5 things: The best of 2024

Our weekly 5 things column highlights some of the untold stories from the grocery industry. Each week, we scour the internet for hidden gems that many may have missed, turning them into roundups with memorable and wacky headlines like “The Great Grocery Pricing Fatigue” and “Turning Candle-Makers into Pharmacists.”

Those two didn’t make our 2024 Top 5 things list, though—we’ve got even better picks for you here. Over the course of 2024 in 5 things, we discussed retailers scaling back self-checkout stations and we revisited the first self-checkout scanner from 1987. We also explored the rise of private-label dominance, uncovered the story behind a fake grocery store, and covered Cookie Monster’s tantrum over shrinkflation. We also featured the tale of Keedoozle, a grocery store from the 1930s. We also examined more serious topics, like leadership changes at Walgreens and the future of food.

Click through the slide to see our picks for the top five 5 things stories of 2024.