Trader Joe’s is growing, beef prices are climbing, Chipotle is struggling, and Southwest is changing its ways.
If this past week’s headlines are any indication, the U.S. consumer economy is being pulled in every direction at once. Grocery bills are getting heavier, while retail giants and airlines are rewriting some of their most familiar playbooks. At the same time, the housing market is cooling in dozens of major metro areas, Chipotle is feeling the sting of diner belt-tightening, and the late-night TV world is suddenly united in a war of words over CBS’s surprise cancellation of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
