The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today that the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.2% on a seasonally adjusted basis over the 2 months from September 2025 to November 2025. Over the last 12 months, …
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5 Most Common Holiday Mistakes Small Businesses Make
Sam Taylor, a business expert at LLC.org, says small businesses underestimate how early holiday demand starts and how strongly people respond to anything nostalgic. He shares the five most common holiday mistakes small businesses make. Launching holiday campaigns too late. Most small …
Read More »NRF VP Shares Additional Insights Into Super Saturday Predictions
With just a few days left to shop before Christmas, National Retail Federation (NRF) vice president of industry and consumer insights Katherine Cullen shared some additional insights into Super Saturday, taking place Dec. 20. Earlier this week, NRF released its …
Read More »Unemployment Rate Inches Higher After Shutdown
The unemployment rate rose to its four-year high of 4.6%, up from 4.4% year over year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Positively, employers added 64,000 jobs in November. Household survey data for October 2025 were not collected …
Read More »Ace Hardware’s John Surane Named City of Hope Award Recipient
City of Hope, one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations in the U.S., announced John Surane, executive vice president and chief growth officer at Ace Hardware, as the 2026 Spirit of Life Award recipient for …
Read More »Builder Confidence Rises, Still Negative
Builder confidence inched higher to end the year but remains well into negative territory as builders continue to grapple with rising construction costs, tariffs and economic uncertainty, and as many potential buyers remain on the sidelines due to affordability concerns. …
Read More »Record Number of Shoppers Expected Before Christmas
Around 158.9 million consumers plan to shop on the last Saturday before Christmas, according to the annual survey released by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The number is up from 157.2 million shoppers in 2024, …
Read More »Ace Hardware Shows Most Popular Home Improvement Gifts
The gifting season is here. New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania rank among the highest in hardware and home improvement gift giving, with 77.35 hardware and home improvement gifts given for every 1,000. These three states have some of the …
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