One in three of today’s babies will live to see their 100th birthday, according to British government statistics. Businesses face much longer odds, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). 79.6% survived one year. 68.9% survived two years. 50.6% survived five years. 42.8% survived seven years. 34.7% survived 10 years. Making it
Launched by childhood friends Teddy Gailas and Peter Phillips out of the Queens borough of New York in 2017, Chip City Cookies was one of the early breakaway stars of the “cookie wars” that swept the country as a food craze 10 years ago. The chain made a name for itself through its large, gooey
Contrary to the popular belief that physical bookstores and print books are dying, the latest industry data paints a different picture. In 2025, print formats accounted for 50.6% of publishers’ revenue, versus 14% that came from digital formats, according to the Association of American Publishers. At the same time, physical retail revenue increased 7.2% to
For many shoppers, finding a great deal has become less of a welcome surprise and more of a necessity. In 2025, grocery sales increased 1.2% while volume fell by 1%, according to McKinsey’s 2026 State of Grocery report. That dichotomy is perhaps one of the clearest examples of how stretched grocery shoppers have become. They’re
T-Mobile is once again asking customers to cough up more money for a monthly fee that they can’t dodge. The carrier has continued to add charges and raise fees this year despite the risk of losing customers to growing competition. For instance, in March, it introduced a $35 Device Connection Charge for devices purchased directly
Verizon has quietly introduced a new phone plan that directly competes with a low-priced offering that T-Mobile recently launched. As Americans look for ways to cut their monthly expenses, T-Mobile rolled out its Super Essentials Saver wireless plan in August, exclusively for Walmart customers. The plan is $25 per line per month (with the autopay
Restaurants have a pricing problem. In late 2025, more than 80% of Americans believed that restaurant prices had climbed over the previous 12 months, according to a YouGov report. However, only 28% of diners believed that those prices were fair for the quality of the meal. This perceived “value gap” affects how diners are spending.
At a time when gas prices have hit seasonal record highs, Kroger has ended a partnership that will take away a key gas discount from customers. And while the move was announced in July, it’s actually hitting now, when Kroger customers arguably need it most. “The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline continues
When people are worried about paying their mortgage and putting food on the table, what they’re wearing tends to become less of a focus. “A long-feared cyclical slowdown has arrived. Consumers, affected by the recent period of high inflation, are increasingly price-sensitive. There is also the surprising rise of dupes, the acceleration of climate change,
For four years, I ran part of my family’s scaffolding business and had to plan shipping rental orders to our customers. When diesel and gas prices rose, that cut into the bottom line, as rental prices were pretty much an industry standard. Since most rentals were long-term, the added cost was meaningful, but we eventually