Consumer News: Here’s why it’s so hard to find a job

The average rate is edging closer to 6%

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Mortgage rates continue to fall, with the 30-year fixed dropping to 6.19% and the 15-year fixed to 5.44%, creating a more favorable environment for buyers compared to last year.

• Affordability is improving as nearly 27% of major U.S. metros see year-over-year home price declines, especially in Southern and Western states that previously experienced rapid post-pandemic price growth.

• Market cooling is driven by rising inventory, softer buyer demand, and broader economic pressures, leading to slowing national price growth and, in some areas, modest price drops.

Home affordability continues to improve as home prices dip in some markets and mortgage rates continue to fall closer to the 6% level. Freddie Mac reports its latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey shows the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.19% this week.

Mortgage rates decreased for the second straight week as we emerged from the Thanksgiving holiday, said Sam Khater, Freddie Macs chief economist. Compared to this time last year, mortgage rates are half a percent lower, creating a more favorable environment for homebuyers and homeowners.

Latest rates

The 30-year FRM averaged 6.19% as of December 4, 2025, down from last week when it averaged 6.23%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.69%.

The 15-year FRM averaged 5.44%, down from last week when it averaged 5.51%. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 5.96%.

While financing costs are improving for buyers, so are list prices, at least in a growing number of housing markets.

Industry sources show roughly 27% of the 300 largest U.S. metro housing markets are seeing year-over-year price drops.

Nationally, while home values are still inching up, the pace of growth has shrunk significantly in many places, there is effectively no growth or modest declines from last year.

The cooling seems concentrated in many Southern and Western metros especially in states such as Texas, Arizona, and California where there has been a large run-up in prices post-pandemic.

Factors contributing to softening include rising inventory, weakening buyer demand, and macroeconomic pressures such as higher mortgage rates and affordability constraints.

From beauty chains to bargain racks, the dont worry, just return it era is ending

• Return policies are tightening fast: shorter windows at places like Sephora and Ulta and stricter fine print, even if returns still run into January

• Mail-in returns now come with new fees at big chains (American Eagle, Anthropologie, H&M, TJX stores, Nordstrom Rack, Macys, Best Buy), while in-store returns stay free

• Before you buy, check the return window, favor in-person returns, always grab a gift receipt, and rethink the buy three, return two habit now that returns cost money

Retailers have spent the last few years telling shoppers that Returns are easy. Now they are quietly making them more expensive, more rushed, and in many cases, a lot less forgiving.

Over just the past six months, a long list of big names have tightened their policies just in time for your holiday returns. They are either charging new fees, shortening return windows, or layering in extra fine print.

If youre a shopper who treats Ill just return it as your safety net, that could be a problem. Heres what you need to know.

Whats actually changing?

The big theme is that retailers are still extending holiday return dates (often until the end of January), but theyre getting stricter about how you return stuff and what its going to cost you.

Shorter windows at beauty retailers

Sephora and Ulta have both moved away from the long, generous timelines that made them cult favorites with beauty shoppers.

• Sephora now cuts off most returns at 30 days, period. Their old system that allowed you to make exchanges (or opt for store credit) for up to 60 days is now gone.
• Ulta Beautys standard policy now gives shoppers 30 days (down from 60) for a refund to the original form of payment. Returns in the 3160 day window is merchandise credit only now, and nothing is accepted after 60 days.

For a lot of shoppers, these 2 changes are effectively cutting their return days in half.

Pro tip: Get in the habit of taking a screenshot of the return policy and set a calendar reminder on your phone. Then when your order ships, add a calendar reminder for a week before the return window closes. This is especially important at stores where your true full-refund window is now just measly 30 days.

New gotcha fees for mail-in returns

Clothing and department stores are leaning hard on return fees, especially by mail.

