Consumer Spending

Why Income Gains Don’t Always Boost Spending
Why Income Gains Don’t Always Boost Spending
March 03, 2026  |  Consumer Insights

As the PYMNTS audience saw in Monday’s newsletter (March 2) there’s some wisdom to be gleaned from crowds. The occasion was the launch of the...

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Target Faces Pushback From Investors on Management Tactics
Target Faces Pushback From Investors on Management Tactics
March 01, 2026  |  Retail

Target is reportedly facing criticism from a group of investors unhappy with its management’s decisions. That’s according to a report Friday (Feb. 27) from Reuters,...

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The Three Blind Spots in How Consumer Sentiment Is Measured
The Three Blind Spots in How Consumer Sentiment Is Measured
February 26, 2026  |  Consumer Insights

In March 2020, government officials and epidemiologists were telling Americans to brace for a two-month shutdown. PYMNTS Intelligence went into the field and asked 1,923...

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Online Retail Jumps 13% Year Over Year as Shoppers Hunt for Value
Online Retail Jumps 13% Year Over Year as Shoppers Hunt for Value
February 26, 2026  |  eCommerce

Financial stress is no longer just shaping what Americans buy. It is reshaping how they pay. That was the central insight of “Consumer Financial Stress...

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Installment Payments Come to Luxury Retail as Wealthy Buyers Feel Price Pressures
Installment Payments Come to Luxury Retail as Wealthy Buyers Feel Price Pressures
February 25, 2026  |  Retail

About a hundred years ago, so the story goes, F. Scott Fitzgerald, chronicler of the Jazz Age, turned to Ernest Hemingway and remarked, “The rich...

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Three Generations Face the Same Bills and Make Different Moves
Three Generations Face the Same Bills and Make Different Moves
February 25, 2026  |  Consumer Finance

Picture three Americans staring at the same electric bill. The retiree sighs, turns down the thermostat and makes a mental note to skip dinner out...

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Consumer Spending Stays Strong Despite Slower Income Gains
Consumer Spending Stays Strong Despite Slower Income Gains
February 20, 2026  |  Consumer Insights

Consumers continue to shoulder the expansion of the U.S. economy, even as late-year data reveal a more deliberate spending posture and a softer pace of...

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Americans Are Rewriting Household Budgets to Make Room for Extended-Family Support
Americans Are Rewriting Household Budgets to Make Room for Extended-Family Support
February 20, 2026  |  Consumer Finance

As financial pressures intensify across the U.S., a growing number of consumers are shouldering an obligation that rarely shows up as a line item in...

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Walmart Highlights Higher-Income Growth as Lower-Income Shoppers Face Pressure
Walmart Highlights Higher-Income Growth as Lower-Income Shoppers Face Pressure
February 19, 2026  |  Earnings

Talk about raining on the parade. New Walmart CEO John Furner’s first earnings call was dampened by the news Thursday morning (Feb. 19) that it...

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