Consumer News: 10 low-stress, high-paying jobs to watch in 2026

Your paycheck might cover your tuition in 2026

• A bunch of retail/food jobs will pay for college (sometimes even a full bachelors), and many work for part-timers after a short waiting period

• Two types: tuition-free partner degrees (Starbucks/Walmart/Target/Amazon/Chipotle) vs tuition reimbursement (McDonalds/Kroger/UPS) where you pay first, then get paid back

• Watch the fine print: hours + tenure requirements, passing grades, and tuition help over $5,250/year can be taxable

Did you know there are many retail and food-service jobs that will actually pick up a big chunk of your college tuition?

A growing number of big brands now offer education benefits that range from a few thousand dollars a year in tuition reimbursement to fully paid bachelors degrees at partner schools. Some are part-time friendly and some kick in after just a few months on the job. And a few can realistically get you through a degree with little to no student debt.

Heres a handy breakdown of who offers what right now.

First, how these tuition jobs usually work

Most programs fall into these two buckets:

• Debt-free degree programs. Companies partner with specific schools (often online) and pay 100% of tuition and sometimes even your books and fees. You usually have to choose from an approved list of majors and schools. Starbucks, Walmart, Target, Amazon and Chipotle fall in this camp.
• Traditional tuition reimbursement. This is when you enroll at an accredited school, you pay upfront, and then the employer reimburses you up to a certain dollar amount per year (for example, $3,500$5,250). McDonalds, Kroger and UPS are all examples of reimbursement programs.

Most require the following:

• A minimum number of hours per week
• A waiting period (90 days to a few months)
• Passing grades and staying employed through the term

And theres one more wrinkle: in many cases, tuition help over $5,250 a year can be taxable income, so youll want to confirm with HR or a tax pro how that might affect you.

The coffee and food service jobs that help pay for school:

Starbucks

Starbucks is one of the most aggressive players.

• What they offer: Youll get 100% upfront tuition at Arizona State University through the Starbucks College Achievement Plan. Its an online degree and it must be your first bachelors degree. No reimbursement paperwork required which is awesome and no you must stay X years after graduating clause attached.
• Who qualifies: All U.S. partners who are benefits-eligible, which typically means averaging at least 20 hours a week and hitting about 240 hours over three consecutive months.
• What you can study: 150+ online majors at ASU, from business and engineering to social sciences.

Pro tip: If youre okay with going to an online school and want a straightforward path, Starbucks is one of the few food-service jobs where my job pays for my bachelors is literally true for a most workers.

Chipotle

Chipotles benefits offer a solid mix of tuition-free options and reimbursement.

• What they offer: Up to $5,250 per year in tuition assistance, plus some completely debt-free degree options for select programs through Guild Education.
• Who qualifies: Both part-time and full-time workers who average at least 15 hours a week. Also, you must for at least four months to qualify.
• What you can study: A wide range of programs in their Guild catalog, including undergrad and even some graduate options. If you choose a program outside of Guild, you qualify for up to $5,250 in reimbursement.

Pro tip: If youre already enrolled somewhere and dont want to switch schools, Chipotles reimbursement for programs outside of Guild can be a huge benefit.

McDonalds

McDonalds Archways to Opportunity program also offers college help, especially for crew and shift managers.

• What they offer: Tuition assistance that can cover eligible course costs not already paid by scholarships or grants, with some workers reporting up to $5,250 per year.
• Who qualifies: Eligibility rules vary by franchise and role, but the program is designed for both crew members and managers. In some cases, workplace training can also translate into college credit.

Pro tip: Because many McDonalds locations are franchised, ask about the exact Archways benefits at the specific store where youre applying. Two locations a mile apart may not offer identical support.

Big-box and grocery jobs that pay for school:

Walmart (including Sams Club)

Walmarts Live Better U program has gone from kinda cheap to seriously generous in the past few years.

• What they offer: 100% of tuition and books for eligible associates in more than 200 degree and certificate programs through partner schools. The old $1 a day fee is gone and no longer part of the program.
• Who qualifies: Around 1.5 million part-time and full-time U.S. associates are eligible once they meet the programs service requirements.

