• Teens love to shop on Amazon, even when they aren't buying anything, according to a new Business Insider survey. 
• In the survey, 45.8% of Generation Z respondents said that Amazon is one of their most-visited sites.
• That matches other surveys in which teens have said Amazon is their favorite place to shop online.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Teens are increasingly joining the online-shopping revolution — and it's good news for Amazon.

Even when they aren't purchasing anything, Generation Z, the group that comes after millennials, loves to browse Amazon.com. That's according to a new survey by Business Insider, in which 45.8% of 13- to 21-year-olds said Amazon is one of their most-visited sites.

Only 10.62% responded that they've never used Amazon at all. The remaining 41.08% said they browse the site, at least on occasion. 

Business Insider surveyed 1,884 Americans between the ages of 13 and 21. The national poll was conducted January 11-14 with SurveyMonkey Audience partner Cint.

The result agrees with other surveys of teens and their relationship with Amazon.

Some 50% of teens surveyed by Piper Jaffray in its most recent semiannual "Taking Stock With Teens" report said that Amazon was their favorite website. The survey asked questions about the preferences and buying patterns of more than 8,000 teens.

The result is nothing but good news for Amazon, which seems to have the youngest buying generation locked down. These shopping preferences seem to mirror those of millennials, who seem to have fallen in love with Amazon's quick shipping, selection, and ease of use.

In 2018, Cowen & Co. found that the website was millennials' "clear preferred shopping destination" for almost everything, including categories like apparel that aren't traditionally associated with Amazon.

Gen Z's preferences starting to look more like millennials' likely comes as something of a relief for Amazon, which will depend on Gen Z's spending dollars as they get older.

SEE ALSO: THE STATE OF GEN Z: America’s teenagers reveal what they think about everything

Join the conversation about this story »

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• A high-quality rear bike rack should be easy to install on many different types of bike frames, durable enough to handle your loads in any type of weather, and versatile enough to accommodate a variety of baskets, bags, and panniers.
• The Topeak Explorer Rack is our top pick because it's made of durable 6061 aluminum alloy, can hold up to 55 pounds of cargo, and is backed by a two-year warranty.

If you are interested in commuting, touring, running errands, or otherwise hauling gear with your bike, you'll need a good rear bike rack. Rear bike racks attach to the back of your bike and feature rails that you can use to secure panniers, bags, baskets, and other items. They also accommodate bungees and netting for attaching items. 

Without a rack, hooking a basket, pannier, or trunk bag onto your bike is incredibly difficult. Fortunately, many bikes that are designed for commuters come with racks already installed. However, if you don't have a rack and are interested in using your bike to haul cargo, instead of your car, this guide is for you.

Rear bike racks are often just called "bike racks" but that's problematic since the term "bike rack" can refer to the rack you put on your vehicle to transport your bike from one spot to another or the rack you lock your bike to when out and about. This guide is about the rack you install on the back of your bike to help you carry items around. If you're looking for a car bike rack, you should check out this guide.

Not all rear bike racks work with all bikes so be careful when shopping. For example, if your bike has disc brakes, you need to make sure you choose a model specifically designed to work on disc brakes. Most racks feature stays that attach to braze-on mounts or eyelets near the bottom rear of your frame. Yet, this is not always the case. 

If your bike doesn't have eyelets, which are found on most bikes designed for commuting and adventuring, look for options that work without eyelets. For instance, seat post-mounted racks are a solid solution for most styles of bikes. Though, their main downfall is they cannot hold as much weight.

You may want to consider buying panniers and trunk bags from the same company that makes your rack. The advantage of this is the bags will clip onto and off of the rack seamlessly — a great convenience.

While researching the best bike cargo racks, we examined hundreds of buyer and expert ratings and reviews of dozens of models. Our guide features racks with a track record of durability, performance, versatility, and ease of installation.

Here are the best rear bike racks you can buy in 2019:

• Best rear bike rack overall:Topeak Explorer Rack
• Best affordable rear bike rack:Schwinn Folding Rear Rack
• Best quick-release rear bike rack:Lumintrail Bike Commuter Carrier Rack
• Best rear bike rack for heavy loads:Planet Bike Eco Bike Rack
• Best seat post-mounted rear bike rack:Ibera Bicycle Seatpost-Mounted Commuter Carrier

Keep scrolling to check out our top picks.

The best overall

If you want a cargo rack that is durable, fits a wide array of bike frames, and can handle heavier loads, the Topeak Explorer Rack is the best solution.

Topeak got its start in 1991 making multitools and toolboxes for cycling enthusiasts. Since then, the company has expanded its line-up to include bike pumps, safety accessories, baskets, panniers, and more. The Topeak Explorer Rackis designed to work with bags from any manufacturer, but the rack works best for fast mounting and removal of the Topeak MTX series of bags.

The Explorer rack comes in three styles: the popular spring-free version that fits most bikes, the spring-free version designed for bikes with disc brakes, and the spring version that allows you to secure smaller items without using bungees.

Each style is made of 6061 hollow aluminum, a strong, yet lightweight material commonly used in building aircraft. The rack only weighs one-and-a-third pounds. Topeak backs the quality of the rack with a two-year limited warranty.

The Wirecutter recommends the Topeak Explorer Rack because it felt the most stable carrying heavy panniers and was the easiest to install on several types of bikes. The reviewer liked that there are flexible attachment arms and a significant amount of wheel clearance, which makes it great for just about any bike frame. It also carried four gallons of milk without a problem. 

The Topeak Explorer Rack has positive reviews from about 87% of the buyers who rated it on Amazon. For the most part, reviewers are thrilled with their purchase. There are several comments about how easy it is to install and how sturdy it is. A few buyers also bought the Topeak MTX Trunk Bag, which slides onto the rack with ease. The biggest complaint was that the rack did not fit some buyers' bikes out of the box. However, these buyers were able to find workarounds and found the added hassle was well worth it.

Pros: Versatile, easy to install, fits a broad range of bike frames, heavy-duty construction, holds up to 55 pounds of cargo

Cons: Expensive, may require additional hardware for some bike types

Buy the Topeak Explorer Rack Without Spring on Amazon for $44.95

The best budget

The Schwinn Folding Rear Rack is a well-made, affordable cargo rack that can help you transport lighter loads from point A to point B.

Perhaps no name is better known in the cycling world than Schwinn. Now a sub-brand of Pacific Cycles, which is owned by Dorel Industries, Schwinn has been manufacturing bicycles and accessories for well over a century.

The Schwinn Folding Rear Rack fits 26, 27, and 700c bikes using its fully adjustable seat stay arms and struts. The lightweight aluminum alloy gives it a weight of around one pound. A built-in bracket allows you to attach a rear light or reflector for added safety.

We could only find one expert review of the Schwinn Folding Rear Rack. Jen Reviews recommends it because the reviewer found it fits numerous types of bikes. She appreciates that it can handle heavy loads despite its light weight. And, it has remained rust-free.

Approximately 67% of the buyers who reviewed the Schwinn Folding Rear Rack on Amazon gave it four or five stars. Riders with several different bike frames remark that they enjoy this rack, including one buyer who has a folding bike with a 20-inch wheel. On the flip side, the cargo rack accommodates a broad range of bags.

There are other reviews that mention that the aluminum alloy appears to be quite durable, and the rack has an attractive look. The most common complaint is that the rack doesn't support a lot of weight. It's rated for 26 pounds.

Pros: Adjusts to fit many different bike types, inexpensive, durable aluminum alloy construction

Cons: Only holds up to 26 pounds

Buy the Schwinn Folding Rear Rack on Amazon for $21.99

The best for heavy loads

Not only can the Planet Bike Eco Bike Rack support heavy loads, but it's also backed with a lifetime warranty from a company focused on sustainable practices.

We like Planet Bike because the company is committed to providing sustainable solutions, including free parts. So, if one of its products breaks, it can be fixed rather than tossed into a landfill and replaced.

The Planet Bike Eco Bike Rack is made of heavy-duty, oversized 6061 aluminum, which is an alloy known for stability and strength. It fits 26-inch, 650b, 700c, and 29-inch bikes. The bike is rated to hold up to 55 pounds, but many buyers assert it can handle more.

The Planet Bike Eco Bike Rack is one of two bike racks recommended by The Wirecutter, the other being our top pick. The reviewer was impressed with how easy it was to install and that it performed well under heavy loads. However, she would have liked it if the rack had another stay to support the platform and provide more stability.

More than 220 Amazon buyers have left four- or five-star reviews of the Planet Bike Eco Bike Rack. Barry G., the most helpful reviewer, was surprised that he was actually able to sit on the rack with his whole weight (180 pounds). Overall, he likes it, but he noted that he had to modify the front steel braces to fit his bike right.

Several buyers mention that the rack is quick to install, especially on standard modern hybrid frames. A few reviewers mention that you may need to bend the rack a bit to fit your frame just right.

Pros: Rated to hold 55 pounds, quick install, made of oversized 6061 tubular aluminum, limited lifetime warranty

Cons: May require additional hardware to install, not compatible with disk brakes

Buy the Planet Bike Eco Bike Rack (Black) on Amazon for $36.40

The best seat post-mounted rack

Thanks to its seat-post mount, the Ibera Bicycle Seatpost-Mounted Commuter Carrier works with most bikes without additional hardware. 

The attractive design of the Ibera Bicycle Seatpost-Mounted Commuter Carrieris what makes it stand out. Rather than relying on a frame's eyelets, this model is easily mounted to your seat post using a bolt and held in place tight with rubber shims.

Therefore, it's ideal for bikes with disc brakes, which can get in the way of installing most cargo racks. The seat-post mount also gives your rack a floating-in-thin-air look. Because it is mounted in this way, there's a somewhat-low 22-pound weight limit. The rack is made of extruded, die-cast, heat-treated anodized aluminum, which is known for its durability.

Jen Reviews recommends the Ibera Bicycle Seatpost-Mounted Commuter Carrier as the best rear bike rack. The reviewer found the anodized aluminum held up well in all sorts of weather without rusting. She also had an easy time installing it and noted that it was ideal for light loads. However, the main downfall is that it didn't seem as durable as bolt-mounted racks. 

More than 280 Amazon buyers gave the Ibera Bicycle Seatpost-Mounted Commuter Carrier five stars. There are a few complaints about the weld and clamp failing published about four years ago. This issue does not come up in any of the more recent reviews, which suggests Ibera has fixed this problem.

Other than that, buyers appear to enjoy their experience with this cargo rack. There are a few commenters who recommend purchasing the Ibera Bike Trunk Bag to go with it for easy attachment and removal. 

Pros: Attractive design, seat post-mount, easy installation, compatible with most bike types 

Cons: Durability concerns, only carries up to 22 pounds

Buy the Ibera Bicycle Seatpost-Mounted Commuter Carrier on Amazon for $27.99 (originally $30)

The best quick-release rack

The Lumintrail Bike Commuter Carrier Rack features a quick-release design so you can easily remove it and reinstall it on your bike or another.

The Lumintrail Bike Commuter Carrier Rackis unique because it has a quick-release clamp that makes it simple to put on and take off without the use of tools.

