Business News

It’s the inflation you’re not supposed to see. From toilet paper to yogurt and coffee to corn chips, manufacturers are quietly shrinking package sizes without lowering prices. It’s dubbed “shrinkflation,” and it’s accelerating worldwide. In the U. S., a small box of Kleenex now has 60 tissues; a few months ago, it had 65.

NEW YORK — Walmart will no longer sell cigarettes in some of its stores though tobacco sales can be a significant revenue generator. Wall Street Journal was the first to report the development Monday. It noted some stores in California, Florida, Arkansas and New Mexico were on the list, citing anonymous sources and store visits. Walmart is not the first national retail chain to cut off cigarette sales even on a trial basis, but it is the largest. Target ended cigarette sales in 1996 and the drugstore chain CVS Health did the same in 2014. CVS Health sales in areas outside the pharmacy fell for a few quarters after it pulled tobacco products, and the company had predicted that missing tobacco products would hurt annual earnings by 7 to 8 cents per share. Overall revenue has grown every year at CVS, however, after a number of acquisitions and changes to its stores bolstered the company’s health care offerings.

Development of a kids' version of Instagram, geared toward children under 13, is on hold to address concerns that have been raised about the vulnerability of younger users.

Americans who have direct deposit set up through the Internal Revenue Service could be receiving their stimulus check as early as Tuesday night.        

Congress is rushing to pass a proposed COVID-19 relief bill. Here's what is in the package and what it means for you.       

Costco Wholesale Club, one of the first retailers to mandate shoppers wear masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic, is updating its face mask policy Nov. 16.       

Aimee PicchiSpecial to USA TODAYThe millions of Americans who have filed for unemployment since the pandemic walloped the economy in March face an unwelcome surprise next month. While the CARES Act directed an extra $600 a week in jobless benefits to help out-of-work Americans weather business shutdowns, those additional benefits expire July 31.

The company said that the iconic Aunt Jemima figure on its packaging is "based on a racial stereotype.       

If you're in the market for a used car, Hertz is selling vehicles in its fleet at discount prices. The company was hit hard in the COVID-19 pandemic.       

Movie theater chain AMC warned Wednesday that it may not survive the coronavirus pandemic, which has shuttered its theaters and led film studios to explore releasing more movies directly to viewers over the internet. All of AMC's theaters are shut down through June, which means the company isn't generating any revenue.

Public ridicule and judgment is common among people who selectively wear masks or forgo them all together in the middle of a pandemic.       

By Kelly Tyko USA TODAYDays after filing for bankruptcy, J. C. Penney says it plans to close more than a fourth of its stores. According to a document filed with the Securities and Exchanges Commission on Monday, approximately 29% of the retailer's 846 stores, or 242 locations, will close between the current fiscal year and next fiscal year.

The $484 billion measure offers funds for the Paycheck Protection Program and sends more money to hospitals struggling because of the coronavirus.       

Oil prices plunged below zero on Monday as demand for energy collapses amid the coronavirus pandemic.       

California's 40 million residents should stay home indefinitely and venture outside only for essential jobs, errands and some exercise, Gov.

Enlarge / US Microsoft founder, Co-Chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, poses for a picture on October 9, 2019, in Lyon, central eastern France, during the funding conference of Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. (credit: Jeff Pachoud | Getty Images) Just over 20 years after stepping down as CEO of Microsoft and six years after relinquishing his position as Chairman of the Board, Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates has resigned from the Microsoft Board of Directors.