

  • Business

This summer's crazy weather just can't stop, won't stop Americans from having fun

People are consulting weather apps, donning rain gear and downing electrolytes in a quest to enjoy the 100 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

August 17, 2023
|
By:
  • Lisa Lambert
Shoppers browse at a grocery store in Washington, D.C. Retail sales dipped in February after surging in the previous month.

Tagged as: 

  • Economy

The unexpected American shopping spree seems to have cooled

Retail sales dipped 0.4% in February after a surprise start-of-the-year surge that appeared at odds with the Federal Reserve's goal of cooling down the economy.

March 15, 2023
|
By:
  • Alina Selyukh
People shop at a mall in Houston.

Tagged as: 

  • Business

Big stores see how we spend. Here are 4 things they say about the economy

Retailers have dropped a flurry of financial reports. They paint a messy and conflicting picture about our consumer economy.

March 06, 2023
|
By:
  • Alina Selyukh
People walk along 5th Avenue in Manhattan, which is one of the nation's premier shopping streets, on Feb. 15, 2023. Consumer spending was unexpectedly strong last month. That's good for the economy – but not so good for inflation prospects.

Tagged as: 

  • Economy

Despite high inflation, Americans are spending like crazy — and it's kind of puzzling

Americans began the new year with a spending spree, but businesses are not sure how long it can last. There's a lot riding on the answer, since consumer spending is the backbone of the U.S. economy.

February 27, 2023
|
By:
  • Scott Horsley
People shop at Walmart on Black Friday 2022 in Dunwoody,  Ga.

Tagged as: 

  • Business

What tracking one Walmart store's prices for years taught us about the economy

Inside our shopping cart is a story of global trade, extreme weather, shrinking packages and rising prices.

January 27, 2023
|
By:
  • Alina Selyukh,
  • Jacqueline GaNun,
  • and 1 more

Tagged as: 

  • Your Money

These 7 charts show how life got pricier (and, yes, cheaper!) in 2022

Boy, have we talked a lot about inflation. It affected every part of our lives (and the economy) in 2022. Here are some of its highest highs and lowest lows. (It wasn't all bad news!)

December 23, 2022
|
By:
  • Stacey Vanek Smith,
  • Alina Selyukh,
  • and 1 more
People shop in a Manhattan store on Oct. 26, 2022 in New York City. Inflation, in the form of higher prices for gas, food and other consumer goods is weighing on U.S. economic growth.

Tagged as: 

  • Economy

New GDP report shows an economic turnaround, but don't be fooled

Thursday's GDP report shows the U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 2.6% in July, August and September, after shrinking in the first half of the year.

October 27, 2022
|
By:
  • Scott Horsley
In happier times, Susan Morrison and her husband Calvin liked to vacation in their motor home. But they've had to park it this year because of the high cost of diesel fuel.

Tagged as: 

  • Economy

Americans are paying more and getting less as inflation hits home

Rising inflation has meant fewer restaurant meals, getaways and even doctor visits for many Americans, as nearly 4 in 10 say their family finances have gotten worse in the last year.

September 16, 2022
|
By:
  • Scott Horsley
Macy's, the nation's largest department store chain, has scaled back its sales forecast for the year.

Tagged as: 

  • Business

What our shopping choices say about the U.S. economy

Here's what we learned from a hectic spate of financial report cards shared by top U.S. retailers.

August 25, 2022
|
By:
  • Alina Selyukh
The U.S. economy likely slowed sharply in this year's first quarter, but conditions may be sturdier than they look as consumer spending remains healthy. Here, people relax in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla., on March 8.

Tagged as: 

  • Economy

Why this economy may be sturdier than it looks

U.S. GDP growth likely slowed sharply in the first few months of the year, but the economy may be sturdier than it looks.

April 28, 2022
|
By:
  • Scott Horsley
The U.S. economy likely slowed sharply in this year's first quarter, but conditions may be sturdier than they look as consumer spending remains healthy. Here, people relax in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla., on March 8.

Tagged as: 

  • Economy

Why this economy may be sturdier than it looks

U.S. GDP growth likely slowed sharply in the first few months of the year, but the economy may be sturdier than it looks.

April 28, 2022
|
By:
  • Scott Horsley
A sign shows the price of gas outside of a gas station in Washington, D.C, on March 8. Annual inflation is likely to have hit another 40-year high in February, yet the data won't fully capture the most recent surge in energy prices after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Tagged as: 

  • Economy

Inflation hits another 40-year high. The war in Ukraine could make it worse

Annual inflation climbed to a new four-decade high in February, with consumer prices up 7.9% from a year ago. The increase does not reflect most of the recent jump in gasoline prices.

March 11, 2022
|
By:
  • Scott Horsley
  • Load More

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