It's designed to be mounted to seat posts with diameters between .85 and 1.3 inches and comes with spacers and shams to ensure a tight fit. The seat tube mount makes it easy to use the rack with wheels of any size. 

The rack is made of anodized aluminum and weighs 1.5 pounds. An elastic cord is included so you can immediately start securing items without the need of a pannier. It's easy to mount and remove thanks to the quick-release design. 

Around 66% of the Amazon buyers who reviewed the Lumintrail Bike Commuter Carrier Rack gave it five stars.

The most helpful reviewer, Chase A., appreciated how sturdy the rack is for being so light. He also noted that it's made from excellent materials and looks great on his bike. However, he wasn't impressed with the silver handle that screws the mount tighter since it stopped working after a few spins. This caused the rack to fly off. He fixed the problem with an M6 x 20 Hex screw and an M15 washer.

Other buyers mention that it takes a little finessing to put the rack on, especially when using the spacers.

Pros: Quick release makes it easy to remove, rugged construction, attaches to the seat post

Cons: Hard to mount quickly, the quick release has questionable durability, maximum load weight of 20 pounds

Buy the Lumintrail Bike Commuter Carrier Rack on Amazon for $28.99

What else we considered

While researching this guide, we considered dozens of products. There were a few that barely missed the cut. Here are some excellent alternatives we also examined:

• Outtag Retractable Rear Seat Post Rack ($18.99): There is a lot to like about this Outtag rack. It costs less than $20, installs effortlessly, and adjusts from 14.2 inches to 19.7 inches from your seat post. A few expert sites also recommend this cargo rack. We chose not to include it because there are several buyer complaints about it breaking easily under weights well below the 22 pounds it is rated for.
• Dirza Rear Bike Rack ($27.99): The Dirza rack comes with a lot of extras, including a reflector you can mount on the back, cargo net, and a bungee-like wire. The company also claims that it can hold up to 120 pounds. We chose not to include it because there is a broad array of bike types it won't fit, and we weren't able to find any firsthand expert reviews.
• Axiom DLX Streamliner Disc Cycle Rack ($45.60): With a 4.6-star average customer rating, this is one of the highest-rated racks on Amazon. It's made of heavy-duty 10.2mm tubular 6061 T6 aluminum alloy. However, the rack requires modifications to fit some types of bike frames, and we couldn't dig up any useful expert reviews of the rack. As we update this guide, the Axiom rack may make the cut.
• Schwinn Alloy Rear Rack ($14.96): Schwinn is excellent at making affordable bike accessories, and this seat post-mounted option is no exception. We like that there are durable side rails on the rack so you have an extra spot to tie down panniers. The reason we chose not to include it is that it has a relatively low rating on Amazon (3.8-star average), which is apparently due to buyers experiencing installation issues.
• Thule Unisex Pack 'n Pedal Tour Rear Bike Rack ($114.95): This is another rack we chose to pass on because there were so many negative buyer reviews. Despite the ultra-durable construction (it can support 55 pounds), we were turned off by the high price, more than twice as much as our top pick. However, Thule is a trustworthy name in the cycling world, and the company backs its rack with a five-year warranty.

• Convene, a WeWork rival, has partnered with the healthcare startup Eden Health to deliver primary care in its workspaces. The companies just opened their first clinic in Convene's New York offices in midtown Manhattan.
• Eden plans to open at least 24 more health clinics in partnership with Convene over the next 18 months. 
• Convene CEO Ryan Simonetti called the partnership a means to provide quick access to healthcare and win over tenants.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

The newest must-have office amenity isn't an indoor Ferris wheel, a water lounge, or arcade games. Instead, Convene and the startup Eden Health are betting it's a doctor's office.

Convene, which operates flexible office spaces, partnered with Eden to build at least 25 primary-care clinics in Convene's workspaces. The first opened in New York last month at Convene's flagship site in midtown Manhattan. There, workers can get a flu shot or a checkup without leaving the office.

Employers are offering more perks, including healthcare, to boost their employees' productivity and win the war for talent as the unemployment rate stays low. Companies like Convene are offering similar perks to woo tenants. Convene CEO Ryan Simonetti said Convene wanted to stand apart from rivals by offering an amenity that is typically available at only the largest corporations. 

"To have immediate access to healthcare like that is something you can't get unless you're a massive company, based in their headquarters," Simonetti told Business Insider.  

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WeWork, the most recognizable name — though not the biggest company — in the flexible-office-space business, doesn't have health clinics in its offices. The company declined to comment for this article. 

Workers want more than a cool office

Unlike WeWork, Convene got its start as an event-space provider with an eye toward luxury touches, such as high-end chefs. It then morphed into a provider of flexible offices and coworking spaces, much like WeWork. Convene has 28 outposts in the US, with half of them in New York City, compared with WeWork's 485 locations. WeWork's most recent funding round in January valued the company at $47 billion.

In July 2018, Convene raised $152 million from investors, including Revolution Growth, Brookfield Property Partners LP, and the Durst Organization, in a series D round that valued the company at more than $500 million, according to Bloomberg News. The rival to WeWork is expanding rapidly and believes the on-site clinics can offer a new type of workplace experience.

Melanie Gladwell, the Americas head of flexible workplace solutions at the real-estate company Cushman & Wakefield, said long-standing space providers like Regus and Servcorp have "dabbled in" healthcare in response to member demand for more than just a cool office. Gladwell has worked at a number of different providers of flexible office space.

"Because work and personal life is so blurred these days, and business is done at every hour, the accessibility to these amenities is in high demand," she said. "It's giving companies the edge. You don't have to go far to get what you need, and you can still be a rock star." 

Large companies like Apple and Goldman Sachs have long had on-site or near-site healthcare options. Workplace clinics have been around for almost a century, but over the past few years, they've grown in popularity.

According to a 2018 survey from the employer-benefits consultant Mercer, about one-third of employers that have more than 5,000 workers have an on-site or near-site clinic, up from 24% in 2012 and 17% in 2007. 

Read more: The company that runs health clinics for Facebook and LinkedIn just made a big bet that the future of healthcare is moving online

Eden, for its part, tends to work with smaller employers. For instance, Convene as an organization employs about 500 people. 

"Now is really the right time," Eden CEO Matt McCambridge told Business Insider. "You've had large employers for a long, long time have on-site clinics. You even talk to the large consulting groups who are fed up with, frankly, the level of service that is seen. Trying to give people what they intuitively expect is important."

Founded in 2009, Convene designs and services places for people to work, host meetings, and put on events, similar to WeWork. Convene partners with landlords to offer companies and building tenants access to the workspace and amenities. 

Eden provides virtual and in-person primary care to employees, pairing up patients through its app with a care team of physicians and medical experts. Patients can choose to seek care virtually — according to Eden, 70% of patient encounters happen online — but they can set up in-person appointments, too. 

Eden and Convene announced their partnership in March, shortly after Eden raised $10 million in a series A round from investors, including Convene. Beyond New York, the plan is to put clinics in Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Boston, and Los Angeles.

"Wellness is really important in these environments," Simonetti told Business Insider. "We want to bring that driving experience at Convene and to our landlord partners as a broader amenity to the building."

A tour of Eden's first clinic at Convene's midtown Manhattan site

A recent tour of Convene's midtown location provides a preview of what's to come. Convene's three-floor open office space is in the middle of a midtown office building. There are kitchens filled with snacks, glass-enclosed conference rooms, a roof deck, and a workout room with a Peloton bike.

To find the clinic, take a left just after the entrance. Inside the private enclosed room, Eden users can sit on an exam table and talk with a healthcare professional in a white coat. The door to the exam room is the only thing signaling that this is a doctor's office — there's no waiting room.

Eden says patients can book an appointment on the app, walk in, and see a member from its primary-care team without a long wait. 

By the end of 2019, Eden plans to have four New York clinics open (right now it operates an independent location and the initial one with Convene), two in Chicago, and two in Washington, DC. Another 25 are planned for 2020. The partnership with Convene will play a big role in growing that capital-intensive brick-and-mortar presence. 

"That allows us to have pretty immediate national scale," McCambridge said. "For employers who this day and age have people everywhere, it's really important to achieve scale for them quickly if you're going to promote having physical clinics." 

Join the conversation about this story »

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• My daughter Ellie is only 12 months old, but I started exposing her to spoons when she was around six months — specifically the NumNum Pre-Spoon GOOtensils.
• These spoons come in a pack of two, starting at $19.45.
• They're technically considered a pre-spoon, and are designed to help babies and toddlers learn how to use utensils. They're flat, short, and textured, so they make it really easy for her to get food to her mouth on her own. 
• Meal time can be stressful and time consuming with a baby, but these give my daughter more independence and in turn, give me more time to eat my own food.

Before I had a baby, I never realized how much work went into helping them learn how to eat.

When my daughter Ellie started eating solids at six months old, things became a lot more complicated than just giving her a bottle of milk. I suddenly felt like my entire day was spent making food, helping her eat food, and cleaning up food.

Ellie is one now, so she still hasn't mastered using spoons and forks. About half of her food still ends up on the floor, on her face, or in our dog's mouth. But the other half that makes it into her mouth is partially due to the NumNum Pre-Spoon GOOtensils.

Anybody who's ever spent much time around a toddler knows that they like to do things for themselves, and these spoons are already helping Ellie do that. Toddlers can also get easily frustrated when they want to do something on their own but can't, so helping them transition to feeding themselves with these spoons makes meal time so much easier and more enjoyable.

Most babies are ready to start solids around six months of age, but check with your pediatrician to make sure your child is developmentally ready to begin eating solid foods. 

Read more: 10 startups that have grown with their millennial fan base by introducing baby and kids collections

Design and use

The NumNum GOOtensils come in a pack of two, and in a gray and green combo or a blue and orange combo. 

Each set has "Stage 1" spoon with a bumpy texture and a "Stage 2" spoon with a hole in the middle. Both spoons are designed to help toddlers and babies just dip the spoon into food without having to rotate their wrist, and lift up. With this design, the spoon picks up the perfect amount to help your child be successful while not giving them too much food at once.

Even though Ellie couldn't use the spoons herself when she first started eating at six months, I started exposing her to the NumNum GOOtensils right away by putting a preloaded spoon of food on her tray. She would occasionally pick it up and start figuring out how to use it.

Ellie still hasn't grasped the concept of actually scooping food out of a bowl yet, but she can get food on the GOOtensils because they don't require a scooping motion. Since they're flat, all she has to do is dip her GOOtensil into her food and then bring it to her mouth.

The texture of the Stage 1 spoon is also great for teething babies. With other baby spoons, I get worried that pieces will break off when Ellie uses them as a teether, but with these, I don't have to worry about that at all. I like that the texture actually encourages Ellie to chew on the spoons because that teaches her to bring them back to where her molars will eventually be — which is where she should be putting food to chew. 

It seems strange to have a spoon with a hole in the middle, but the Stage 2 spoon with the hole uses surface tension to "pick up" purees and other foods of similar consistency, which one of the NumNum founders explain in a video here. It's basically like dipping a stick into food.

The other great thing about the design of these spoons is that they're only four inches long. A lot of baby spoons are way longer than that, and most are the length of Ellie's arm. Imagine trying to eat with a spoon as long as your arm — it doesn't sound very easy, especially when you're brand new to eating. 

