Consumer News: Amazon rolls out wider same-day pharmacy delivery expansion

The same three sectors continue to produce the most jobs

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• U.S. economy added 130,000 jobs in January, as unemployment held at 4.3%.

• Health care, social assistance, and construction led hiring, while federal government and financial jobs declined.

• Annual benchmark revisions sharply lowered 2025 job growth totals.

If you are looking for a job, your prospects may be getting a little brighter. U.S. employers added 130,000 jobs in January, significantly more than expected.

The unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.3%, signaling a steady but restrained start to 2026. The latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show modest job growth following a sluggish 2025, when payrolls expanded by an average of just 15,000 jobs per month.

Gains last month were concentrated in health care, social assistance, and construction, while federal government payrolls continued to shrink and financial sector employment declined.

Unemployment steady, but higher than a year ago

The jobless rate held at 4.3% in January, with 7.4 million Americans unemployed. That is little changefrom December, but up from 4.0% and 6.9 million unemployed a year earlier.

Teenagers saw some improvement, with their unemployment rate falling to 13.6%. Rates for adult men (3.8%), adult women (4.0%), and major racial and ethnic groups showed little monthly movement. Black workers continued to face a higher unemployment rate at 7.2%, compared with 3.7% for White workers, 4.1% for Asian workers, and 4.7% for Hispanic workers.

Long-term unemployment defined as those jobless for 27 weeks or more was essentially unchanged at 1.8 million in January. However, thathas risen by 386,000 over the past year. One in four unemployed workers has been out of work for at least six months.

The labor force participation rate remained at 62.5%, and the employment-population ratio held at 59.8%, both largely unchanged over the past year.

There was some relief in involuntary part-time employment. The number of people working part time for economic reasons fell by 453,000 to 4.9 million in January, though that figure remains higher than a year ago. Meanwhile, 5.8 million people outside the labor force said they wanted a job, down by 399,000 from December.

Health care drives job gains

Health care once again led job growth, adding 82,000 positions in January. Ambulatory health care services accounted for 50,000 of those jobs, while hospitals added 18,000 and nursing and residential care facilities contributed 13,000.

Social assistance employment rose by 42,000, primarily in individual and family services. Construction added 33,000 jobs, largely among nonresidential specialty trade contractors. Construction employment had been essentially flat throughout 2025.

Other major industries including manufacturing, retail trade, transportation and warehousing, professional and business services, and leisure and hospitality showed little change over the month.

While some stores could close, online sales are not affected

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Eddie Bauer LLC has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in New Jersey after reaching a restructuring agreement with its secured lenders.

• The company will launch liquidation sales at its U.S. and Canadian stores while pursuing a potential sale of all or part of its retail operations.

• E-commerce and wholesale operations, operated by Outdoor 5 LLC, are not affected and will continue as usual.

Eddie Bauer LLC, the operator of Eddie Bauer retail and outlet stores in the United States and Canada, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as part of a restructuring plan aimed at stabilizing the business and maximizing value for stakeholders. Some or all of the retail outlets could close.

The company announced it has entered into a Restructuring Support Agreement (RSA) with its secured lenders and has begun voluntary Chapter 11 proceedings in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey. The agreement is intended to streamline the bankruptcy process and allow the retailer to move through it as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Some stores will close

As part of the restructuring, Eddie Bauers retail stores in the U.S. and Canada will remain open for now, but the company will begin liquidation sales as it winds down certain locations. At the same time, the company is actively seeking a buyer for all or part of its store operations in what it described as a dual-path strategy.

If a buyer is secured, the company may shift away from a full liquidation and instead complete a going-concern sale that preserves some or all of its store footprint. If no transaction materializes, the retailer said it will proceed with an orderly wind-down of store operations.

Marc Rosen, CEO of Catalyst Brands, said the company has faced mounting financial challenges that predate the formation of Catalyst Brands last year.

Inflation-driven cost increases

Even prior to the inception of Catalyst Brands last year, the retail company was in a challenged situation, with declining sales, supply chain challenges, and other issues, Rosen said in a statement. He added that those difficulties were compounded by inflation-driven cost increases, tariff uncertainty, and other economic pressures.

Rosen said that while Catalysts leadership team made progress in areas such as product development and marketing, those efforts were not enough to overcome longstanding operational and financial headwinds.

The company has filed several customary first-day motions with the bankruptcy court, including requests to use cash collateral to continue paying employee wages and benefits and to fund operations during the Chapter 11 process.

Online sales are not affected

Importantly for customers, Eddie Bauers online and wholesale businesses are not part of the bankruptcy filing. Those operations are run by a separate licensed operator, Outdoor 5 LLC (also known as Oved), and will continue without interruption. Authentic Brands Group retains ownership of the Eddie Bauer intellectual property and may license the brand to other operators in the future.

The filing does not affect Eddie Bauer stores outside the U.S. and Canada, which are operated by other licensees and will continue normal operations. Other brands within the Catalyst Brands portfolio are also not impacted by the bankruptcy.

Rosen acknowledged the impact of the decision on employees and business partners.

