When Bryan Gerber started at George Washington University, he was a pre-med major, and hoped to one day take over his father’s OBGYN practice. But during his senior year Gerber, who by then had switched to a business major, told his roommates, Ravjot “RJ” Bhasin and Henry Kochhar, that he had an idea.

“I said, ‘Hey guys: Birchbox for stoners—what do you think?’” Gerber told Retail Brew. “And they were like, ‘You’re an idiot. There’s no way that’s gonna work.’”

But he ended up winning over his roommates, who signed on as business partners for the venture, Hemper.

A couple weeks after Gerber graduated, in June 2015, the business officially started, albeit modestly, as they shipped out their first monthly subscription of cannabis products they curated from other companies, including rolling papers and pipes, to about 30 subscribers.

Nearly a decade later, Hemper is thriving, with headquarters in Las Vegas with nearly 60 employees and a 40,000-square-foot warehouse. And one reason is that while one of its inspirations may have been Birchbox, which has undergone massive layoffs and been sold twice since 2021, Hemper steered its own course and didn’t put all its eggs in one subscription box.

Keep reading here.—AAN

What consumers say and what they actually do aren’t always aligned, and new data from the Kearney Consumer Institute examines how consumers are both stressed about—and spending—money.

Kearney’s Consumer Stress Index surveyed 24,000 consumers across 12 countries using five categories, including consumer wallet and finances and geopolitics and government, and found that consumer behavior can be more accurately measured using consumers’ personal situations rather than their feelings about the economy.

Soaring grocery prices have dominated headlines over the past few years and have recently become a highly politicized issue. Per Kearney’s research, 85% of consumers said that they feel the impact of prices the most in the grocery category. Still, more than three-quarters of consumers said affording food “is generally not a concern or occasionally concerning,” and 61% have bought the same products over the last six months despite recognizing the prices had gone up.

Keep reading here.—EC

UPS is steering its trademark brown trucks in a new direction, and investors aren’t too happy about it.

In its Q4 earnings report, the parcel delivery behemoth announced it would cut volumes with Amazon, its largest customer, by more than 50% by the second half of 2026. CEO Carol Tomé said in an earnings call that the deal would “rightsize our network.” If UPS kept things status quo with Amazon, it would “likely result in diminishing returns,” she added.

“Amazon is our largest customer, but it’s not our most profitable customer,” Tomé told analysts. “Its margin is very dilutive to the US domestic business.”

Keep reading here on CFO Brew.—AZ