The latest data from PYMNTS on paycheck-to-paycheck living shows that high earners feel the pinch of credit card debt and wages that aren’t keeping up with inflation. And that may wind up pinching the higher-end retailers who depend on wealthier households, feeling flush, to keep...
As noted in The Wall Street Journal last week (May 10), U.S. consumers don’t view inflation with the same importance as they did just a year ago, dropping 15 points in importance, according to a Gallup poll cited in the article. Additionally, shoppers are adapting to...
For those with issues making ends meet, deciding what gets paid can have long-term consequences. Inflation’s gradual ebb could signal the start of a potential reprieve from the current economic landscape and bring a collective sigh of relief from policymakers and business leaders alike, but the...
Affluent paycheck-to-paycheck earners curb, but don’t completely cut, spending across categories when faced with budget concerns. As consumers across demographics continue to stretch budgets to account for rising costs, higher-income earners are no different, feeling the economic screws tightening around them. As most recently illustrated...
Consumers have long ignored or simply lived with merchant surcharges, but that’s changing as bills and statements undergo intense scrutiny in the current economic crisis, bringing about questions as to when surcharge prompts could start eating away at loyalty. This is analyzed in the report...
There may be more bank mergers on the way. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told bank executives Thursday (May 18) that the industry may need more mergers, CNN reported Friday (May 19), citing unnamed sources. The report noted that the Treasury Department’s readout of the meeting, which included board members of...
The retail data released Tuesday (May 16) by the Commerce Department shows a reversal in consumer spending after two months of declines. But one headline does not a rebound make. And the more deeply one dives into the data, the more apparent it is that...
Inflation is slowing, but April’s data showed the damage has been done to consumers’ wallets. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the Consumer Price Index was up 0.4% in April. It increased 0.1% in March. In terms of food eaten at home, the prices...
As food prices continue to rise, consumers are doing everything in their power to save where they can, challenging grocers to find new ways to retain their loyalty. By the Numbers For the latest edition of PYMNTS’ Consumer Inflation Sentiment series, “Consumer Inflation Sentiment Report:...