The stand out feature

My favorite thing about these is that they make meal time easier for both Ellie and me.

Sometimes I feel like I'm feeding her nonstop, so anything that makes it easier is worth it to me. The earlier she can become independent using utensils, the more we'll both enjoy meal time even more.

Even when she was just starting solids, Ellie always reached for the spoon when I tried to feed her, and she still wants to be able to feed herself. The very design of these spoons is to help toddlers become independent eaters. 

Cons to consider

The biggest con of these spoons is that they don't work for everything. They work really well for liquid-y types of food like yogurt, purees, and thick soups, but your toddler isn't going to be able to scoop up things like peas with these spoons.  

Another con is that they don't have a choking guard and are labeled as choking hazards for children under three, so you need to be careful not to let your kids play with them when it's not meal time. Your child should always be supervised any time he or she is eating anyway, but make sure you're extra aware with these spoons.

Read more: The 18 most useful baby products to include on a registry list — recommended by actual parents

The bottom line

Rather than just being miniature versions of regular spoons, these pre-spoons were created with the development of babies and toddlers in mind. If your baby is just starting solids, or if your toddler is learning how to use utensils, I highly recommend trying out these pre-spoons — they were a great help for Ellie and I. 

Another great baby spoon option is the Grabease self-feeding utensil set, which costs on Amazon. The spoon and fork both have short handles like the NumNum GOOtensils, and also has a choking guard. 

Pros: Short handle, easy for kids to get food on the spoon, designed to help babies learn to eat independently

Cons: Potential choking hazard, only work for certain foods/textures

Buy the NumNum GOOtensils (set of 2) from Amazon for $21.94

Buy the NumNum GOOtensils (set of 2) from BuyBuyBaby for $9.99

Join the conversation about this story »

• If you're one of those people whose face feels flaky whether it's December or August, finding the right face cream can be difficult.
• But if full-on hydration and protection are what you're after, Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream is your best bet.

While dry skin tends to plague most people in the chillier months, for some, their daily skin-care regimen is a near-constant fight against the flake.

If you're one of these folks, you know that all moisturizers are not created equal. Whether your dry skin is caused by some kind of condition, like eczema, or if your protective barrier just doesn't work as well as others might, there are certain ingredients to look out for to soothe your chapped face.

Ceramides are molecules that mimic your skin's natural lipid layer, for example. Hyaluronic acid is another ingredient to keep an eye out for. It has the ability to attract and trap moisture like none other. In fact, it can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water, making it one of the wunderkinds of the skin care industry.

But the important thing to do before you go shopping for your new favorite moisturizer is talk to your dermatologist. He or she can identify whether your dry skin is just the result of cold air, or if it's because of an underlying condition. Issues like eczema and psoriasis may need a prescription for proper treatment.

If your symptoms are unconnected to an underlying issue, there are a few things to keep in mind to try to mitigate your skincare woes. Dry skin actually needs exfoliation just as much, if not more, as those who don't suffer from regular flaking. Why? Because those dried patches of skin can actually block pores, which can keep your moisturizer from penetrating deeply. So make sure to exfoliate regularly to keep your skin smooth.

Creams also penetrate damp skin better than dry skin. So make sure to apply your moisturizer before your skin completely dries. If you need to, mist down your face with a hydrating toner before applying, just to make sure everything is supple.

Here are the best face creams for dry skin in 2019:

• Best face cream for dry skin overall:  Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream
• Best lightweight face cream for dry skin: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel
• Best drugstore face cream for dry skin: CeraVe Moisturizing Cream
• Best pro-approved face cream for dry skin: Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream
• Best plant-based face cream for dry skin: Youth To The People Age Prevention Superfood Cream

Updated on 7/1/2019 by Jada Wong: Updated copy, formatting, links, and prices.

Keep scrolling to check out our top picks.

The best face cream for dry skin overall

The Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream is made with ceramides, which are molecules that mimic your skin's natural barrier to hydrate and heal chapped skin.

Hydration may seem like the most important quality in a moisturizer for dry skin, but if you're suffering from serious dry skin woes, you're going to want something that heals as much as it hydrates. Enter: Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream. This jar is such a winner because it's more of a skin mimicker than a skin cream.

Let me explain. The star ingredients in Dr. Jart+'s cream are ceramides, which are naturally-occurring in your skin. They're lipids that help to bind skin cells together, forming the protective barrier that keeps good stuff in and bad stuff out. People who suffer from seriously dry skin tend to have a leaky barrier, which causes moisture to eek out. These lipids can also break down over time, which is why folks tend to have flakier skin as they age. Thanks, science.

Ceramides in skin care, on the other hand, are either synthetic or derived from plants. But they do they same exact thing as the ceramides your skin naturally produces. So Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream contains ceramides that are used to replenish the skin's natural lipid layer. That means that it helps your epidermis to hydrate itself by working to fix its leaky barrier layer.

Because of its ability to do actual maintenance on your skin instead of just covering up a problem, this cream is also fantastic for those who suffer from eczema.

But be forewarned: This cream is heavy-duty, and those who don't actually suffer from intensely dry skin can find it a little too heavy for their faces. But this cream is perfect for those with aging skin, diagnosed dry skin issues, or those suffering from intense chap after neglecting their faces for a bit. 

Pros: Helps to actually heal skin instead of just hydrate it

Cons: May be a little too heavy for those who only suffer from seasonal dryness

Buy Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream from Sephora for $48

The best lightweight face cream for dry skin

The Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel is a lightweight moisturizer that hydrates without being too heavy.

Some people don't want to slather on a heavy skin cream to soothe their chapped faces. One of the most common misconceptions about dry skin is that it requires a thick, heavy cream to fix it. In fact, if they don't contain the proper ingredients, thick formulas can actually do more harm that good for your skin.

Instead of penetrating pores, creams with heavy consistencies can actually sit on top of your skin, sapping it of air and moisture. So in some cases, a lighter formulation may be your best bet And when it comes to a lightweight moisturizer, no product does it better than Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel.

This feather-light gel contains one of the all-star ingredients I mentioned before: Hyaluronic acid. Like ceramides, hyaluronic acid is naturally-occurring in your body — and not just in your skin. It's also in your joints and eyes. It's especially clutch for your dermis, because of its moisturizing properties. It holds 1,000 its weight in water, so it doesn't mess around with hydration.

When it's applied to your face, hyaluronic acid pulls moisture from the environment and utilizes that to moisturize. The reason why Neutrogena's version of this wunderkind is so great is the texture.

Instead of a cream, which tends to just sit on top of your face and act like a barrier, Neutrogena's moisturizer is in gel form. This allows it to penetrate your skin, hydrating you from the inside out. The formula is great for those who suffer from dry skin 365 days a year because it's so light.

While hyaluronic acid is an amazing source of hydration, it may not be strong enough for those suffering from rosacea or eczema. So if you feel you're dealing with one of those skin woes, check in with your doctor to make sure the products you're using are good for you.

Pros: Lightweight, perfect for those who don't love to feel of a heavy cream

Cons: May not be hydrating enough for certain skin care issues

Buy Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel on Amazon for $16.97 (originally $16.19)

The best drugstore face cream for dry skin

Have dry skin that's also sensitive? CeraVe's Moisturizing Cream is formulated without fragrance, so you can hydrate without irritation.

People with dry skin usually complain that their faces also tend to be ultra-sensitive. And it makes sense. Since your protective barrier is damaged, it's bad at protecting your skin. So ingredients and additives that wouldn't irritate some people can throw those with dry skin into an itchy, inflamed hellscape.

That's what makes CeraVe'sMoisturizing Cream so exceptional. It's formulated without fragrances, which make it ideal for sensitive skin. CeraVe's moisturizing cream is, hands-down, the best formulation for folks with dry skin. It's made with three essential ceramides and hyaluronic acid, giving it the formulaic one-two punch flaky skin is desperate for.

This double dose of hydration helps your skin in two ways. First, the hyaluronic acid penetrates the pores, giving you a deep dose of moisture. Then, the ceramides work to lock in that moisture by repairing the skin's barrier layer.

CeraVe claims that this hydration lasts for 24 hours. While I'm not quite sure it lasts that long, I can definitely say that this moisturizer left me hydrated all day. There was no midday tightness and no afternoon flake. My face felt supple until I washed my makeup off that evening.

And I'm not the only one to give CeraVe a glowing review. Buyers can't stop talking about how much they love this wallet-friendly moisturizer. One reviewer on Influenster gave major snaps for CeraVe's ability to dry down almost immediately. There's no waiting around for your moisturizer to absorb before applying your makeup.

Pros love it too, with Glamour beauty writer Rachel Nussbaum saying "ever since [I started using CeraVe], I've had baby soft, clear skin with the smallest pores of my life." That's a review you can take to the bank.

Pros: Wallet-friendly, absorbs quickly, provides two types of moisturizing

Cons: It might be a little too heavy for those with acneic skin

Buy CeraVe Moisturizing Cream at Walmart for $14.92 (originally $15.83)

The best pro-approved face cream for dry skin

Pros love the Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream because it's packed with amino acids, peptides, and growth factors for moisturizing and anti-aging power.

Dry skin is something that can plague someone no matter how old they are. But flaky, itchy, dehydrated faces tend to be a common complaint among people as they get older — especially women. Menopause can cause some serious dryness. So instead of reaching for a cream that only delivers moisture, those with aging skin want to reach for a product that also provides some anti-aging benefits.

That's exactly what Drunk Elephant's Protini cream does. It moisturizes dry skin, but it also delivers a powerful cocktail of anti-aging products that keep your face looking tip-top. After just one use of this cream, buyers see better texture, better tone, and more moisture.

So what makes this cream so fantastic? The protein from the amino acids and peptides. Peptides themselves are actually fragments of proteins, and proteins are the building blocks of your skin. As your skin ages, and the more you're subjected to environmental factors, those proteins can break down. Peptides in skincare products help revitalize those proteins, improving skin's resilience over time.

And people have taken notice. According to The Cut, this cream had an insane amount of five-star reviews just hours after launching. Pros are fans of this cream, too. Fashionista editor Steph Saltzman raved that after using Protini, her skin "feels instantly coddled and protected, like it's been wrapped in a snug little security blanket/forcefield against the elements."

Just as a bonus, this cream wins for its near-perfect delivery system. Instead of a jar, which can easily become contaminated if you don't wash your hands before dipping your fingers in, Protini comes with a push-top applicator. It dispenses just the right amount of face cream in a totally hygenic way. Moisturized skin that's also healthy? Sign us up.

Pros: Anti-aging and moisturizing, innovative delivery system

Cons: The active ingredients may be a little too much for those with sensitive skin

Buy Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream from Sephora for $68

The best plant-based face cream for dry skin

Youth To The People's Age Prevention Superfood Cream is both green and hyper-moisturizing, making it perfect for the most ethically-minded folks out there.

When it comes to skincare, it's not always easy being green. So many active ingredients are synthetic. And while that doesn't mean that they're unhealthy, there are plenty of people who'd prefer to get their skin care superpowers from plant-based sources. The caveat? Those aren't always as effective as the synthetic kind.

