Brett Husslein and Burt Flickinger examine how value-seeking behavior has spread across every income level, driving even high earners toward discount retailers like Dollar General (DG) and Dollar Tree (DLTR) while big-box leaders Walmart (WMT), Target (TGT), and Costco (COST) brace for tariff and fuel headwinds. Flickinger paints a sobering picture of American households stretched to the limit — cutting dining out, leaning on debt, and squeezing every dollar of their grocery budgets.