• American Eagle/Aerie now charges $5 for online returns by mail, unless youre a Real Rewards Level 3 member or returning certain categories like Aerie bras or swimsuits. In-store returns are still free.
• Abercrombie has instituted a $7 fee when returning via the mail. But you can get around it by requesting your refund on an e-gift card and the $7 fee will be waived.
• Anthropologie has also joined the ranks and now charges shoppers $5.95 to return items via UPS, their preferred shipping provider. Exchanges are free via the mail, so hopefully an even exchange works, otherwise try to take items back to the store.
• H&M has a $3.99 return fee for mailed online returns, even as it extends the holiday window into late January.
• The TJ Maxx / Marshalls / HomeGoods family lets you bring holiday purchases back through late January (or early February for online orders), but now charges $11.99 if you send something back by mail.
• Nordstrom Rack offers free in-store returns, but deducts $9.95 per prepaid label from refunds for returns by mail.
• Macys does the same. They offer free in-store returns, but nonStar Rewards members lose $9.99 from their refund when they mail an item back.
• JCPenney charges a flat $8 mail-in return fee for most orders, and if you are sending back some large items (like furniture or certain big-ticket buys), there can be an additional pick-up fee of around $85 plus a restocking percentage.

Pro tip: The cheapest way to return an item is increasingly in-person, so treat mail-in returns as a last resort. Reserve any mail-in returns for situations where getting to a store is impossible, and assume it will cost you somewhere between $5 and $10per box.

Electronics and gaming get hit too

Even tech and gaming returns are pricier. Heres are the recent changes you need to know:

• Best Buy has had the shortest return window for years (only 15 days for most items) and charges a 15% restocking fee on certain electronics that have been opened. Electronics that are hit by the restocking fee includes cameras, camcorders, drones, and projectors.
• GameStop now charges a whopping $14.99 to return game consoles bought online, and around $8.99 for many other mail-in returns, on top of limited holiday return dates. They also now only give you 7 days to return pre-owned items and only 15 days for almost everything else.

What this means for your holiday shopping

If youre used to buying gifts with your blinders on, and not paying attention to store return policies, its time to change your strategy a bit.

Check the return window before you buy. Dont assume youll get until late January anymore. Look for exact return dates and whether holiday purchases have different rules than regular buys.

Prioritize stores with extended holiday returns for big gifts. If youre buying expensive tech, appliances, or designer stuff, choose the retailer with the clearest, longest return policy and avoid a headache down the road.

Get (and keep) a gift receipt every time. Gift receipts are your best friend when return policies are getting stricter. Just toss it in the bag or box so the recipient doesnt have to bug you for it later.

Tell your giftees the real deadline. A simple Hey, if you need to exchange this, youve got until January X can keep gift receivers from missing a now-shorter window.

Pro tip: Its time to rethink the buy three, return two habit. During the pandemic, retailers trained everyone to use their living room as a fitting room. That habit is now colliding with stricter cost-cutting return policies. If returns are no longer free, it may be cheaper to spend some time making sure youre getting the right size and color the first time around.

The logo on the box doesnt feed your family the math does

• Higher-income households are leading the shift to store brands and discount grocers, and most shoppers say private-label quality matches or beats name brands

• Start with low-risk swaps (staples, basic dairy, frozen veggies), keep what passes the family taste test, and save name brands for a few special favorites

• Do a monthly stock-up at discounters and quick fill-in trips at your regular store so youre not paying full price where you dont need to

A new consumer survey from Alvarez & Marsal shows that higher-income households (over $100,000/year) are actually leading the shift toward store brands and discount grocers.

Heres whats going on, and how you can use the same strategy to keep your grocery bill in check.

Store brands arent just for tight budgets anymore

Alvarez & Marsals fall 2025 Consumer Sentiment Survey found the following:

• Surprisingly, more than 82% of shoppers making over $100K say theyre buying more private-label products than ever before.

• Just over half of those high-income shoppers say they buy store brands very often in grocery stores. Thats more than lower-income shoppers, where 42% said the same.

• Across all income levels, 68% of people say private-label groceries are as good as or better than national brands on quality.

In other words, store brands are no longer the if we have to option. Theyre a deliberate tradeoff where you happily spend less per item and free up cash for other things.

Plus, as weve talked about before, many store brands are actually produced by the more expensive name-brand then simply re-labeled.

What this means for your grocery budget

The fact that shoppers who can afford the more expensive name-brands are opting for store-brands and discount grocery stores is pretty telling. It tells me that store brands are clearly getting better and are providing an excellent value.

Heres how to borrow the same playbook without feeling like youre sacrificing quality.

1. Start with low-risk swaps

Most shoppers get nervous about swapping everything to store brand all at once. You dont have to, just start with a few.

Begin with categories where quality tends to be very comparable:

• Staples: sugar, flour, salt, rice, canned beans, and canned tomatoes.