The findings show perceived results often outweigh unpleasant side effects for semaglutide users

• Many semaglutide (e.g., Ozempic) users keep taking the drug because they see real weight loss or appetite reduction.

• A Rutgers study analyzed anonymous online reviews to understand what drives peoples decisions to continue or stop treatment.

• Gastrointestinal side effects like nausea were common but didnt strongly deter users lack of results did.

Weight-loss medications like semaglutide often known by brand names such as Ozempic have become a huge part of the public conversation about obesity and body weight.

However, these drugs arent without downsides: many users report unpleasant side effects, especially gastrointestinal discomfort.

With all the buzz out there on social media, in the news, and across conversations about health researchers at Rutgers Health wanted to understand something deeper: when people actually use these medications in real life, what makes them stick with them or stop?

Ozempic has become a cultural phenomenon, but much of the public conversation has been driven by celebrity endorsements and social media trends rather than the voices of everyday users, researcher Abanoub Armanious, said in a news release.

Our study cuts through the noise to ask a simple question: What do people actually experience when they use this medication for weight loss, and what shapes their decision to keep going or stop?

The study

Instead of relying on data collected in a clinical trial setting, the Rutgers team used a method called infoveillance to tap into publicly available online health data.

They analyzed 60 anonymous, freely-posted medication reviews from a health information website. These reviews came from people who shared their own experiences using semaglutide for weight loss what they noticed about how it made them feel, what benefits they saw, and whether they planned to keep using it.

Rather than controlled clinical measurements, this approach centered on what real users say matters most to them in everyday life something often missing from traditional research.

By combing through these narratives and categorizing peoples reported outcomes and attitudes, the researchers could see patterns in satisfaction, persistence with the treatment, and reasons for discontinuing it.

What the results show

Heres what stood out: the biggest factor linked with both satisfaction and the intention to keep taking the drug was how effective people perceived it to be.

Most users who said they lost weight, ate less, or had fewer food cravings also said they planned to stick with the treatment, even if they experienced side effects like nausea or vomiting. Roughly two-thirds (67%) mentioned these positive effects.

On the flip side, people who didnt see much weight loss or who dealt with other, non-gastrointestinal side effects were more likely to say they would stop using the medication.

Interestingly, the common stomach-related side effects didnt strongly influence users overall decisions to continue suggesting that, for many, seeing results mattered more than feeling sick.

Theres been a lot of focus on the side effects of GLP-1 medications nausea, digestive issues and whether they're worth it, researcher Morgan James said in the news release.

What we found is that for many users, the calculus is straightforward: If the drug helps them lose weight, theyre willing to tolerate significant discomfort. That tells us something important about the demand for effective weight loss options and how we need to think about supporting such patients.

The authors emphasize that understanding patient experiences especially outside clinical settings can help doctors and patients have clearer conversations about expectations and side effects. They also suggest future studies should explore how attitudes might change over time or differ between groups of people.

A medical trend on the ground could change costs in the sky

• Lighter passengers, lighter planes: A 10% drop in average passenger weight could cut total aircraft weight about 2%, trimming fuel use roughly 1.5% per flight.

• Savings scale quickly: For major carriers like American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines, that could mean about $580 million a year in fuel savings.

• Fares likely wont fall: Ticket prices usually follow demand and competition, so lower fuel costs may lift profits more than cut prices.

A surprising side effect of Americas weight-loss boom could show up in the skies and not just on bathroom scales.

According to an analysis from Jefferies Research Services, widespread use of GLP-1 weight-loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy could eventually lower airline fuel costs by making passengers lighter on average.

Airlines have long obsessed over shaving ounces, from lighter seats to thinner paper manuals. The one thing they cant control? Passenger weight.

Thats where these medications come in.

The math behind the savings

Jefferies modeled the impact on a Boeing 737 MAX 8, a common narrow-body jet used on domestic routes.

If the average passenger weight dropped by 10%, that total weight on the plane could fall by as much as 2%. That smaller load could translate to roughly 1.5% in fuel savings per flight.

Scaled across the industry, that adds up pretty fast. Jefferies estimates the four largest U.S. carriers American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines could save about $580 million a year on fuel if average passenger weight fell meaningfully.

Together, those airlines are expected to spend nearly $39 billion on jet fuel this year.

Will travelers see cheaper tickets?

That sure would be nice, but it probably wont work that way.

Airlines historically do not lower airfare based on cost savings alone. They tend to base it more on travel demand (or lack thereof) along with what competing airlines are doing.

So in the end, lower fuel usage may improve airlines profits, but it wont necessarily make air travel cheaper.

Still, over time, lower operating costs can:

• Help airlines keep fares from rising as fast.
• Improve route profitability, potentially adding more flight options.
• Boost airline earnings, which can stabilize the industry during downturns.

The bigger picture

This projection hinges on the assumption that GLP-1 drugs become widely used and lead to sustained weight loss across a large share of the population.

But it shows how deeply connected health trends and everyday consumer costs can be. A medical breakthrough aimed at waistlines could ripple into airfare pricing, airline profits, and even how carriers plan routes and fleets.