But Youth To The People seems to have licked this seemingly never-ending cycle with its Age Prevention Superfood Cream. This moisturizer is stocked with 100% vegan ingredients, but it's also a powerful weapon in the fight against flake. Some of these ingredients, like hyaluronic acid, you're already very familiar with, but others, like kale and spinach, are less familiar when it comes to skincare.

These two greens are great for your skin in many of the ways they're great for your body. Spinach helps to prevent against sun damage, while kale contains some powerful antioxidants — specifically vitamins A, C, E, and K. These antioxidants are helpful in rebuilding your skin's protective layer, so that the hyaluronic acid also present in this formula can penetrate perfectly.

Buyers are huge fans of this product, too. On Influenster, one happy customer wrote that their skin feels so soft and supple that she can't imagine using another cream. And since this formula contains lightweight moisturizers, like hyaluronic acid, you can use it all year long. No face suffocation happening here!

Pros: Vegan ingredients, lightweight

Cons: Severely dry skin types may not get the amount of moisture you need

Buy Youth To The People Age Prevention Superfood Cream from Sephora for $48

Check out our other great skincare guides

The best makeup remover you can buy

It's good for your skin to remove makeup every night, but it can be a pain without the right makeup remover.

We've done our research and tested the best makeup removers on the market to come up our top recommendations. Whether you're a devout double cleanser or prefer removing makeup on the fly, there's something on this list for everyone.

Here are the best makeup removers you can buy:

• Best overall: Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Water
  
• Best cleansing oil: Tatcha Pure One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil
  
• Best cleansing oil solid: Banila Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original
• Best foaming cleanser: Pacifica Sea Foam Complete Face Wash
• Best cleansing wipes: Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water Cloths
• Best milk cleanser: Avène Eau Thermale Gentle Milk Cleanser

• President Donald Trump has some very specific food preferences.
• Though Trump is sure to avoid foods like alcohol and pizza dough, he isn't shy about sharing his love for fast food and Diet Coke during public appearances.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

President Donald Trump's food habits have caught multiple headlines over the years for some preferences that came off as specific and perhaps unexpected.

The president dodges alcohol, coffee, and the dough in a slice of pizza, but has been public with his favorites, including Diet Coke, fast food, and cherry-vanilla ice cream.

Here are some of Trump's favorite meals, snacks, and treats.

SEE ALSO: 45 photos of Donald Trump's incomparable life on his 73rd birthday

DON'T MISS: Squirrel stew, jelly beans, and hoecakes: Here are all 44 presidents' favorite foods

Bacon and eggs

Trump has said he often skips breakfast, but if he goes for an early meal, his favorite is bacon and eggs. He told People in 2015 he prefers the "bacon medium and the eggs over-well."

McDonald's Egg McMuffins

During the 2016 presidential election, Trump occasionally needed fuel early in the day, which reportedly came from one of his preferred restaurants. Politico reported that a former bodyguard would run to a McDonald's near the Marine Air Terminal in Queens to fetch him some Egg McMuffins.

Cereal

Trump touted an affinity for patriotic cereals in an interview with Fox News' Jesse Watters while on the 2016 campaign trail in Iowa, conveniently saying he preferred cereals from the corn-heavy state.

"Made in the USA, has to be made in the USA," he said. "You know, the cornflake-type stuff, Raisin Bran. Has to be right out of the fields of Iowa."

Diet Coke

Since the president doesn't drink coffee, tea, or alcohol, he dedicates plenty of his palate to the fizzy stuff. The New York Times reported that Trump downs approximately a dozen Diet Cokes each day.

The habit has been on public display throughout his presidency, as he's notably forgone traditional toasts with wine and champagne for a glass of Diet Coke.

The president likes the soda so much that it's been reported he has a "little red button" in the Resolute Desk that, when pushed, prompts a butler to bring him a fresh Diet Coke.

Well-done steak

Anthony Senecal, Trump's longtime butler, told The New York Times that the president likes his steak so well done, "it would rock on the plate."

KFC

It wasn't a surprise when Trump tweeted a photo of himself next to a bucket of KFC in the last months of the 2016 presidential campaign, considering his well-known track record with fast food.

The spread appeared to come from the chain's bucket meal menu, which includes options for up to 16 pieces of fried chicken with biscuits and sides that can feed four to eight people.

Meatloaf

Trump told US Weekly in 2010 that his older sister Maryanne makes meatloaf for him on his birthday. The dish took center stage when Donald and Melania Trump stopped by Martha Stewart's cooking show in 2005 to demonstrate how one does "Meatloaf with The Donald."

The now-first lady said during the segment that Trump's favorite foods are mostly meat and fish, but not "much vegetables."

Seafood

Though he's best known for his red meat habit, Trump reportedly enjoys crab and shrimp, as well.

McDonald's

According to two former campaign aides, president's typical order is a 2,430-calorie spread that includes two Big Macs, two Filet-o-Fish sandwiches, and a large chocolate shake.

A former aide told Politico that Trump would often order "two quarter-pounders and a large fries" during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump's love for McDonald's, and fast food as a whole, could be explained by what a former aide said was a near-constant fear of being poisoned.

Trump has also previously said he prefers fast-food chains because of their cleanliness standards.

"One bad hamburger, you can destroy McDonald's. One bad hamburger and you take Wendy's and all these other places and they're out of business," Trump said at a 2016 town hall. "I like cleanliness, and I think you're better off going there than maybe someplace that you have no idea where the food is coming from."

Pizza

"On Trump Force One there were four major food groups: McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, pizza and Diet Coke," former top Trump aides Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie wrote in their book about the 2016 campaign.

Although Trump famously starred in a Pizza Hut stuffed crust commercial in 1995, he has said in the past he doesn't eat the crust.

Trump Grill Taco Bowl

Trump picked out the bowl from the menu of the Trump Grill for his infamous 2016 tweet marking Cinco de Mayo and to announce that he "love[s] Hispanics!"

Business Insider's Kate Taylor and Hollis Johnson previously reported that the $19 novelty item made them feel "bamboozled into paying more than twice as much for something that Qdoba does better," casting down on Trump's tweet that proclaimed they were the "best."

Lay's potato chips

The kitchen in the residency is reportedly stocked with Lay's potato chips, The New York Times reported in January 2017.

Keebler Vienna Fingers and Oreos

In the book, "Let Trump Be Trump," two former Trump campaign aides wrote that Trump kept Oreos and vanilla Vienna Fingers by Keebler on hand as a plane snack.

See's Candies

Trump has touted his soft spot for sweet snacks from See's Candies before, and the Bay-area company was one of several who was targeted for boycotts by those who wanted to oppose Trump's presidency.

Cherry-vanilla ice cream

Trump told US Weekly in 2010 that this was his favorite ice cream flavor, and it was featured on the menu for his inauguration celebration dinner years later.

When Time profiled life at the White House shortly after Trump took office, the magazine reported Trump got "two scoops of vanilla ice cream with his chocolate cream pie, instead of the single scoop for everyone else."

Chocolate cake

Trump said he told Chinese President Xi Jinping about the April 2017 US strike on Syria over chocolate cake at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

"We're now having dessert. And we had the most beautiful piece of chocolate cake that you've ever seen and President Xi was enjoying it," Trump told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo. "And I was given the message from the generals that the ships are locked and loaded, what do you do? And we made a determination to do it, so the missiles were on the way."

• San Francisco's four-block-long Salesforce Transit Center and its rooftop park are now officially reopened to the public after an almost 10-month-long hiatus following the discovery of a cracked beam in the terminal's third-floor deck.
• Bus service through the transit center remains closed, but when it eventually restarts, eleven bus lines will stop at the station, and transit officials plan to eventually connect it to rail lines as well. 
• A project almost two decades in the making, the transit center was designed to be a central nexus for local transportation.
• The $2.2 billion transit center is being hailed as the "Grand Central Station of the West," and some have compared its park to The High Line in New York.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

San Francisco's highly-anticipated Salesforce Transit Center and the new park located on its roof are officially reopened to the public after the discovery of two cracked beams closed the center just six weeks after opening in September 2018.

Located in a colossal white building that snakes its way through the city's downtown South of Market district, the transit project was almost two decades in the making and was designed as a much-needed improvement to San Francisco's notoriously clogged transportation systems.

Bus service through the transit center remains closed, but routes on eleven bus lines will eventually stop at the transit center. In the future, the Caltrain commuter rail system will stop at the transit center, as will California's long-promised high-speed rail system, which would connect the city with Los Angeles. 

The center's urban design has drawn comparisons to New York's new Oculus transit station, while its rooftop park has been likened to The High Line in New York, a park that's located on a former elevated rail line. But its new nickname harkens back further into Gotham's history.

The center has been dubbed the "Grand Central Station of the West." It's an apt moniker, given the building's scale and $2.2 billion price tag.

Take a look around San Francisco's "Grand Central Station."

SEE ALSO: There's a 'water bar' in San Francisco that will pour you shots of fruit water, not booze — take a look inside

The transit center's bulbous white facade spans four blocks in downtown San Francisco. It's hard to miss.

Its exterior is made from perforated white aluminum that was shaped into wave-like forms.

The main building consists of five levels, including the rooftop park and the Grand Hall on its ground level.

The Bus Deck is above the ground level. The structure's two other levels are below-ground floors that were designed for rail lines but aren't yet in use.

Source: Transbay Program

The transit center has a street-level entrance directly across from the new Salesforce Tower that provides easy access for the company's employees.

The cloud computing giant shelled out $110 million for naming rights to the transit center.

Salesforce's corporate sponsorship has been a contentious issue among San Francisco locals. Originally, the structure was going to be called the Transbay Terminal, the same name as the building it replaced. 

Source: Business Insider and Business Insider

Ground-level visitors enter into the Grand Hall, which is marked by large skeletal beams.

Overhead, a giant domed skylight bathes the Grand Hall with natural light.

The design is reminiscent of New York's Oculus transportation hub.

Like Salesforce Transit Center, the Oculus is a futuristic white shell of a building. Some have compared it to a dinosaur skeleton or a whale carcass.

Source: Business Insider

Like the Oculus, the Salesforce Transit Center is designed to accommodate a mass influx of people — 45 million each year in its case.

Eleven transit systems, including Greyhound, Amtrak, and San Francisco's Muni, have bus routes that stop at the station. Those bus routes provide connections to the eight surrounding counties and points beyond.

Source: Transbay Program

Commuters can find their bus connections and arrival times listed on a giant display board.

The center has several street-level exits.

Parts of the transit center are still under construction.

When the work is done, there will be entrances all around the center, including this one, which is directly across from Business Insider's San Francisco office building.

Inside the station, lit pillars indicate where commuters should go, with food and transit lines one way ...

... and other bus routes another way.

You can take the stairs or escalators up to the food hall.

But that, too, isn't quite finished yet.

Eventually, the transit center will have 100,000 square feet of retail space.

Source: Business Insider

Although it's not yet finished, the transit center is already being used by commuters, like this man who ran past to catch a bus.

He's a part of a large community of San Francisco Bay Area commuters who can now get into and out of the city from one central terminal.

The station's bus deck is above ground and offers a refreshing alternative to cramped subterranean stations.

