#buy-now-pay-later

#buy-now-pay-later

infamously boasting that the tech was doing the work of " 700 full-time agents" last year - only to regret his decision months later, admitting that humans play an important role after all.

On this week's Modern Retail Podcast, senior reporter Melissa Daniels is joined by executive editor Anna Hensel. First, they discuss Affirm's new rollout with Apple Pay to provide its buy-now, pay-later services in-store. Then they unpack the trend of paper coupons making a comeback in some retail environments, with Kroger announcing it has been bringing back paper coupons to help appeal to value-minded shoppers or those who aren't comfortable with more digital savings programs.

but the California concert promoter has already released the lineup for the 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the earliest announcement since the event's inception in 1999. We're expected to know, before the leaves begin to turn, if we want to snag tickets at the "early bird" "discount" price of $650 (Weekend One) or $550 (Weekend Two) to see Kaskade, the DJ my EDM-curious dad once called "Ajax" by mistake (they're both cleaning supplies, after all).

Klarna made a solid debut on the New York Stock Exchange, with shares of the Swedish buy now, pay later company rising nearly 15%. Klarna stock opened at $52 a share Wednesday, a 30% premium to the company's $40 pricing. It took roughly three-and-a-half hours for the specialists on the floor of the NYSE to manually price the first batch of trades of the company. The shares rose as high as $57 before losing some momentum and ending at $45.82, up 14.6%.

53% of Americans said the cost of groceries was a major source of stress right now, while 33% said it was a minor source of stress.

The integration of Klarna's payment options into Bolt's checkout will enable merchants to provide a seamless buy-now-pay-later experience to shoppers, enhancing customer loyalty.

"Buy Now, Pay Later loans are playing an increasingly important role in consumers' financial lives," stated Julie May, vice president and general manager of B2B Scores at FICO.

"I can feel the frame through the padding... I'm not even inviting my friends over because I don't want them to sit on this couch. They deserve better than this!"

Economic uncertainty-over tariffs, rising inflation, and the possibility of a looming recession-is giving consumers pause about stretching their limited funds.