Target

Targets education benefit, now branded Dream to Be, is another retail job path that can lead to a free college degree.

• What they offer: 100% tuition paid for select programs, plus access to roughly 250500 tuition-free or partially funded programs across 40+ colleges and universities via Guild. Many workers can also get up to $5,250 a year in tuition reimbursement.
• Who qualifies: U.S. part-time and full-time team members at stores, distribution centers and contact centers, subject to hours and tenure rules.

Kroger (and Kroger family brands)

If youre near a Kroger-owned store (Kroger, Ralphs, King Soopers, Fred Meyer, etc.), its worth asking about their continuing-education benefit.

• What they offer: Up to $3,500 per year and as much as $21,000 total in tuition reimbursement over your career. It can apply to everything from GED courses through doctoral programs, as long as theyre approved.
• Who qualifies: Both part-time and full-time associates; most recipients so far have been hourly workers.

Pro tip: If youre planning to stay with a company for several years while you finish school, a lifetime max benefit like Krogers can quietly add up to a huge tuition discount.

Warehouse and delivery jobs that help fund college:

While these 2 companies are not brick & mortar retail jobs, theyre the kinds of hourly jobs that a lot of students would consider.

Amazon

Amazons Career Choice program is a major education benefit in the warehouse and logistics job space.

• What they offer: Pre-paid tuition and reimbursement of books and fees up to an annual maximum. In many cases, Amazon now funds full college tuition as well as GED, ESL and certificate programs, with no lifetime cap as long as you remain eligible.
• Who qualifies: Hourly employees in eligible roles after 90 days of employment.

UPS

If youre okay with a physical job and odd hours, UPSs Earn & Learn is one of the more generous classic tuition reimbursement packages.

• What they offer: Up to $5,250 per calendar year in tuition assistance, with a lifetime cap around $25,000 for most part-time employees.
• Who qualifies: Both management and non-management workers at participating locations qualify, including most part-timers. Be aware that some locations require you to stay through a work-through date after the term to receive reimbursement.

Pro tip: UPS and Amazon jobs can be easier to schedule around classes if youre willing to work early mornings, nights or weekends. When youre comparing offers, look at both the hourly wage and the annual tuition number together.

Why resting well could be the secret sauce for your fitness and health goals

• Most Americans say eating well and exercising helps them sleep better and better sleep supports health goals.

• A recent AASM survey shows the power of combined lifestyle habits rather than isolated resolutions.

• Simple habits like a consistent bedtime and unplugging before bed can improve your sleep.

Its that time of year again a fresh start, fresh goals, and fresh intentions. For many, that means planning to eat better, get moving more often, and generally feel healthier.

But while most of us focus on diet and exercise as the cornerstones of health, theres a third pillar that often gets left behind: sleep.

According to a new national survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), healthy eating and regular physical activity dont just help your body they also help your sleep, and that sleep can in turn make it easier to stick to your other goals.

When you think about changing habits, it makes sense to consider how they work together. Stuffing your plate with veggies and hitting a workout might already be on your list but the latest data suggest those moves can also make it easier to get the quality sleep your brain and body crave.

Sleep is one of three pillars of a healthy lifestyle, including eating a well-balanced diet and incorporating regular physical activity, AASM spokesperson Dr. Kin Yuen said in a news release.

When people make New Years resolutions or select their nudge word for the year, they often prioritize diet and exercise. These changes dont just support physical healththey also improve sleep.

How the sleep & health survey was done

The AASM commissioned an online survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults in June 2025 to find out how lifestyle habits relate to sleep.

The results arent perfect like any survey, they come with a margin of error of about 2 percentage points but they do give a snapshot of how people feel about their routines. Participants answered questions about their diet, physical activity, and sleep experiences.

The findings mean

A majority of respondents reported that eating a well-balanced diet helped their sleep slightly or significantly. Many also said that exercising in the morning or evening seemed to improve how well they slept.

Whats more, younger adults especially those between 25 and 34 were the most likely to notice these connections. In this group, a good diet and evening exercise were even more strongly linked with better sleep, suggesting that lifestyle habits early in life could influence how easily we rest.

What they mean

So what does all this actually mean for your New Years list?