The structure's perforated exterior lets plenty of natural light into the bus loading areas.

The bus deck features a succession of loading bays for different lines.

A digital display in each bay shows expected arrival times.

While you're waiting for your ride, you can get your tech fix at a Best Buy vending machine — the same kind you can find at some airports.

Some bathrooms on the level are available only to bus drivers.

You can take an elevator to the station's different levels.

Such as the fourth level, where you'll find Salesforce Park.

Sitting on top of the transit center, the park is open to everyone.

The 5.4-acre space includes winding pathways, plentiful foliage, and numerous seating areas.

It's similar to New York's High Line, a former elevated rail line on the west side of Manhattan that was converted into a park.

However, the Salesforce Transit Center is much smaller than the High Line.

Tiny, one-person benches line the park's walking paths.

Some people sat on them taking calls. One couple I saw squeezed onto one together.

A spacious lawn runs the length of the park, with moveable chairs and tables for people to use.

Parts of the space look grown-in already, and people are already taking advantage of them by relaxing in the grass.

Attached to the railings that line the walking paths are metal plates detailing the origin and nature of the plant species bedded in the gardens.

In some spots, the greenery was lush and high enough that I felt like I was in an arboretum.

The air smelled nice and earthy too. I forgot that I was in the middle of one of the most technologically advanced cities in the world.

A quick look around, and up at the imposing Salesforce tower, reminded me where I was.

The hashtag icon of office messaging service Slack was in view, albeit hidden through the trees.

I spotted the office housing investment firm BlackRock's iShares branch along the south edge of the park...

...as well as Charles Schwab offices...

...and LinkedIn's new black cube-like headquarters loomed in the distance.

Source: Business Insider

It was like an outdoor museum exhibit of some of the city's most prosperous companies.

I could see San Francisco's newest skyscraper at 181 Fremont too.

Facebook's Instagram branch will soon make 51 floors of it their new headquarters, and a number of multi-million-dollar condos take up the top portion of the tower.

Source: Business Insider

The Instagram offices are currently still being developed. I could spot some nifty technicolor-lit pillars from the park.

Instagram's employees and residents in the building will be able to walk right into the park through a special access point.

The same goes for Salesforce employees from their offices across the way. They're the only two buildings with direct access to the park.

They, and others in the park, have some uniquely striking sights of the city. Besides office views and ritzy high-level restaurants, perspectives of the city like this can be hard to come by.

I could easily get lost walking around — it's a 5.4-acre park after all — but these posted icons were scattered around the space, which were actually really helpful.

Over on the west side of the park, the six-block-long "mini Bay Bridge" can be seen, where buses can easily enter the Bus Deck from the actual Bay Bridge without having to maneuver through the city's congested streets. Its cables mirror the bone-like design of the rest of the center.

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

Also from the west section, I could easily see into a couple of residences. It made me wonder how the occupants felt about their privacy being impacted by the new structure.

A stage that will be used for concerts and other events is on this side as well.

Toward the east side of the park is a plaza of sorts. A giant dome serves as the skylight that hangs over the grand foyer below.

Fitness classes are scheduled through the end of October, likely to ramp up involvement and attendance in the park.

People made themselves at home on the picnic tables, playing board games provided by a games cart. A family of three hashed out a round of Connect Four behind it.

A foosball table was up for grabs...

...and food vendors offered reasonably priced hot dogs and sandwiches. A more permanent restaurant is planned to eventually go up in this spot, so the vendors are temporary.

Source: Business Insider

Park goers lined up at the bar, where you could get a beer for $7. Not bad by San Francisco standards.

As I was making my laps, the pathway along the north edge split into two, with one slice of it decked out with tiles. I didn't know what it was at first...

...until I saw spigots along the middle spewing water! A plaque further down described how the installation was designed.

As buses pass on the Bus Deck below, sensors are alerted to their movement which then activate the water jets. So the more traffic there is, the more fountain activity — pretty nifty.

Near the bus fountain is where the park's glass aerial tram will spit out passengers.

The glass elevator was included in the Transit Center project to encourage passerby on the street level to check out the city park above.

But it can only transport 20 people at a time, which will likely result in some fairly long lines. It was poised to open in June, but that date has since been pushed back.

Source: Business Insider

Until then, park goers can use elevators, stairs, and escalators. Elevators are placed at the far ends of the park, as well as toward the middle.

Though with a transit center right smack in the middle of the city, it's easy to access any part of it.

• Prime Day 2019 will feature some of the lowest prices of the year, particularly on Amazon devices and services.
• Audible, Amazon's audiobook app, has been discounted from $14.95 per month to $4.95 per month for your first three months if you're a new member.
• You can also opt to get an $30 off your annual membership (now $119.50) and receive an Echo Dot for $0.99 extra if you've already been a member.
• Audible members get one book credit every month that's good for any title, and two Audible originals of their choice.
• Don't have time to sift through millions of deals? We'll be doing it for you. Check out the best deals of Prime Day 2019 here, as well as all the best early deals here.

Amazon slashes prices on everything from TVs and tech to mattresses and cookware for Prime Day, but many of the best discounts (and the earliest) are saved for Amazon products and services. 

Such is the case this year, with an Audible deal that mimics what Amazon offered last year, plus an additional deal that gets you a discount on an annual Audible membership and a 3rd generation Echo Dot. 

For Prime Day 2019, you can get the following deals on Audible:

• Now through July 31, Prime members new to Audible can get three months of membership for just $4.95 per month (66% off). 
• Save $30 when you sign up for an annual Audible membership (now $119) and get an Echo Dot for just $0.99. 

The three-month deal will only show on your screen if you're not currently signed up for Audible, or if you haven't been a member in the past. The second deal will show up for all Prime members, whether or not you currently have or have previously had a membership.

Last year, the three-month deal was the second-most popular deal bought by Business Insider readers. All you have to do to claim either deal is add them to your cart, and the discount will be applied automatically. 

What is Audible? How do you use it?

Audible is basically Amazon's audiobook service, with over 500,000 audiobooks and audio shows that users can listen to. It's typically $14.95/month, though it's $4.95 right now.

Audible members get one credit every month that's good for any title, regardless of price, and two Audible originals that you can pick from six options. If you want to listen to more than one, you'll have to buy additional titles. The good news, though, is that they'll never disappear from your permanent collection, so you can go back to them and visit your digital library repeatedly. And, if you don't love an audiobook, you can swap it for another. 

Currently, you can use Audible on any iPhone or Android device, thanks to the Audible app. It's also accessible with all Alexa-enabled devices and compatible with a slew of others.

In order to take advantage of Prime Day deals, you need a Prime membership. If you aren't one of the 100 million people worldwide who's deemed it useful enough, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial of the service. After that, you'll be charged $12.99 per month unless you're a student or you have a valid EBT/Medicaid card. Check out 30+ perks beyond two-day shipping to see what you're getting besides Prime Day discounts.

Sign up for your Audible subscription, $4.95 per month for the first three months

Sign up for an annual Audible membership here, $119.50 per year (originally $149.50/year) and get an Echo Dot for $0.99

Become a Prime member with a 30-day free trial here

Want to stay updated on everything Prime Day 2019? Bookmark this pageandour master guide to the best deals of Prime Day.  

Join the conversation about this story »

• Amazon Prime Day 2019 begins July 15 at 12 a.m. PT, but there are aa number of early deals worth taking advantage of.
• For a limited time, you can take 50% off rentals on popular movies on Prime Video. 
• Find the full list of Prime Video movies here. 

As you've probably already heard, Amazon Prime Day 2019 will start Monday, July 15 at 12 a.m. PT and run through Tuesday, July 16 in a 48-hour event.

And while the real barrage of deals won't begin until then you can already start saving a lot of money on the early deals Amazon is releasing before Prime Day, which include both products and Amazon services. If movie nights are as essential to your summer as grilling and dips in the pool, Amazon is making them even more enticing with its early Prime Video deal. 

Right now, you can take 50% off rentals on popular movies on Prime Video. 

They start at just $1.99 and include blockbuster titles like Jordan Peele's horror hit "Us" ($2.99 to rent). You have 30 days to start watching the movie once you've rented it, and 24 hours to finish once you've started it. 

Whether you want to keep this summer suspenseful, action-packed, or lighthearted, you'll be able to find an entertaining movie to rent on Prime Video. 

You can find all movies available to rent on Prime Video here. 

Prime Video will also be home to another exclusive event: the Prime Day Concert on July 10, headlined by Taylor Swift and including performances by Dua Lipa, SZA, and Becky G. The concert will stream live on Prime Video at 9 p.m. ET on July 10 for Prime members only and will be made available on demand after the live show for a limited time. 

To make the most of Prime Day this year, you should first become a member and sign up for a free 30-day trial to access early deals like the one above, as well as the 1 million+ sitewide deals on July 15 and 16. 

Check out Prime Video deal here.

Read all our Amazon Prime Day 2019 coverage here as the big day approaches.

Bookmark our list of the best deals of Prime Day 2019 here.

Join the conversation about this story »

• Danny Meyer, the creator of Shake Shack, has a knack for creating successful restaurants and hiring strong staffers.
• But as his roster of restaurants grew, he found himself torn between the different establishments.
• He worked with Susan Salgado, a doctoral student at New York University's business school, to craft a systematized process that made him a better manager and increased productivity company-wide.
• Author Neil Irwin describes their management tips below in this excerpt from his book, "How to Win in a Winner-Take-All World."
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

When a young restaurateur named Danny Meyer opened Union Square Cafe in New York City in 1985, it was an instant success, combining refined but unstuffy service with soulful food.

A positive review in The New York Times in early 1986 by itself triggered a 60% jump in business. Meyer soon had to learn the power of a complimentary glass of dessert wine to calm a guest irritated at the wait for a table.

He was very much a hands-on boss as the restaurant became more popular, interviewing each potential new employee — down to the lowest-level busboy — personally, and trusting only himself to judge whether they had the emotional intelligence to, for example, read whether the mood at a table was joyous or somber.

Meyer and his team created systematic processes for the kitchen and technical elements of service. The chefs wrote out their recipes rather than storing them in cooks' memories. They crafted a manual spelling-out how a place setting should look, and the proper timing of when guests' cocktail orders would be taken.

But Meyer didn't want waiters and hosts to act like robots. He wanted them to improvise, to give customers a warm, memorable experience, which is why he kept such an iron grip on hiring.

"It was my way of saying, 'I'm casting the play here, and I know what kinds of people I want to hire and what kind of skills I'm looking for," he told me in 2018. "At that point it was only an intuitive feeling … I was hiring people based on how they made me feel."

Nine years later, he opened a second restaurant a few blocks away, to yet more buzz and attention. It was called Gramercy Tavern.

Meyer was only operating two restaurants, but he could tell something was wrong. 

"Even though the restaurants were only four blocks apart from one another, I was like a whirling dervish," he said. "Every time I went back to one restaurant, it had gotten off center. It was fine while I was there, and then when I would go to the other one, I would have to correct things that had gone wrong. The things that bothered me that slipped were how people were treating each other, the approach they were taking to guests."

A unique approach

One night in 1999, at which point Union Square Hospitality Group, Meyer and his partners' firm, had four restaurants, a woman named Susan Salgado approached him in one of them.

