Buy the Buffet Later

Dirk Hanlon: retail sales rose 0.8% in September, mostly at the pump. Gus: unstoppable consumer, like me at a buffet. Dot: minus gas stations, sales rose about $1.6 billion of a $5.7 billion rise. Lorraine: the Fed's Beige Book found little or no change in spending, dear, with lower-income shoppers more cautious. Dot: nearly one in five buy-now-pay-later households owes a payment over $500. Gus: I'll buy my buffet later.

Strip out the gas stations and September's retail jump was modest: sales excluding gasoline rose about $1.6 billion of the $5.7 billion total, the Fed's Beige Book found little or no change in consumer spending with lower-income customers more cautious, and nearly one in five households using buy-now-pay-later owes a payment of over $500.

Starring

Dirk HanlonGus PeltDot PeltLorraine Pelt