The holiday shopping season can be the most wonderful time of year for consumers—but it's the most important time of year for small business owners. Yet many small business owners find themselves in a tight spot, as the growth of online shopping transforms major retailers into the go-to for shoppers seeking both convenience and good deals. ...Read more

The holiday season feels a little less jolly considering the amount of waste generated by gift-giving. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates the amount of household garbage in the U.S. increases by 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year's.

After the decorations come down, all that waste heads to landfills, producing a significant ...Read more

People from all over the world have long come to the United States in search of opportunities. That includes immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers, and temporary workers and students who come to the U.S. on specialty visas.

Among the latter are skilled foreign workers, a select group granted special access by the H-1B visa program, ...Read more

Americans are heading into the first holiday season in years where buying less may be the first thing on their minds. And this year, gift lists may exclude one important person: you.

Stacker dug into Deloitte's 2024 holiday retail survey to explore the psychology behind Americans' reluctance to self-gift this year.

In the modern era, ...Read more

We're all going to die someday. Still, how it happens—and when—can point to a historical moment defined by the scientific advancements and public health programs available at the time to contain disease and prevent accidents.

In the early 1900s, America's efforts to improve sanitation, hygiene, and routine vaccinations were still in ...Read more

Life-sized cardboard cutouts, lightsaber chopsticks (that actually light up!), bacon-themed bandages—these days, anything the mind can dream up can be sold and purchased online.

According to the Census quarterly retail e-commerce sales report, e-commerce accounted for roughly 16% of total retail sales in the U.S. during the second quarter ...Read more

Artificial intelligence is everywhere. Recent cover songs, résumés, web design, animation, and even voiceovers all have generative AI fingerprints. Creative industries are witnessing a rapid shift in process and production, while artists and creators have pushed beyond what was possible just a year ago.

And change shows no sign of slowing ...Read more

Side dishes have become a vital part of our collective tables and culinary culture, playing an essential role in how meals are enjoyed around the world. The tradition of complementing main courses with additional, smaller plates can be traced back centuries, with historical records indicating that even in ancient times, lavish banquets featured...Read more

Between a growing housing deficit and historic federal funding for infrastructure improvements, construction projects are arising across the nation. At the same time, there may not be enough qualified workers to move these projects forward.

There were 370,000 construction job openings in August, up 138,000 from the month prior, according to ...Read more

With the end of the year approaching, it's time for parents and caregivers to begin planning what's in store for winter break while children are out of school. Whether traveling to see family or staying close to home, there are plenty of museums and family-friendly events around the U.S. to help young children engage in both educational and fun...Read more

Universal pre-K has been shown to prepare children for school, narrow the achievement gap, and help reduce child care costs.

Still, just as state-funded pre-K programs have taken off nationwide, with enrollment increasing during the 2022-23 school year, a shortage of early childhood educators has thwarted progress toward providing a high-...Read more

Hurricane Helene wrought devastation across the Southeast. The storm's high winds and flooding killed more than 230 people, and the damage to property, infrastructure, and other economic impacts is estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars.

But heavy rains and destructive winds weren't the only natural disasters out in force: The ...Read more

Over the past decade, researchers have made strides in understanding the link between two seemingly unrelated organs: the gut and the brain. Findings from microbiologists, neurologists, and nutritionists who study the gut-brain axis, or the interaction between these two essential organs, all point to the profound influence the gut has on the ...Read more

After decades of decline, syphilis cases are on the rise again, hitting their highest levels since the early 1960s. Though the vast majority of syphilis cases are preventable, rates surged nearly 80% between 2018 and 2022, rising among all age groups and including a spike in transmission at childbirth, according to data from the Centers for ...Read more

Americans pride themselves in living in the "land of opportunity." Rags-to-riches stories continue to appeal because they embody the idea that people can be free from social constraints and class systems. People hope that anyone—no matter where they're from—can achieve the American Dream through initiative and hard work.

However, great ...Read more

Navigating eco-friendly products isn't easy for the ethically minded consumer. Despite the best intentions, sustainable shopping often requires extra time, discretion, and research—and with the holidays around the corner, the pressure to buy is intense.

Shopping sustainability involves considering a product's entire life cycle. That ...Read more

The COVID-19 pandemic was the third leading cause of death globally in 2020 and the second in 2021, according to a recent World Health Organization report. The almost 13 million lives lost during those years opened peoples' eyes to the way viruses can mutate or change. Words such as 'variant,' 'subvariant,' and 'strain' became part of the ...Read more

Customer loyalty is declining—but ironically, some consumers are showing brand devotion by shelling out annual fees.

In the early days of retail, customer loyalty was secured the old-fashioned way: through high-quality products, reasonable prices, and brand recognition. But in 2024, consumers have a dizzying array of choices in a global, ...Read more

Trucking is an integral part of American culture. These drivers haul and deliver goods all over the country, and the occupation is one of the most common in the U.S.

Though normalized over the years, truckers are often perceived in pop culture as rebellious wanderers of the open road, akin to modern-day cowboys. It was the 1970s that saw a ...Read more

Behind the convenience and flashiness of fast fashion lie its unsustainable practices and ecological consequences, from the making of plastic-derived textiles to its disposal. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the textile industry sent 11.3 million tons of waste to landfills in 2018, making up about 7.7% of all municipal solid ...Read more