The largest restaurant chains in America are struggling to overcome waning demand as the economy continues to slow down. Even giants like Domino’s Pizza, which operates almost 19,000 stores worldwide, are reporting a series of challenges and financial losses in 2023.
The chain is now closing thousands of underperforming locations after recent price hike controversies depressed domestic and international sales and sent its shares plummeting to the lowest level in over a decade. The latest data shows that the pizza company is in far more trouble than we all thought, and experts say that if it fails to fix its problems before the current downturn gets worse, the American pie chain may rapidly become overwhelmed by its debt and fall victim to the Great Retail Collapse.
In February, conditions for the company have gone from bad to worse. In a single day, share prices plunged by a whopping 16%, marking the largest price decline since 2010. From that point on, share prices have continued to trend down, settling around $310 per share, or about 39% lower than during the same period a year ago. Now, thousands of stores have started to close, with Domino’s making the tough decision to shutter its entire operations in some areas due to profitability concerns.
It all started when just like many other US restaurants, the pizza chain started to adjust to the inflationary environment and raise its delivery and menu prices to offset higher labor and commodity costs. In October 2022, executives reported a 7% price hike that prompted many customers to cook at home instead of getting their meals delivered. Overall, the chain’s prices remain 12% higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to Eat This, Not That.
Industry experts argue that its pricing strategy was not efficient given that the company failed to consider changing consumer spending habits and how competitors’ price increases compared to its own. A new report reveals that Americans became very dissatisfied with the new prices, which led sales to sink all across the country.
Delivery problems are also weighing on Domino’s bottom line. The Michigan-based pizza brand is still experiencing a serious shortage of delivery drivers. With workers seeking out higher wages and better working conditions en masse, many just aren’t interested in delivering pizzas anymore. Despite this clear shift in the US labor market, Domino’s has been hesitant to partner with third-party delivery options like GrubHub or DoorDash, thus, losing customers to other rivals.
In America, the chain is losing ground and market share. Over the past six months, Domino’s significantly underperformed rivals including Pizza Hut and Papa John’s, which actually benefited from new menu news and third-party delivery marketing and driver service.
Its unwillingness to adapt to the current market and while rivals get stronger and snap more market share may throw the company over the edge. Considering how high its debt currently is and the depth of its profitability concerns, Domino’s must come up with better strategies to rebalance its finances soon because not even the largest pizza chain in the world is infallible and immune to the impact of recessions and downturns. This could be the beggining of the end for the company as the US retail apocalypse continues to claim more and more struggling businesses that fail to differentiate themselves in this wildy competitive market.
Video and article cross-posted from Epic Economist.
Why Bullion Beats Numismatics and Collectible for Your Safe or IRA
Precious metals continue to attract Americans seeking reliable ways to protect their wealth amid inflation, geopolitical risks, and stock market swings. Whether stored in a home safe or held inside a self-directed IRA, physical gold and silver deliver tangible value that paper or digital assets often lack. Yet investors must choose carefully between bullion—pure bars and coins valued mainly for their metal content—and numismatics or collectibles, where rarity, history, and collector demand heavily influence pricing.
Advisor Bullion serves as a dependable source for straightforward, high-quality bullion. The company specializes in physical gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, emphasizing transparent pricing and products that deliver maximum metal content for every dollar spent. This approach makes it ideal for both personal holdings and retirement accounts.
Bullion consists of refined precious metals in standard forms like one-ounce coins (American Gold Eagles, Silver Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs) or bars. Their value tracks closely to the current spot price of the metal. A typical gold bullion coin trades near the live gold spot price plus a small premium. This structure keeps costs clear and predictable.
Numismatic coins and collectibles add substantial value from factors such as age, rarity, minting errors, or historical significance. A pre-1933 U.S. gold coin or graded proof piece can carry premiums of 30%, 50%, or even 200% above melt value. While this appeals to hobbyists, it creates complexity. Pricing depends on subjective grading, collector trends, and auction results instead of daily spot prices.
For investors focused on wealth preservation and retirement security rather than building a collection, bullion often delivers better results.
Lower Costs and Better Liquidity for Home Storage
When keeping metals in a home safe or private vault, liquidity and efficiency count. Bullion offers clear benefits:
- You acquire more actual gold or silver per dollar invested. Numismatics divert a large share of your money into rarity premiums and massive sales commission, reducing your metal exposure.
