The U.S. tax reform pushed by the Trump Administration has prompted many corporations to announce bonuses and wage hikes for their employees. Starbucks is one of the latest to boost its compensation and benefits package in light of the recent changes in U.S. tax law. Ron Crawford, VP of Benefits at Starbucks, was with us to discuss the company's investment in benefits.
Starbucks said the U.S. tax reform accelerated its latest investment in paid leave and wages. Had there not been tax reform, Crawford said Starbucks still would have made investments in compensation, but the timing and the extent of it may have been different. The offerings will total more than $250 million for more than 150,000 workers.
Digital apps and emerging technologies are driving more coffee runs to Starbucks, says Crawford. He believes digitization has brought more customers to its stores and boosted interactions between customers and employees. Starbucks is pumping in $7 billion of capital to build and renovate stores, manufacturing plants and technology platforms in the U.S. over the next five years.
If you're looking for food that's good for you and the planet, look no further than the new Isle of Us café and marketplace in the Upper East Side. Cheddar's own Shannon LaNier is on the scene with more.
The price of one kitchen staple is dropping at a historic rate. In May, egg prices had their largest monthly decline in 72 years. Ricky Richardson, CEO of South Carolina-based Eggs Up Grill, joined Cheddar News to discuss the state of play in the egg industry as prices fall while food costs overall are on the rise again. Egg prices are "returning to more normal levels now, we're running down about 40% on a year-over-year basis," he said.
Eric Lynch, managing director of Scharf Investments, joined Cheddar News to discuss market trends and what lies ahead as the Federal Reserve paused interest rate hikes.
On this edition of Stretching Your Dollar, AJ Ayers, certified financial planner and co-founder of Brooklyn Fi, provided some tips on how to boost your credit score.