• Dairy: milk, half/half, butter, sour cream, and shredded cheese.

• Frozen basics: veggies, plain fruits, pizza, fries, tater tots.

I love the advice of trying one or two private-label items at a time and keep what passes the family taste test.

Think of it this way, if you hate it, youre only out a few dollars. If you love it, youve just permanently lowered your costs for that grocery item.

2. Use national brands for special items, not everything

Get in the habit of thinking of your big national brands as a special treat or specific need purchase. Here are a few examples that jump to mind:

• That favorite box of cereal the kids devour in 2 days.

• A particular fancy pasta sauce that you would serve to guests.

• That one gotta have it hot sauce or snack where nothing else compares to it.

If you reserve those more expensive brand names for things you really care about, youll feel better about swapping to store brand on all the doesnt matter stuff.

3. Combine discounters with your main store

The survey also shows shoppers across all income levels think that discount grocery stores have the quality and assortment to match traditional grocers. Use that tidbit of information to your advantage:

• Do a once-a-month stock-up trip to Aldi, Lidl, Grocery Outlet, Winco, or another discount chain for shelf-stable staples, snacks and cleaning supplies.

• Use your regular grocery store for fresh produce, meat and any specialty items you cant find elsewhere.

Dont think of it as breaking up with your favorite store, just stop paying full price for items you could get cheaper without a quality hit.

Despite the return-to-office trend, some big companies are still hiring top talent to work from anywhere

• FlexJobs identified 20 major companies including Pinterest, Reddit, and Spotify that continue to hire fully remote workers in 2026.

• Many of the open roles at these companies pay over $100K, with examples ranging from engineering to management positions.

• Experts say remote work remains valuable for both employees and employers, offering benefits like better mental health, cost savings, and improved work-life balance.
  

If it feels like everyone is being called back to the office right now, youre not imagining it.

Plenty of major employers have tightened their remote-work policies this year. But despite the headlines, fully remote work isnt disappearingand FlexJobs has the receipts to prove it.

ConsumerAffairs interviewed Toni Frana, Career Expert Manager at FlexJobs, who says there are still many companies committed to hiring talent from anywhere. In fact, the career site just released a list of 20 employers that consistently offer fully remote roles, including big names like Affirm, Pinterest, Reddit, and Spotify.

And for job seekers looking for strong compensation, many of the opportunities at these companies pay $100K or more.

Companies hiring remote employees

Heres a look at 20 companies that are currently hiring full-time remote employees with a six-figure salary:

1. Affirm

2. Allstate

3. Amgen

4. Amplify Education

5. Atlassian

6. BELAY

7. CrowdStrike

8. Dropbox

9. HubSpot

10. Humana

11. Kraken

12. Pearson

13. Pinterest

14. Reddit

15. Ryder

16. Spotify

17. StackAdapt

18. Stride, Inc.

19. Twilio

20. Vista

FlexJobs has also shared some sample job listings that are actively accepting applicants:

• Senior Analytics Engineer at Reddit ($190,800 - $267,100)

• Android Engineer at Spotify ($189,592 - $215,249)

• People Strategy Lead at Amplify Education ($160,000 - $180,000)

• Global Safety Manager at Amegen ($122,105 - $145,799)

• Account Manager at Atlassian ($134,100 - $175,075)

The benefits of remote work

According to Frana, many companies are opting for fully remote work because they see the benefits it brings to the company and the employees.

Many remote workers indicate better mental health due to factors like eliminating a long commute, the cost savings associated with not driving to the office, paying for lunches, and increased work-life balance, he said.

These factors are hard for employers to ignore. When employees feel valued and have a benefit like remote work, it directly (and positively) benefits the company as well, and makes offering remote work options a net positive for employers.

Tips for job seekers

If youre looking for a remote job, Frana shared some of his best advice:

• Focus on roles that match your skill set. Even using your skills as keywords for searching for job descriptions, rather than a job title, will help you identify roles closely aligned with your top skills regardless of the job title.

• Tailor your resume and cover letter to remote/hybrid experience and skills. Employers like to see that candidates have skills in place to be a successful remote worker. Some of these skills include asynchronous and written communication, technical skills, and virtual collaboration.

• Lean into networking. For example, if you already know someone who works at a company youd like to work for, start a dialogue with them to help increase your chances of success on your application. Plus, many companies have employee referral programs that make recommending an applicant easy.