She was a doctoral student at New York University's business school, studying organizational behavior. She wanted to do a field study of how service organizations can provide consistent experiences to their customers. She was a fan of Meyer's restaurants. Would he consider letting her study Union Square Hospitality Group?

He agreed, but insisted she fully embed to learn how things worked. She went to work as a reservationist at Union Square Cafe and eventually produced a 161-word dissertation titled "Fine Restaurants: Creating Inimitable Advantages in a Competitive Industry."

That might have been the end of it. Salgado could have gone on to teach management at a business school. But she had fallen in love with the restaurant industry and the way things worked at Union Square Hospitality. And the company was on the precipice of a huge expansion — Meyer had signed a contract to open a restaurant in the Museum of Modern Art, was starting a catering operation, and had opened a hot dog stand in Madison Square Park that, though no one knew it then, would become bigger than any of his other ventures.

It was called Shake Shack.

Salgado proposed that she come on board to help grow the restaurant group. The organization, she had seen, was not so much a system that could be replicated, but a reflection of Meyer's own individual approach. She became the company's first director of culture and learning.

Essentially, her job was to formalize a lot of elements of how the organization worked so that they could be replicated far beyond the limits of Meyer's personal ability to meet with people. A big part of the job was figuring out and formalizing what Meyer would not do.

"When I joined, Danny had to be part of every decision," Salgado said. "The menu price was changing by 50 cents on brisket at Blue Smoke" — a barbecue restaurant that Union Square Hospitality opened in 2002 — "and the general manager had to ask Danny first. At a point that is disabling, because he doesn't have the bandwidth."

They sat down and made a list of business decisions, divided into three categories: those Meyer would always be involved with, those he would be informed of but not asked to weigh in on, and those that would be completely delegated.

Meyer had to learn to discipline himself not to micromanage, especially on aesthetic details. Whenever he went into one of the restaurants, his immediate temptation was to point out small problems to staff so they might get fixed — a framed picture slightly askew, a light fixture set too bright.

But this was an operational mess. When he would mention these things to line-level staff, all other work in the restaurant would halt as they tried to fix the problem to please the big boss, and the authority of that restaurant's manager would be undermined. He learned to point out these problems only to the manager, who could perform triage and direct resources to fixing only the most important problems.

Management training

And Salgado began a program of operating training sessions for middle managers at the restaurants, turning what had been a philosophy embedded in Meyer's gut into a formal curriculum. They simulated delicate situations, such as reprimanding an employee who keeps making mistakes, noticing a customer who is frustrated, or mediating disputes between front-of-house service staff and back-of-house kitchen staff.

When economists talk about productivity, they mean something a little different than most civilians. When you or I say we had a productive day, we often mean that we got a lot of work done. To economists, labor productivity means something a little more precise: The amount of economic output achieved for each hour of work.

Meyer maturing as a manager enabled him to increase the productivity, in the economic sense, of hundreds of workers. He was able to spread his gift for making restaurants that people like to visit across more and more restaurants — 16 in Union Square Hospitality, not counting Shake Shack, which was spun off as a separate, publicly traded company, now with 218 locations.

A manager in the economic sense

In effect, a waiter or line cook in any of those establishments is, by virtue of the training and systems and processes that Salgado helped develop, more productive in the economic sense than they would be at a worse-run restaurant that achieves lower sales per person-hour worked.

We tend to think of being a manager as being all about the act of overseeing workers. And obviously that's what the job actually consists of in the day to day sense. But what it's really about, in the economic sense, is to create that capacity to systematize and replicate something valuable, making one's workforce more productive.

If you are a manager yourself, that's the thing you can most learn from Meyer's evolution: He became a better manager by learning what not to do, and setting up systems to replicate valuable behavior rather than just trying to do more himself.

And if you're not a manager, there's an even more crucial lesson: The path to higher compensation and more opportunity is in becoming more productive in the economic sense. So seek out managers who will do exactly that.

This was excerpted from "How to Win in a Winner-Take-All World," by Neil Irwin.

SEE ALSO: Google spent 10 years researching what makes the 'perfect' manager — here are the top 10 traits they found

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NOW WATCH: Stewart Butterfield, co-founder of Slack and Flickr, says 2 beliefs have brought him the greatest success in life

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NOW WATCH: Mount Everest is not the hardest mountain to climb — here's what makes K2 so much worse

• Regularly spending long hours kneeling on hard surfaces can lead to both acute and chronic knee pain.
• Without proper protection, knees are at risk of developing bursitis, osteoarthritis, and other conditions that can limit performance and reduce the quality of life.
• The NoCry Professional Knee Pads are our top choice thanks to their large, rugged shield, their secure straps, and their low cost.

Now in the second half of my 30s, I'm at an age where I know how to get a fair amount of home-improvement work done. Cracked tile that needs to be removed and replaced? No problem, let me just run to the store for a matching a grout and we're good. Loose roof shingle? Hammer time. Scratch on the floor? Wood putty, sand, and stain, baby.

The thing is, as much as I'm shocked to say it, I'm also at the age where my body gets stiff and sore much more easily than it used to, with much of the unwelcome aches and pains localized in my lower back, right shoulder, and knees. As you might have noticed, all of the aforementioned activities involve spending a good amount of time kneeling on surfaces that are none to forgiving for the leg joint in question. The solution? Well, there are two: First, just call someone else to fix the damn floor for me.

The better choice? Knee pads.

When you wear work knee pads, you're not just making yourself more comfortable then and there as you install tile, wiring, pipes, floorboards, shingles and so on — you're protecting your body in the long term, reducing the likelihood of issues like chronic bursitis (damage to the fluid-filled sacks that cushion your knees) or painful, debilitation osteoarthritis, a condition that is greatly exacerbated by improper care of a joint.

If you're a professional tiler, roofer, carpenter, and the like, chances are you already have a decent pair of knee pads for work. When it comes time to replace them, consider this list. For everyone else, even if you just do a bit of gardening or the occasional DIY project around the house, you still owe it to your knees to keep them padded, supported, comfortable, and safe.

While joint damage is much more common through wear and tear over time, acute damage can cause every bit as much (or more) misery in a matter of seconds, all it takes is one hard impact between knee and floor.

Here are the best knee pads you can buy:

• Best knee pads overall: NoCry Professional Knee Pads
• Best knee pads for extended use: Recoil Suspension System Knee Pads
• Best knee pads for heavy-duty work: Klein Tools Tradesman Pro Knee Pads
• Best soft knee pads for work: Troxell USA Supersoft Leatherhead Kneepads

Updated on 07/02/2019 by Les Shu: Updated selections, prices, links, and formatting. Removed our budget pick as our overall favorite is also the most affordable. Added related buying guide.

Keep scrolling to read more about our top picks.

SEE ALSO: The best sanders you can buy

The best knee pads overall

The NoCry Professional Knee Pads are rugged, relatively comfortable, and nicely priced.

One of the most frustrating things about most work knee pads reveals itself the moment you stand up and take a few steps. Many knee pads will slip out of place at once during walking, or else will stay in place but be quite uncomfortable while you move, often even restricting your freedom of motion.

The NoCry Professional Knee Pads stay in place in front of your knees while also allowing you to make use of that full bipedal motion we humans cherish thanks to the clever design of their straps. The straps cross behind your knee in an X-shaped pattern, keeping the pad secure and working with the bend of the joint.

As the adjustable elastic bands secure to the sides of the pads with clips that hook onto pegs rather than with Velcro, there's much less chance of them coming loose while you work. This type of attachment requires a bit of extra initial effort as you determine the best fit, but thereafter ensures they are always snug but comfortable, without you needing to readjust a velcro strap to relocate the best fit each time.

On the front of the pads, the rugged poly plastic shield protects you from all sorts of hard surfaces and also prevents injury caused by broken glass, nails, and other common workplace hazards. But perhaps the real selling point here is the fact that these capable, reliable knee pads cost less than twenty-five bucks.

With more than 2,200 reviews posted on Amazon, the NoCry Professional Knee Pads has a 4.4-star overall rating (out of 5). A buyer who reported suffering from osteoarthritis said they are "very comfortable" and appreciated the "adjuster straps that move easily but hold [the pads] very tight and lock into place securely." Another reviewer who does floor installations called them "super comfortable."

Several users did note that it can be hard to get the strap clips onto the grommets that hold them, and a few mentioned weak grommets that broke after repeated use.

Pros: Secure and comfortable strap system, large textured shield, good price point

Cons: Issues with using grommets and grommet durability

Buy a pair of NoCry Professional Knee Pads on Amazon for $23.95

The best knee pads for extended use

The unique pivoting suspension system of the Recoil Knee Pads allows you to work while kneeling for hours on end in comfort.

Let's get this out of the way: Yes, Recoil Knee Pads are very expensive. In fact, they cost about eight times more than our lowest cost choice. But they are also truly unique and impressive in design, and I'm not just saying that. I own a pair, I've used them on myriad surfaces, and they work.

Like any decent work knee pad, the Recoil pads have a rugged shield on the front. Unlike other knee pads, the shield is supported by six heavy-duty springs. The result is shock absorption that increases comfort and reduces the chance of injury each time your knees contact the ground as well as more comfortable, natural motion as you kneel.

As you make the minute motions that come with work, shifting your body to use a hammer, turn a screw, or wield a paintbrush, the flat shield stays down in place on the ground while the rest of the knee pad shifts with you.

The result is more comfort in the short term as you don't have to move your body around the area in which you're working as frequently as well as in the longer term as your knees enjoy peerless protection against impact trauma.

I'd say those are both worth a few bucks, no?

One Amazon buyer said these knee pads help you work "smarter, not harder," and called them "well-worth the price" thanks to their comfort. Another said that while they "take a bit of getting used to," once mastered, the Recoil Knee Pads are "extremely comfortable, and a great investment," and loved how "you don't feel anything on your knees at all [thanks to] the spring system."

Pros: Long-term joint protection, allow the user to stay comfortably in place, durable construction

Cons: Expensive, takes a while to adapt

Buy a pair of Recoil Knee Pads on Amazon for $84.95

The best knee pads for heavy-duty work

If you spend long hours at commercial-grade work sites where comfort and safety are of equal importance, then a pair Klein Tools Tradesman Pro Knee Pads belongs in your toolbox.

There are knee pads that allow for greater comfort as you stay in one place for long stretches of time. There are knee pads that are a great deal price-wise. There are knee pads that won't scuff delicate surfaces. And then there are knee pads that are designed for use when you spend multiple hours each day, many days each week crawling around on concrete, wooden beams, brick, and other surfaces generally unpleasant when experienced by the unprotected patella.

If you work hard, good for you, but a least give your knees a break with a pair of Klein Tools Tradesman Pro Knee Pads. These pads have big, durable, impact-resistant molded outer shells with a textured finish that prevents slipping, which you'll find convenient when working on tile and which you'll more than appreciate up on a roof. A thick single with a wide band and quick fasten buckle holds the pads in place but lets you pop them on or off quickly as needed.