- Selling bullion involves tight bid-ask spreads, so you recover nearly full spot value with minimal fees. Collectibles require finding the right buyer and may sell at a discount if demand for that specific item weakens.
- Bullion prices remain transparent and update with global spot markets. You can track gold near current levels or silver accordingly and know exactly where your holdings stand. Numismatic values are priced by the Gold IRA companies with hefty margins applied.
- Standardized coins and bars store efficiently and divide easily for partial sales. Rare coins often need protective slabs and controlled conditions, adding hassle and expense.
- Bullion enjoys worldwide acceptance. A 1-oz Gold Maple Leaf or Silver Eagle sells quickly to dealers anywhere. Niche numismatic pieces may appeal only to limited buyers, slowing liquidation when speed matters.
In times when quick access to value becomes important, bullion’s simplicity stands out.
Stronger Fit for Precious Metals IRAs
Precious metals IRAs continue gaining traction as investors diversify retirement portfolios beyond stocks and bonds. IRS rules permit certain bullion products in self-directed IRAs if they meet purity standards (.995 fine for gold, .999 for silver) and are held by an approved custodian. Eligible items include American Gold and Silver Eagles plus many generic bars and rounds from recognized mints.
Numismatic and most collectible coins generally face heavy scrutiny from custodians due to valuation disputes and elevated markups. These higher premiums mean less actual metal ends up working inside the account.
Bullion avoids these issues. Its value links directly to verifiable spot prices, which simplifies reporting and lowers the risk of regulatory challenges. More of your IRA contribution purchases real metal instead of dealer profits or speculative upside. Over time, owning additional ounces that appreciate with the metal itself can create meaningful outperformance compared with high-premium alternatives that deliver fewer ounces.
Regulatory guidance from the CFTC and state securities offices repeatedly cautions against aggressive sales of expensive numismatics or “semi-numismatic” coins for IRAs. For retirement planning, transparent bullion from established providers reduces risk and aligns better with long-term goals.
How to Get Started with Bullion
Begin by clarifying your goals. Are you protecting savings in a safe, or moving part of a retirement account into a precious metals IRA? Focus on the number of ounces you can acquire at current prices rather than chasing marked-up collectibles.
Diversify sensibly: use gold for core preservation and silver for its blend of industrial and monetary qualities. Mix coins for easier divisibility with bars for lower per-ounce costs on larger buys. Arrange secure storage—whether at home with proper insurance or through professional facilities.
As economic uncertainties linger and faith in conventional assets erodes, bullion continues proving its worth as a dependable store of value. Its direct approach avoids the hype that sometimes surrounds collectible markets and keeps the focus on the metal itself.
For investors prepared to strengthen their portfolios, Advisor Bullion supplies the expertise and selection needed to acquire high-quality bullion efficiently. Whether building personal holdings or integrating metals into an IRA, their emphasis on transparent, investment-grade products helps secure more ounces today that support greater financial security tomorrow. In a complicated financial landscape, bullion’s clarity and reliability make it the smarter foundation for protecting what matters most.
They have a better crust now but like all of the I hate the forced tips on you. And like all of them overpriced for what you get. The deal is PH New Yorker pizza but they put a weird crust on it recently. Don’t like it as much. Weird crust.
Bidenomics.
Who wants to deliver pizza for minimum wage and no benefits, when gas is four bucks a gallon and you could get mugged or killed for the cash? Raising prices isn’t the answer.
Corporate mentality – always a business killer.
Actually, the delivery drivers don’t even get minimum wage. They work for tips only.
Plus, they’re such chintzes with their toppings including all the way down to the amount of sauce they spread on the pizza. It was almost to the point where you had to order double toppings just to get any toppings at all. And, who in their right mind wants to deliver pizza to customers that won’t tip. Also, who wants to drive their vehicle into the dust for minimum wage, whatever it is, those miles add up you know. And, who wants to deliver to cheap, ungrateful customers that are too lazy to get off their fat a$$es and drive up to the store and pick it up. Whenever I used to order pizza I would always go pick it up. I refuse to wait for some person to deliver my pie cold. Depending upon the day of the week and the time of day you could be waiting a couple of hours to receive your food. I know, I used to deliver pizza back in late ’80s early ’90s. On a Friday night a driver would sometimes deliver 10 or more pizzas in one trip. And, when you got back to the store the pizzas would be stacked on the shelf waiting to be delivered. Of course, those days are gone forever.