For starters: you dont have to tackle diet, fitness, and sleep as separate goals. Changes in one area can ripple into the others. For example, eating more nutrient-rich foods and making time to move each day could help you fall asleep faster and wake up feeling more refreshed.

To boost your chances of success, the AASM also offers a few practical sleep strategies:

• Build a consistent bedtime routine: Aim for at least seven hours of sleep each night.

• Stay active: Choose activities you enjoy and fit them into your schedule.

• Eat well: Balance fruits, vegetables, grains, and proteins.

• Unplug before bed: Turn off phones, tablets, and TVs 3060 minutes before lights-out.

Think of sleep not as a separate resolution but as the fuel that helps power your other goals. Better sleep might just be the foundation that makes all your healthy habits stick in the year ahead.

Sufficient sleep significantly reduces the risk of chronic illnesses, such as obesity, heart disease, and even depression and anxiety, said Yuen. Whether youre improving your diet, increasing your activity level, or managing stress, prioritizing sleep gives you the energy and mental clarity needed to start the year strong.

Company admits the tests "raised concerns"

• Instacart says shoppers will now see the same price for the same item at the same store on the same day

• A new report found some customers were charged up to 23% more than others for identical groceries

• Consumer advocates say the experiment treated shoppers unfairly at a time of high food inflation

Instacart will stop using artificial intelligence to test different prices on the same grocery items after a new consumer watchdog report found that shoppers were often charged different amounts for identical products.

In a blog post published Monday, the grocery delivery platform said it had ended the pricing experiments effective immediately, acknowledging that the practice raised concerns among customers already struggling with rising food costs.

We understand that the tests we ran with a small number of retail partners that resulted in different prices for the same item at the same store missed the mark for some customers, the company said. At a time when families are working exceptionally hard to stretch every grocery dollar, those tests raised concerns.

Different prices for the same groceries

The announcement follows a report released this month by Consumer Reports and the Groundwork Collaborative, which examined pricing on Instacart for more than 400 shoppers in four U.S. cities.

The researchers found that Instacart sometimes displayed as many as five different prices for the same item at the same store on the same day. On average, the gap between the highest and lowest prices for identical items was 13%, with some shoppers seeing prices as much as 23% higher than others.

In one example cited in the report, a dozen Lucerne eggs at a Safeway store in Washington, D.C., were listed at $3.99, $4.28, $4.59, $4.69 and $4.79 on Instacart, depending on the shopper. At a Safeway in Seattle, a box of 10 Clif Chocolate Chip Energy Bars was priced at $19.43, $19.99 or $21.99.

The study estimated that, over the course of a year, a shopper consistently exposed to the higher prices could theoretically spend up to $1,200 more on groceries.

Company backs away from testing

Instacart said that going forward, shoppers purchasing the same items from the same store on the same day will see identical prices. Retail partners will still set prices and may charge different prices across different store locations, the company said.

The company emphasized that the experiments were not dynamic pricing like that used by airlines or ride-hailing services, and said prices were not based on personal characteristics such as income. Instead, Instacart described the tests as limited experiments aimed at helping retailers optimize pricing.

The pricing program was tied to Instacarts 2022 acquisition of Eversight, an artificial intelligence company whose software allows retailers to test millions of price combinations. Instacart marketing materials previously claimed the experiments would be largely unnoticeable to consumers while potentially increasing store revenue by up to 3%.

Consumer backlash grows

Consumer advocates said the findings underscore growing concerns about the use of algorithmic pricing in essential markets such as food.

American grocery shoppers arent guinea pigs, and they should be able to expect a fair price when theyre shopping, Lindsey Owens, executive director of the Groundwork Collaborative, said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times earlier this month.

The controversy echoes recent public backlash against other companies that have explored variable pricing for everyday goods, including fast-food chains that floated the idea of surge pricing during busy hours.

Investors also reacted to the news. Shares of Instacart fell about 2% in midday trading Monday after the company announced it was ending the price experiments.

