Stop Shopping
America needs you to buy less junk.
Material World
The Nasty Logistics of Returning Your Too-Small Pants
What happens to the stuff you order online after you send it back?
Americans Have No Idea What the Supply Chain Really Is
Behind shipping delays and soaring prices are workers still at mortal risk of COVID-19.
People Liked Malls
Amazon appears to have discovered that the fastest, freest shipping is picking stuff up in person.
American Shoppers Are a Nightmare
Customers were this awful long before the pandemic.
Americans Are Turning Spare Bedrooms Into Giant Closets
As stores disappear, shopping in your own wardrobe becomes the ultimate luxury.
Why Is There Financing for Everything Now?
Are the new online services that allow you to buy jeans or shampoo in installments—interest-free—too good to be true?
America’s Most Hated Garment
Not even a pandemic will silence the sweatpants scolds.
Christmas Dies Hard
The middle of a global pandemic might seem like a good time to cut back on holiday excess. But we live in America.
Americans Got Tired of Looking Bad on Zoom
The pandemic’s at-home workers are discovering what internet influencers have long known: If you want to be taken seriously, get good lighting.