Why rising coffee prices won’t change what you pay for Starbucks drinks
Coffee prices are surging. But that won’t make a difference in how much you spend on a cup of joe at Starbucks. Higher input costs have been prompting companies across industries to charge their customers more. Household furnishings are more expensive. Cereal boxes are shrinking will prices stay the same or grow. And restaurants from…… MORE
New CDC mask guidance throws stores’ policies into flux
Stores are re-evaluating their mask policies after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated guidance Tuesday to recommend that fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors in areas with high transmission of Covid-19, which includes nearly two-thirds of all US counties. The CDC’s new guidance was in response to the rising spread of the…… MORE
Barbie maker says higher prices are coming just in time for the holidays
You can now add toys to the growing list of products that global supply chain woes have made more expensive to produce. Toymaker Mattel whose brands include Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price and American Girl, said in an earnings conference call on Tuesday that it is raising prices in the second half of the year in…… MORE
Managers will have to enforce rules for unvaccinated employees, and it won’t be easy
Most employers have not outright mandated Covid vaccines as a condition of employment for their current staff … at least not yet. Instead, many have “strongly encouraged” employees to get vaccinated and, in some cases, incentivized them with things like cash or more time off. But given the precipitous rise in Covid cases thanks to…… MORE
Fed says Delta won’t ruin the recovery. But we’re still a long way from normal
The Federal Reserve left interest rates and monetary policy unchanged on Wednesday, pointing to the nation’s as yet incomplete economic recovery. “The path of the economy continues to depend on the course of the virus,” the central bank said in a statement. While vaccinations are helping to limit the virus and its impact on the…… MORE
Simone Biles’ sponsors stand by her after she withdraws from Olympic events
Simone Biles’ sponsors offered statements of support Wednesday following her decision to pull out of Thursday’s individual, all-around gymnastics competition at the Tokyo Olympics. The 24-year-old champion cited mental health concerns as the reason for her earlier withdrawal from Tuesday’s team competition during interviews with reporters in Tokyo. Biles may still compete in next week’s…… MORE
Critical jobs are going unfilled. 5 things workers want from employers now
As the economy continues to reopen, labor market turbulence is on the rise. Workers are leaving their jobs in favor of new careers or locations, and some aren’t going back to work at all, leaving critical jobs unfilled. To deal with labor shortages, employers must go beyond the basics of pay and benefits. Money is…… MORE
The Great American Car Shortage won’t be over for months
New car inventories, strained for months by a global semiconductor shortage and supply chain disruptions, aren’t expected to begin recovering until September -— and will remain well below their pre-pandemic levels through next year, according to Goldman Sachs. Automakers in recent weeks have sharply revised down their production schedules as they struggle to work around…… MORE
The car market is gonzo. Here’s what to do if you have to buy one anyway
Pat Shozo has been trying to buy a used car for his son who’s going to attend college in the fall. But after looking for more than three months, Shozo, who lives near Los Angeles, said he’s ready to give up. “Everything’s so inflated,” he said. “It’s actually absurd.” Prices for used cars have rocketed…… MORE
The pandemic killed traditional menus and brought QR codes back to life
Restaurant menus got a makeover thanks to Covid: Now, placing your order means simply whipping out your phone and scanning a Quick Response code. QR codes are all the rage now, but the technology behind them is hardly new. They were invented in Japan in the 1990s as a sort of bar code that populates…… MORE
