Useless Medications, Credit Card Debt, and Zero Consumers

Useless congestion medications are being pulled from shelves following an FDA finding that they don’t work (at least not when taken orally), and some people are calling for other non-science-backed products to be pulled, as well.

Apple is beginning to support right-to-repair bills.

Credit card debt in the US has spiked to a $1.08 trillion record:

I’m note sure I agree with this framing/delineation, but McKinsey seems to think that “zero consumers” is a thing, and that a lack of brand-loyalty, price-related consumption habits, and a comfort level with both online and offline sales platforms is what places someone in that category.

How cans became aspirational:

““The fact that the French themselves are now doing canned wine is a huge indicator of where we are with the trend,” says Andrea Hernández, the founder of the cult food and drinks trend newsletter, Snaxshot. The global beverage cans market is booming, research suggests its size is expected to surpass £48bn by 2030.”

Tik Tok is experimenting with selling stuff directly on its network, rather than sending would-be buyers elsewhere.

The case against crossovers (SUVs).

Meta has launched (intentionally expensive) ad-free plans in Europe, to accomodate local regulations.

What the colorful tag on your bread bag means (huh!).

The “Christmas creep” continues its march all the way back to Halloween.

How Pokémon cards are made.

Some big shoe brands are pushing for circularity in their industry.

And interestingly, fake and low-quality online reviews are estimated to subtract about 12 cents of value from each dollar spent (presumably because people end up with worse products they wouldn’t have purchased if the reviews were accurate).