Consumer spending pushes US economy up 4.4% in third quarter, fastest in two years at AP. "America’s gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services — rose at a 4,4% annual pace in the third quarter, the Commerce Department reported Thursday, up from 3.8% in the April-June quarter and from the 4.3% growth the department initially estimated. The economy hasn’t grown faster since third-quarter 2023." Read more   Americans Travel the World Only to Wind Up in Costco at WSJ. "Some may ask why Costco fans fly halfway across the planet to visit the same temple [...]

  Can a $1,699 Espresso Machine Help Walmart Challenge Amazon? at WSJ. "Walmart’s internal research shows that shoppers equate stylish designs with better quality, said Creighton Kiper, who runs the home category for Walmart in the U.S...“I went to Walmart because other people weren’t,” said (Drew) Barrymore of some other celebrity partnerships. When its (Beautiful) products hit Walmart stores, they were a hit...Beautiful is now expanding its offerings at Walmart, including a new line of outdoor furniture." WSJ subs.   Top 100 Fashion Trends for 2026 at Trendhunter   Here’s the Best Way to Sell a Hot Rotisserie Chicken at Stanford [...]

  Inside the Mad Dash to Save Saks, America’s Last Luxury Retailer at WSJ. "Chanel’s tab is $136 million. At Kering, the company behind Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Balenciaga, the bill is nearly $60 million. And those are just two of the many brands owed money by Saks Global—a list so long it stretched more than three pages in the bankruptcy filing that landed in a Houston court early Wednesday morning. Even though the parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman was plainly veering toward bankruptcy in recent days, the filing was stunning in its sweep [...]

  December core consumer prices rose at a 2.6% annual rate, less than expected at CNBC. "Excluding volatile food and energy prices, the consumer price index showed a seasonally adjusted 0.2% gain on a monthly basis and 2.6% annually, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. Both were 0.1 percentage point below expectations." Read more   Target’s Stores Become an ICE Battleground in Hometown Minneapolis at WSJ. "...immigration officials detained two Target employees inside the vestibule of a suburban store late last week...Both are American citizens and were later released...Video of the incident quickly circulated, sparking an outcry on social-media [...]

  Costco December comp sales (ex fuel & f/x) +6.2%: US +6.3% / Canada +6.0% / Other Int'l +5.6% / Digitally Enabled +18.3% Press release   H-E-B and Market Basket Top dunnhumby’s Ninth Annual U.S. Grocery Rankings (Costco #4, Winco #6, Amazon #8) Top 10 list/Press release   Albertson's Companies Inc. Q3 ID sales +2.4% Press release   Walmart Opens Up Ads in Gen AI Shopping Agent Sparky at Adweek. "...(Walmart) is actively testing ads within Sparky, its AI shopping agent, after an initial test last fall. Sparky is an AI shopping assistant within Walmart’s mobile app...Search is the most popular [...]

  The Curious Cult of Aldi at Bloomberg. "A cross-section of Brooklynites stretched down several city blocks—a Birkenstocked hipster, a school custodian, health-care workers, people receiving government-provided food assistance benefits...You don’t have to squint too hard to see the commonalities between Aldi and TJ’s: Both are known for compact stores, limited selections, fanatical shoppers and low prices..." Bloomberg subs.   Instacart Returns to the Super Bowl at Adweek/Yahoo. "Instacart is working with its internal creative agency Local Produce as well as BBDO and McCann on the campaign." Read more   Sweeping Minimum-Wage Hikes Take Hold Across the Country at WSJ. [...]