Unlawful 'defeat device' was used in diesel vehicles for years to cheat on emissions tests

• Multistate settlement resolves environmental and consumer protection violations tied to emissions cheating

• Eligible Mercedes diesel owners to receive $2,000 after approved emissions repairs

• Company used illegal "defeat devices" for years to cheat on emissions tests

A bipartisan coalition of 51 attorneys general has reached a nearly $150 million settlement with Mercedes-Benz USA over the automakers use of illegal emissions-cheating software in diesel vehicles, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Tuesday.

The agreement resolves claims that Mercedes equipped hundreds of thousands of diesel vehicles with undisclosed software designed to manipulate emissions tests, mislead consumers, and illegally pollute communities across the country. The multistate investigation was led by New York and eight other states.

Under the settlement, Mercedes will pay $149,673,750 to the states, including more than $13.5 million to New York, and will provide $2,000 payments to eligible vehicle owners and lessees whose cars receive required emissions repairs. The company must also implement sweeping compliance reforms and submit to ongoing oversight.

Years-long emissions deception

According to investigators, Mercedes installed unlawful defeat device software in diesel vehicles that allowed them to pass government emissions tests while producing far higher pollution levels during normal driving.

The software allegedly reduced emissions only under laboratory testing conditions. On the road, the vehicles emitted nitrogen oxides and other pollutants at levels sometimes 30 to 40 times above legal limits, regulators said. Those emissions contribute to smog, respiratory illness, and other public health risks.

This unlawful software enabled Mercedes to obtain emissions certifications that the vehicles did not actually qualify for, the New York Attorney Generals Office said in a statement.

Between 2008 and 2017, Mercedes sold more than 200,000 affected diesel vehicles nationwide, including more than 19,000 registered in New York.

Consumers misled by clean diesel claims

Investigators also concluded that Mercedes misled buyers by marketing its diesel vehicles as environmentally friendly.

The company advertised the cars as producing ultra-low emissions, described them as clean and green, and claimed they were among the worlds cleanest diesel automobiles. Mercedes also touted technology that allegedly converted harmful pollutants into pure, earth-friendly nitrogen and water.

In reality, the vehicles emitted far more pollution than permitted and did not operate as advertised or certified, state officials said.

Attorney General James said the conduct went on for nearly a decade.

Mercedes promised New Yorkers clean, green cars, but instead sold vehicles that polluted our air and put public health at risk, James said. For nearly a decade, Mercedes misled regulators and consumers while its vehicles spewed toxic emissions into our communities.

Investigation launched after federal case

The multistate probe began in 2020, following the conclusion of a related federal investigation. As part of a nine-state executive committee, the New York Attorney Generals Office reviewed more than 350,000 documents and interviewed numerous witnesses.

That investigation ultimately found that Mercedes undisclosed software masked the vehicles true pollution levels and allowed the company to improperly obtain emissions certifications.

Money for pollution control and consumers

As part of the settlement, Mercedes will immediately pay $120 million to the participating states. New Yorks share$13,530,088will be used to prevent, reduce, and mitigate air pollution.

An additional $29,673,750 penalty is temporarily suspended and will be reduced by $750 for each affected vehicle that Mercedes repairs, removes from the road, or buys back.

To encourage repairs, Mercedes must offer $2,000 payments to eligible owners and lessees whose vehicles receive an Approved Emissions Modification. Claims must be submitted by September 30, 2026. Mercedes is required to notify eligible consumers by mail and provide an extended emissions warranty for vehicles that undergo the repair.

Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton said the settlement delivers both accountability and environmental benefits.

This multi-state settlement not only ensures accountability for bad actors using illegal emissions-cheating devices, it also importantly delivers more than $13.5 million to New York to reduce harmful emissions and help eligible consumers pay for costly vehicle repairs, Lefton said.

Strict compliance and oversight requirements

Beyond the financial penalties, the settlement imposes broad restrictions on Mercedes future conduct.

The company is barred from selling or leasing diesel vehicles equipped with illegal emissions-cheating devices, from making misleading claims about emissions performance, and from labeling diesel vehicles as clean or low-pollution unless those claims are accurate and substantiated.

Mercedes must also comply with requirements previously imposed in federal court, regularly report to state regulators on vehicle repairs and removals, and submit to additional oversight. Failure to comply could trigger further penalties.

State officials said the settlement is intended not only to remedy past harm, but to prevent similar misconduct across the auto industry going forward.