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Years later, pandemic purchases trigger buyer's remorse

Feb 26, 2024
From outdoor heaters to exercise equipment to homes, people made purchases they now regret.
Purchases of exercise equipment, air fryers and outdoor heaters boomed. But now some of those purchases are collecting dust.
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Can well-off young women save China's economic recovery?

Sep 13, 2021
Women drive the bulk of household purchasing decisions in China. What do they want to spend their money on?
Finance major Zhou Hui, 19, spends up to $700 a month on clothing and eating out, which the COVID-19 pandemic didn't change.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace

How we shop for clothes now

Jun 25, 2021
Apparel sales are up lately. But the kind of clothing many people want to wear has changed because of the pandemic.
Some consumers have opted for more comfortable clothing, and clothing that expresses comfort with who they are.
Christopher Furlong via Getty Images

How people shop after getting vaccinated

Apr 1, 2021
There’s this thing we’ve heard from people who just got their shots: They immediately started spending money.
Freshly vaccinated shoppers are ready to make up for lost time.
Samir Hussein/Getty Images for Shop West End VIP Weekend

We're beginning to dress like we have somewhere to go

Mar 4, 2021
An uptick in dress sales at Urban Outfitters suggests that people are looking ahead to a time when it's safer to socialize.
Is it time to trade athleisure for dresses to be seen in the real world?
Ferda Demir/Getty Images for IHKIB

We're buying a lot more stuff these days

Feb 26, 2021
Money can’t buy happiness, but that’s never stopped anyone from trying.
Spending on goods has gone up during the pandemic, but you can get your kids only so many trampolines.
Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Consumers may be ready to release their pent-up demand

Feb 25, 2021
As the pandemic retreats, Americans who can afford to spend on things they've been deprived of may start spending.
After months of shopping online, many Americans look forward to visiting brick-and-mortar stores.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Can U.S. businesses count on Chinese consumers?

Dec 1, 2020
Many American firms are looking to Chinese consumers to keep them afloat, but many of those consumers are trying to keep themselves afloat.
A U.S. startup company hopes Chinese consumers will buy its plant-based egg product. For some, though, cost is a factor.
Courtesy of Eat Just

Baseball card collecting during pandemic hits prices out of the park

Nov 11, 2020
Nostalgia, art and investment potential have led to an increase in the sports card market, one expert says.
A boy looks at a display of baseball cards at the Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia in 2018.
Hunter Martin/Getty Images

How long will habits established during the pandemic last?

Oct 23, 2020
Our shopping and socializing behaviors have changed drastically since the COVID-19 crisis started
Zephyr18/Getty Images