Some observations from my US trip regarding certain stock listed companies. As an investor, I am always curios to see what some of my holdings (and potential holdings) are up to:
- Shake Shack can be seen more and more often. In NY there are multiple ones and in Las Vegas directly on the Strip. The burgers are good, the fries only lukewarm.
- Lululemon: You can see the pants more and more often. I was surprised at how crazy expensive the yoga pants are ($100-130) and feel like they are becoming more of a status symbol. Next time the stock comes back, I will take a closer look at them.
- Starbucks, no matter where, it is always busy. There's a Starbucks in every little town, no matter how small. Even most of the iced coffee in the supermarkets is from Starbucks. A single bottle costs here about 4$ and after some testing, I have to say that the Starbucks iced coffees are the best.
- Chipotle: I'm becoming a real fan of the brand. Fresh and high-quality food and at a relatively good price. I have been to Chipotle several times and will go again. The stock is unfortunately still missing from my portfolio, and at current prices I won't be buying it either.
- Visa/Mastercard/Amex: More and more stores have notices that payment is only (!) allowed by card. Cash is not accepted at all in these cases.
- Sprouts Farmers Market I looked at yesterday, hence probably the stock jump of 10% :D . Super selection and surprisingly not more expensive than Walmart. If I lived in the US, this would be my supermarket next to Lidl.
- Lidl has a few on the east coast now. Here the quality is miles above the American chains and the prices are better. Some of the domestic grocers will face serious competition from Lidl.
- Dominos: They really do have them everywhere, too. The pizzas are questionable for European taste. I had Dominos once last year in the Emirates and was very positively surprised. There seem to be strong regional differences.
- Five Below (FIVE): I noticed this trip for the first time consciously. The company seems to be expanding.