Costco Canada shoppers can get a full refund in latest recall - Daily Hive

The United States’ economy received a double-whammy of inflation readings this week showing both consumers and businesses are feeling the heat of higher prices amid the U. S. trade war with the world and its outright war with Iran. And while wholesale, or business inflation, is rising much faster, it raises questions around if, and when, businesses may try to unload more of that inflation pain onto their customers. S. wholesale inflation soared in September to the highest level in more than four years, with the Producer Price Index (PPI) jumping 1.3 per cent from the month before and 6.3 per cent from the same month in 2025.

Some shoppers are using AI agents like Instinct and Muse to find and order products for them. AI agents like Instinct and Muse are quickly becoming personal shoppers — and some are finding the tools need to be kept on a short leash. From finding cheap airline tickets to ordering groceries, three shoppers told Business Insider that they are using the agents to automate parts of their shopping. Some say the decision has saved them time and found them deals they would not have found on their own. But even those impressed with AI agents as shopping assistants say they're using them carefully. Sometimes, the agents order the wrong thing. In other cases, users say they want to make the purchase themselves, or at least add another layer of security, rather than handing their credit card information directly to AI. The shoppers' experiences also point to a big question as the holiday shopping season approaches: How much can shoppers delegate, if they want to at all, to AI agents?

Open this photo in gallery:Shoppers exit a Costco store in Toronto last December. Several Globe readers said they find value in using their memberships for big-ticket items, car-related expenses and more. Sammy Kogan/The Globe and MailA few weeks ago I shared some reflections on my family’s first seven months with a Costco membership. The overall take-away was that it was well worth it – even though we didn’t significantly cut our monthly grocery spend. Since then, readers have been enthusiastically chiming in with bits of Costco wisdom.

You drive by Costco and see the parking lot teeming with cars. The left-hand turn lane to enter is backed up 50 yards. The gas station is packed with people planning to head inside after they fill up. It's the busiest intersection in town. But then you pull up a stock chart. Shares are down 16% since a peak in May. You're confused. Didn't you just read that earnings were strong this past quarter? The stock underperformance isn't just a Costco issue. Walmart — another retailer that shoppers have historically traded down to when trying to spend less — has an eerily similar recent stock chart despite continuing to add customers. What gives? Aren't these supposed to be all-weather winners of a consumer pullback? In an ironic way, the reputation of Costco and Walmart as defensive plays may have worked against them. As worries about the consumer grew, investors built a premium into their stocks. That, in turn, gave them less room for error, and made them more sensitive to further signs of weaker spending. The chart below shows just how badly both stocks have underperformed the market — and the broader consumer staples sector — since they closed at record highs on May 19.