Ulta beckons consumers back to buying beauty products

Sep 8, 2020
Shutdowns and working from home have changed the market for personal care products during the pandemic.
Consumers are interested in experimenting with colorful eye makeup these days, says consultant Jonathan Greenway. "There's a much larger focus on anything above the mask," he said.
Jon Gordon/Marketplace

For some, pandemic is a rare chance to save money

Sep 8, 2020
Many are taking the chance to build up emergency savings or save for a downpayment, while others are paying down credit card debt and student loans.
martin-dm via Getty Images

Remote workers pay cooling bills or sweat out summer heat at home

Sep 7, 2020
Are employers obligated to chip in for home AC use during the pandemic?
The sun sets behind power lines in Los Angeles.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Hotel industry struggling during the pandemic

Sep 7, 2020
Four in 10 hotel employees are still not working and two-thirds of hotels remain at less than 50% occupancy.
A worker wipes down ropes near the reception of a reopened Las Vegas hotel. Even as hotels reopen, two-thirds remain at less than 50% occupancy.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

As offices stay dark, what's happening to lunch spots?

Aug 31, 2020
“New York is being emptied out. And you can feel it at the store level.”
A worker walks past an outdoor dining area in New York on Aug. 10.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

More working from home means we're generating more residential trash

Aug 31, 2020
Meanwhile, closed offices, stores and stadiums have been producing a lot less commercial garbage.
Workers sort recycled materials at a Maryland facility. Compared to pre-pandemic times, more refuse is being generated by homes and less by businesses.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Zoom, ubiquitous technology during the pandemic, may face tougher competition

Aug 31, 2020
The videoconferencing company reports quarterly earnings for a period when its user population has ballooned.
A student attends a University of New Mexico class via Zoom. The software has become synonymous with video calls.
Sam Wasson/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

How 3 small businesses are surviving the pandemic

Aug 27, 2020
"Everything is interconnected," said Patty Delgado, CEO of Hija de tu Madre. "I think no business or no industry is totally immune to this."
Patty Delgado, CEO of Hija de tu Madre, at the e-commerce company's warehouse in downtown Los Angeles.
(Courtesy of Delgado)

As reopening falters, consumer confidence falls

Aug 25, 2020
The pandemic isn't abating and consumers are wary of the future, economists at The Conference Board say.
Customers walk past closed stores at a mall in Franklin, Tennessee. Consumer confidence has fallen yet again.
Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

Wall Street record high belies widening gap between investor haves and have-nots

Aug 24, 2020
Who actually benefits when Wall Street hits a record?
The New York Stock Exchange in May. Stock wealth has become concentrated among fewer people in recent decades.
Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images