What tracking one Walmart store's prices for years taught us about the economy

(NPR)

Look inside your shopping cart to spot the impact of the world's ebbs and flows: It's in the wood pulp in your paper towels, the petroleum in your frozen meal container, the fruits and veggies that survived floods or droughts.

So, a shopping basket at a Walmart in Georgia offers a view into the U.S. economy — and the inflation that has roiled it. It's a bit painful if you're shopping for aluminum foil or eggs. But not so bad if you want cabbage or Wonder bread. And you may even find a relative bargain on shrimp.

In NPR's shopping cart of several dozen items, prices went up 23% on average since mid-2019. That's when NPR last visited this Walmart, in Liberty County just south of Savannah. At the time, we traced how the Trump administration's trade war with China was affecting prices.

Since then, the pandemic has hit. Global supply chains became chaotic and fuel prices swung wildly. The Great Resignation pushed U.S. employers to raise long-stagnant wages. Russia's invasion of Ukraine disrupted food and energy trade. Cue: historic inflation.

We returned to the same Walmart in December to see just how much prices have changed at America's most popular supermarket. There, we found some items on the shelves have changed, too — and a few surprises.

Shrinkflation is real

Shrinkflation is "inflation's devious cousin," to cite NPR's Planet Money. It allows for higher prices to hide in plain sight — fewer chips in a bag or tissues in a box — without scaring shoppers away.

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No clients here. This is an interesting way to look at inflation and what average consumers are dealing with.

Prices are up, product sizes are shrinking, and wages simply aren't keeping up.

If your raise this year was less than 7.1%, it didn't keep up with inflation — and you effectively got a pay cut

David Townsend is a financial strategist with nearly 4 decades of experience in financial services.

He’s the founder and CEO of Financial Freedom Inc.

Feel free to contact him directly:

David Townsend

Financial Strategist

(cell) 720-434-4840

david@financialfreedom-inc.com

www.financialfreedom-inc.com

He's also available for Skype and Zoom calls.

How restaurants are getting creative to attract workers

(NewsNation)

“Help wanted” signs are now ubiquitous at many of America’s restaurants, and the pandemic and Great Resignation made worker shortages even more common.

“Given the onset of remote (work) that COVID brought on, a lot of people have more options for jobs,” said Vivian Wang, founder and CEO of Landed, a firm that helps hundreds of restaurants hire workers.

Annual turnover rates in the restaurant industry were always high, sitting around 130% prior to the pandemic, Wang said. But now, she estimates that rate is closer to 200%.

Increasing wages

The job market is more competitive than ever, and workers now have more power to shop around for jobs.

“It is 100% an employees’ market,” Wang said.

For that reason, many companies have boosted wages to keep up. Data gathered by the restaurant publication TastingTable found that the average hourly wage for U.S. restaurant workers jumped around 20% between the summer of 2020 and the summer of 2022.

Adjusting workweeks

Some employers are testing out different work schedules to give workers more days off while remaining full-time. These include shifts to four-day or even three-day workweeks — something one Chick-fil-A franchise in South Florida recently adopted.

“They can plan their life around it — vacation, child care, school. I wanted them to be able to look out six months from now and know what days they were going to work,” Justin Lindsey, who owns the Chick-fil-A in Kendall, Florida, told a local news station.

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The restaurant industry really hasn't gotten back to normal. Employment is still 3.6% lower than before the pandemic

Chipotle looks to hire 15,000 amid continuing labor shortage

Why is it so tough for restaurants to attract and keep great employees?

Survey: 1 in 4 restaurant workers expect to leave industry within year

Julian and Alexa Rodarte are prominent restaurateurs in Dallas.

They head up Trinity Groves, a concept started in 2013 by famed restaurant innovator Phil Romano (founder of Fuddruckers, Romano's Macaroni Grill and Eatzi’s).

Trinity Groves has more than a dozen restaurants & dessert shops, attracting families & foodies alike.

They would be happy to talk about what they're seeing on the front line and the media is always welcome at their restaurants.

Feel free to contact them directly:

Julian and Alexa Rodarte

Restaurant Industry Experts

(Alexa’s cell) 469-426-1154

arodarte@trinitygroves.com

www.trinitygroves.com

Also available for Zoom and Skype interviews.

‘It felt like a job application’: Some people weeding out first dates with questionnaires

(The Guardian)

One night this January, as Robert Stewart scrolled through old Hinge matches, he decided to revive a conversation he had begun months ago with a woman on the dating app. After picking up where they left off and exchanging a few pleasantries, Stewart asked if the woman wanted to get on a phone call. He hoped it would lead to an in-person date.

“We could do that,” the woman answered, but with one caveat. “You mind filling out a questionnaire for me first?”

Stewart, who lives in Dallas, clicked on a Google Form the woman sent, titled “Dating Compatibility Q&A”. The woman wanted to “skip the small talk” and go right for the jugular. If Stewart wanted to go on a date with her – if he even wanted to get on the phone beforehand – he had to answer a series of 26 questions.

First question: “Are you married?” Stewart (who, for the record, is not) thought that was fair enough. But then he clicked to the next page, and saw more. Was he in therapy? What was his love language? How does he position toilet paper on the hanger in the bathroom? Does he want kids? If so, what would he do if, hypothetically, a future child came out as gay?

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This is a great talker. Is asking someone to fill out a questionnaire before a first date tacky?

Jennifer Styers has 25 years of experience as a professional relationship expert.

She runs a boutique matchmaking service and is the host of the popular podcast, The Loveability Show with Jennifer Styers.

Feel free to contact her directly:

Jennifer Styers

Dating and Relationship Expert

(cell) 214-298-6332

jenniferstyers@att.net

www.lovejenn.com

She's also available for Skype and Zoom interviews.