But as tough and rugged as these knee pads are on the outer layers, it's the inner padding that you'll most appreciate. Your comfort (and injury prevention) comes thanks to a layer of polyurethane foam atop which sits an impact-absorbing layer of gel, and over which a soft but resilient layer of neoprene rests against your knees.

A professional tiler who writes for TilersPlace.com called the Klein Tools Tradesman Pro Knee Pads "well padded with both gel inserts and polyurethane foam," but did note that they are "one of the more expensive knee pads on the market."

Pros: Rugged outer shell, three layers of interior padding, quick-fasten buckle

Cons: Rather pricey

Buy a pair of Klein Tools Tradesman Pro Knee Pads on Amazon for $54.83 (originally $95.45)

The best soft knee pads for work

Not only will the Troxell USA Supersoft Leatherhead Kneepads protect your joints from wear and tear, but they also won't damage any sensitive surfaces.

The primary job of a knee pad is, of course, to protect your knees. But in so doing, many work knee pads with hard, solid shields can accidentally cause damage to the very surface on which you're working. With a pair of Troxell USA Supersoft Leatherhead Kneepads, not only will your joints be protected and supported, but the materials on which you crouch won't be scratched, scuffed, or gouged.

The pads feature a broad single strap that secures with Velcro and can easily be trimmed to size with any extra material cut away so it doesn't get in the way. The interior padding is soft and comfortable even when all of your weight is bearing down on a single knee, yet the knee pads are light enough to where they won't annoy you even during long hours of use.

More to the point, however, is the softness of the exterior layer of these Troxell USA knee pads. The thick leather exterior is dense and durable enough to protect your knees against hard, rough surfaces, yet the pads won't scratch softer stone flooring, won't scuff textured tile, brick, or polished concrete, and won't gouge or scrape hardwood.

With more than 200 customer reviews posted on Amazon, the Troxell USA Supersoft Leatherhead Kneepads have a 4.5-star overall rating (out of 5).

One user wrote, "I have tried a dozen or so different types of knee pads over the last three decades, kneeling on the edge of roofs installing gutters for a living, so good knee pads are essential in my work to be able to wear comfortably all day long... [and] no other knee pads compares to these for comfort with a light weight."

The reviewer from TilersPlace agrees, calling the Troxell USA Supersoft Leatherhead Kneepad "comfortable for all day use" and noting how the "nonmarking leather [is] perfect for delicate surfaces." He did also note the rather high price and the fact that the leather is more easily damaged than solid knee pad exteriors.

Pros: Nonmarking leather exterior won't cause damage, trim to fit strap, soft interior padding

Cons: Leather doesn't hold up as well as plastic shield, pricey

Buy a pair of Troxell USA Supersoft Leatherhead Kneepad on Amazon for $52.95

Check out our other home improvement guides

The best paint roller you can buy

With a good paint roller, you can coat a good-sized wall in a matter of minutes. Or you can paint a whole room, ceiling, and all in just a couple of hours — setup and cleanup included. be sure to break down the benefits of each roller and for what project it's best suited. Here are the best paint rollers you can buy:

• Best paint roller overall: Wooster Brush Company R017 Sherlock GT Roller
• Best ceiling paint roller: HomeRight PaintStick EZ-Twist Paint Roller Applicator
• Best narrow paint roller: Wooster Brush Company 3-inch Roller
• Best power paint roller: Wagner Smart SideKick Power Roller

The best shovels you can buy for gardening

While a shovel is undeniably not a sexy or exciting purchase, this utilitarian workhorse belongs in the tool shed of every gardener, whether that garden is a few potted plants or an extensive vegetable garden. The only question is, which type of shovel or spade you need?

We researched and narrowed down to the best shovels and spades out there for a variety of uses. Here are the best we've found:

• Best shovel overall: Fiskars Long-Handle Round-Point Steel Digging Shovel
• Best short garden shovel: Bond Mini D-Handle Shovel
• Best garden spade: Fiskars D-Handle Garden Spade
• Best garden scoop: Ames D-Handle Aluminum Scoop
• Best garden trowel: Wilcox All Pro 14-Inch Trowel

The best gardening gloves you can buy

Gardening isn't for the faint of heart — pulling weeds, tilling the earth, and digging up roots is sweaty work, and it really does a number on your hands. To protect yourself from dirt, thorns, chemicals, and other irritants, you need a good pair of gardening gloves. Here are our recommendations for the best gardening gloves you can buy:

• Best overall: Atlas Showa NT370 Nitrle Gloves
• Best leather gloves: StoneBreaker Gardening Glove
• Best for comfort: Bionic Women's Relief Grip Gardening Gloves
• Best for rose gardening: Exemplary Gardens Rose Pruning Gloves
• Best for kids: Wells Lamont Kids Work Gloves with Safety Cuff
• Best for hand digging: Garden Genie Gloves
• Best for a snug fit: Foxglove Original Gloves

• Delta announced new benefits in its Main Cabin — or economy cabin — on international flights starting in November.
• The benefits include mix-and-match meal options, welcome cocktails, and hot towel service early in the flight.
• The new amenities help Delta distinguish its economy cabin experience, a difficult area for airlines to differentiate themselves from rivals.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The next time you take a long flight with Delta, you might notice a handful of new amenities to help you get comfortable for the trip.

Delta announced this morning that its revamping its main cabin, or economy, service on its long-haul international flights.

Starting in November, passengers in the economy cabin can look forward to a complimentary "welcome" cocktail  immediately after take-off — before the first full drink service — and hot towel service shortly after take-off.

According to Delta, the welcome cocktail will be a Bellini — sparkling wine mixed with peach puree — to start, but more options may become available after the service is implemented.

Additionally, Delta will offer enhancements to the main meal service (on international flights, usually lunch or dinner). New features will include the option to mix-and-match appetizers, and larger entrees.

Currently, meals are pre-plated on service trays with a set appetizer and dessert paired to each entree, so if you want an appetizer from one meal option, but the entree from another, you can't make that choice.

"This is about investing in every single customer who chooses Delta, no matter where they sit on the plane," said Delta senior vice president Allison Ausband in a press release. "The thoughtful touches we're investing in throughout the new Main Cabin experience were designed by flight attendants with one goal in mind — delivering an exceptional experience that our customers will rave about and one that our team, the best in the business, is proud to deliver."

Read more:American Airlines is suspending its first route because of the 737 Max grounding

Economy class presents a challenge for airlines seeking to distinguish themselves from rivals. Although profit margins per passenger are smaller than in premium cabins like business class, the vast majority of an airline's customers fly in economy. Plus, due to the economics of commercial air travel, relatively high-density seating in economy cabins is unavoidable, making it difficult to distinguish one airline's seat product from another.

Despite those low profit margins, airlines want to engender good will and loyalty among passengers, who may continue to fly the airline, or use the airline's co-branded credit cards, generating more revenue.

The "soft product," or service, meals, and amenities, therefore offers airlines the best opportunity to impress economy passengers.

As it continues to compete with other airlines for both premium and economy cabin passengers, Delta has made several service tweaks over the past few years in an effort to set itself apart. In economy, the airline offers complimentary spirits and sparkling wine on international flights, amenity kits with items like ear plugs, a sleep mask, toothbrush, and moist towelette, seat-back in-flight entertainment screens across its entire long-haul fleet, free mobile messaging over Wi-Fi, and has announced its intention to eventually offer free Wi-Fi browsing.

The new service will be provided on international flights scheduled for 6 1/2 hours or longer, and on shorter non-regional international flights — that generally excludes international flights within North and Central America.

SEE ALSO: United Airlines put an underage passenger on a plane to the wrong country, prompting a panicked mother to beg the airline to keep the plane from taking off

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: A professional drifter explains the physics behind drifting

• You can now return eligible Amazon items, without a box or label, at a Kohl's location near you.
• There are more than 1,150 Kohl's stores nationwide, so it should be easy for you to find one and drop off your Amazon return the next time you're driving around town. 
• Kohl's is hoping that once you're inside a store, you'll stick around to shop its wide, low-priced selection of products. 

As much as we appreciate being able to return the things we bought on Amazon that didn't turn out as expected, sometimes the whole process — printing out the shipping label and paying for shipping, locating a box to put the item in, and coordinating a pickup or drop-off — is just inconvenient enough to make us put off the return for weeks. 

If you live near a Kohl's, which has more than 1,150 stores in the contiguous US, returning those Amazon purchases will soon become a lot easier. 

You can now return eligible Amazon items, without a box or label, at a Kohl's location near you.

The program expands on a 2017 pilot partnership that made these returns available at 100 Kohl's stores in the Los Angeles, Chicago, and Milwaukee areas. 

Instead of taking the time out of your busy schedule to check off every step in the return process, you can simply go to your nearby Kohl's to let an associate package and send off your returned items for free. They'll do it for you regardless of the return season and whether the items are packaged or unpackaged. 

To coordinate this return, start at Amazon's online Return Center so you can designate a dropoff at a Kohl's location of your choice. Amazon will email you a QR code, which you'll show to the Kohl's associate. They'll take care of the rest of the return process for you. According to the Kohl's website, they will pack, label, and ship your return for free. 

So, what's in it for Kohl's? 

Once you're in the store, Kohl's is hoping you'll linger and do some shopping while you're there anyway. You can immediately replace the item you just returned, or shop Amazon devices in-store, a product relationship that started in March 2019.

When a Business Insider reporter tried out the Kohl's return service back in 2017, she immediately received a 25% off coupon, valid in-store for seven days — not a bad deal to entice someone to stick around.

Kohl's is betting that shoppers will notice and appreciate the shared values that first attracted them to Amazon, like competitive prices and perk-filled loyalty and rewards programs. In the end, coordinating Amazon returns is a low cost way for Kohl's to acquire and retain customers. 

Find a Kohl's store near you here

Find online Kohl's coupons and shop everything at Kohl's here

Shop everything at Amazon here

Join the conversation about this story »

• I sampled BMW's revived roadster, a 2019 Z4 sDrive30i that has been outfitted with a bunch of M-Sport performance extras.
• The BMW Z4 has always been a very sporty two-door, and the new model is no exception.
• I did like the car in the 30i trim, with its 255-horsepower four-cylinder engine. But even that is a lot of oomph for a roadster.
• BMW builds the Z4 so well that you're getting your money's worth, but you could spend tens of thousands of dollars less and get an equally fun set of wheels.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The world needs roadsters. That's my belief, anyway. And fortunately, there are several automakers who share my view.

BMW has been in the modern roadster game since the 1990s, but its lineup briefly lacked a two-seat drop-top since the 2016 model year. That gap was filled in 2018 when an all-new Z4 was revealed (it's a collaboration with Toyota, which sells the car as a Supra).

I'm old enough to remember the arrival of the stylish Z3 back when Bill Clinton was president; that car was meant to rival the Mazda Miata by being a burlier, more sporty front-engine, rear-wheel drive two-seater with a ragtop. The Z3's lineage lives on in the new Z4, which is yet again matching up against the Miata. And yet again bringing more horsepower to the open-air party.

I generally don't like a whole lot of HPs in a roadster, which I think of as a car meant to zip around winding roads at 40mph. The Z4 is a helluva lot more car than that. It intends to eat winding roads for breakfast.

How did I feel about getting behind the wheel of that menacing proposition? I felt pretty good — BMW let me borrow a Z4 sDrive30i that had been outfitted with a whole mess of M-Sport high-performance extras. This was the roadster turned up to 11.

It was also — Gulp! — a $64,000 car. That's rich for a roadster.

Too rich? Read on to find out.

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The 2019 BMW Z4 sDrive30i arrived at our suburban New Jersey test center wearing a fetching "San Francisco Red Metallic" paint job. The as-tested price was $64,000, with thousands of dollars in extras adding to the $50,000 MSRP.

The Z-Series roadsters date to the late 1980s for the Bavarian automaker, but the model that really defined the two-seater for BMW was the original Z3 of 1996.

A major — and welcome — change for the sixth-generation Z-Series was the replacement of the retractable hardtop with a soft-top.

Yes, this eliminates the Z4's chances to do double-duty as a coupé, but honestly I prefer a proper ragtop on a roadster.

Plus, I just think the soft top looks right.

It also retracts very quickly, activated by a switch between the seats. The top stows in about five seconds — and takes up essentially no space in the trunk.

There's a removable windscreen between the protective roll bars.

The BMW Z4 is sharp and aggressive, a far cry from the retro Z3 of the mid-1990s, with its throwback, almost steampunk allure ...

... see what I mean?

While I rather like the overall shape of the Z4, with that long hood and scrunched rear, the headlights are a bit much.

They're larger and complicated.

And on my tester, they were LEDs. I can't argue with them at night, but I'd prefer something more low-key.

The BMW kidney grille is a presence up front. but it's blacked out and stretched, so it sort of loses its kidney-ness.

The Bavarian-flag badge hasn't changed, however.

The side vents evoke that beloved Z3 of the Clinton years.

My Z4 came with a few BMW M-Sport high-performance goodies, including M-Sport brakes, part of a $2,450 "Track Handling" package. The 19-inch wheels were an extra $600.

The Z4's rear is something of an optical illusion. In profile, it's out-of-proportion with the front, even with the decklid spoiler adding a flourish. Viewed directly, it's svelte, well-designed, and a credit to the car.

The tail lights, also LEDs, are better than the headlights.

But I don't care for the scoop coming off the fender flanks.

Somehow, that simple black-blue-white propeller (it isn't, but whatever, still looks like one) redeems everything.

The seat-back roll bars are a valuable safety feature, in the unlikely event that the Z4 encounters physics that overcome its low center of gravity.

Time to take a peek beneath the hood.

The 2.0-liter, twin-turbo four-cylinder in our sDrive30i trim level makes 255 horsepower and an impressive 295 pound-feet of torque. That grunt from the small motor had us fooled that we might be driving the 3.0-liter inline six that's also in the lineup. It makes 382 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. The 0-60 mph time in the sDrive30i is about five seconds, and that's plenty quick for this type of car. Fuel economy is appealing: 25 mpg city/32 highway/28 combined.

If you've ever owned a roadster, you know that truck space is hard to come by.

But the Z4's is surprisingly generous. Roughly 10 cubic feet.

Now let's slip inside.

Two seats — good! The interior is black and "Ivory White Vernasca Leather." I have to say, with the Frisco Red exterior and this creamy interior, we're getting far afield of old-school roadster simplicity.

The seats are derived from competition designs and are an M-Sport special. They're superb, but I wouldn't call them forgiving.

Storage is extremely limited in the cabin.

But the back wall between the cabin and trunk is an ideal place to locate some speakers for the excellent Harman Kardon surround-sound system, part of a $2,500 "Executive Package."

If you're the driver, you can set the heated seat nice and low and engage in some terrifically spirited motoring.

The instrument cluster is all digital and quasi-analog. It evokes the familiar BMW cluster of yore, but updates them to display speed and tachometric data on opposing curves.

The leather-wrapped, multi-function wheel has one of the few M-Sport shout-outs.

The eight-speed transmission sends power to the rear wheels through an M-Sport differential. The joystick is standard-issue bimmer these days, but a bit more techno than what I'd like in a roadster (what I'd like is a six-speed stick). There are also paddles behind the steering wheel, for kinda sorta manual shifting. Buttons enable selection of the drive modes: three Sport modes, Comfort, Eco, and Adaptive. The last one learns your driving style and adjusts accordingly.

The 10.25-inch infotainment screen runs BMW's much-improved iDrive system, with Apple CarPlay as a backup option. Navigation with this setup is excellent.

There's a one-year SiriusXM satellite radio subscription. Bluetooth pairing is straightforward, as there are USB and AUX ports for device connection.

iDrive also includes a suite of apps.

So what's the verdict?

The BMW z4 sDrive30i is a smashing set of wheels, especially with the addition of the various M-Sport features. Acceleration is gutsy, and the balance of the car, while not perfect, is pretty close. With robust horsepower and lots of torque on tap, you'll be tempted to subdue corners rather than finesse them.

If you do, the taut suspension, grabby tires, wonderful brakes, and crisp steering, along with the quick-shifting eight-speed, should fill you with confidence. Straight-line velocity is also nothing to scoff at. This Z4 has a bit of the drag racer hiding under the hood, even with the four banger (the six-cylinder can make that run in a hair under four seconds).

The engine isn't a burbling or backfiring menace, but it can get its soundtrack on, if it's in Sport Plus and you're pushing it in manual mode.

Ragtops have long been knocked by enthusiasts for inadequate stiffness (chopping the roof off with do that), but in my experience, the Z4 was plenty firm — at times too much so, according to my passengers. A retractable hardtop would appease the purists somewhat, but I preferred the quick-collapse soft-top.

That's the good stuff. Now the bad. The Z4's natural rivals have always been the Porsche Boxster and the Mazda Miata. With the Boxster, you can spend about what the Z4 costs — or much, much more. From my point of view, the driving dynamics are far different, as the Boxster is a mid-engine sports car, while the Z4 has its motor up front where it belongs.

The Miata, meanwhile, is a relative bargain at $25-$30,000, but its no-turbo four makes just 181 horsepower.

(And for what it's worth, the BMW Z4 shares its underpinnings with the new Toyota Supra — the automakers partnered on development. The Supra is also priced in the Z4's ballpark.)

Anyone who has followed my car reviewing knows that I'm a Miata nut — and a former Miata owner (I had a first-gen car). To me, a roadster should be a low-powered sports car that's all about peppy top-down motoring, not ripping up asphalt.

In that sense, the Z4 is too much machine. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it; I did indeed. But it's a muscle roadster, and all I sampled was the four-cylinder; the six is definitely a big boy and candidly I'd struggle to get into all the horsepower on public roads.

So if I were buying, and all the Miatas had already been bought, I'd take the Z4 30i. With 255 horsepower, this car is about at the limit of what I'm seeking in a snappy little ragtop. It's also a very well-crafted set of wheels. BMW doesn't disappoint with this package.

Obviously, not the most versatile car in the world, but there are times when versatility is the enemy. And for those times, the BMW Z4 is your chariot.

AND DON'T LEAVE JUST YET BECAUSE ...

The BMW Z4 was the last car that departing Business Insider Transportation Correspondent Ben Zhang drove. (He liked it!)

Since 2014, Ben and I have worked together as closely as I ever have with anyone in journalism. Now he's moving on, to try his hand at corporate communications in the auto industry.

The five years I drove hundred of cars with Ben have been among the most rewarding of my entire, three-decade career. We agreed and disagreed, discussed and debated, and along the way we created Business Insider's annual Car of the Year Award, now headed into its sixth edition for 2019.

Ben knows more about cars (and airplanes) than anyone I've ever met, and I've met a lot of people who know a lot about cars. He put his knowledge to good use, helping Business Insider to greatly expand its coverage of the transportation world.

He also got behind the wheel of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches and a host of other posh and exotic machines. That kind of experience can warp minds, but Ben was always the model of a professional enthusiast. If you were on the lookout for an admirable example of the car-writer calling, Ben was (and is) most assuredly it.

Almost every Saturday or Sunday, we'd meet in my driveway to compare notes on our test car (and sometimes cars) for that week. I love few things more than to talk about cars in my driveway, so I came to look forward to these sessions, and over the years Ben became almost a member of my family.

I'm proud of the man, who took a risk when he came to Business Insider with the idea that he might have a few things to say about automobiles and airplanes. A good car guy is hard to find. But Ben is one on the best.

Good luck in the new gig, my friend! They might not yet know how lucky they are to have you.

We rounded up the eight best sales and deals happening online today, with savings on Nike, Adidas, home and patio goods at Target, and 4K Ultra HD Smart TVs at Best Buy. For even more deals and savings across the web, check out Business Insider Coupons. 

1. Save up to 40% on sale styles at Nike

Nike just added a ton of new items to its sale, so you can save up to 40% on sale styles including sneakers, performance workout gear, casual clothes, backpacks, socks, jerseys, and much more. The sale includes clothes and shoes for men, women, and kids. Visit Business Insider Coupons for more deals and savings at Nike. 

Shop the Nike sale now. 

3. Save 15% sitewide at Framebridge as a new customer

In addition to offering customizable framing options for your prints and original paintings, Framebrige will turn your favorite digital images and smartphone pictures into beautifully framed artwork that's suitable for display. Simply pick a frame, upload or send in your image, and Framebridge will it back ready to be shown off. For a limited time, new customers can save 15% sitewide by using the promo code "INSIDER15" at checkout. 

Shop the Framebridge sale now. 

4. Save $130 on a 43-inch Sharp 4K Ultra HDTV at Best Buy

The Sharp 43-inch 4K Ultra HDTV is a wonderful addition to any living room, family room, or bedroom. It has a rich 4K display, a built-in Roku HDR streamer for recording and watching your favorite shows, and access to all of your favorite streaming services like Hulu, Netflix, and HBO Now. Today only, you can save $130 on the TV when shopping at Best Buy. You can have it delivered to your home or you can pick it up in-store. For more deals and savings at Best Buy, visit Business Insider Coupons here.

Sharp 43-inch 4K Ultra HDTV with Roku TV, $199.99 (Originally $329.99) [You save $130]

5. Save 20% on all design packages at Modsy

If you don't have an exceptionally great eye for interior design, revamping your home is made easy with design packages from Modsy. The startup allows you to see what furniture will look like in your space before you buy it via 3D models and shopping lists created by interior decorators. Now through July 7, you can save 20% on all design packages by using the promo code "HOORAY" at checkout. Insider Picks reporter Mara Leighton made the most of her small New York City apartment using Modsy.

Shop the Modsy sale now. 

6. Save 30% sitewide at Adidas

Adidas is having a rare sale where most of its shoe and clothing styles across the site are on sale. Until tonight at 11:59 p.m., you can save 30% sitewide by using the promo code "SAVE30" at checkout. While select items are excluded from the sale, there are plenty of great styles for running, basketball, lifestyle, and more that are eligible.

Shop the Adidas sale now. 

7.Get a four-month Amazon Music Unlimited subscription for only $1

Amazon Music Unlimited is a paid music-streaming service that has steadily grown into a worthy Spotify and Apple Music competitor. While most music-streaming services charge $9.99 per month for unlimited listening, Amazon Music Unlimited is priced at $7.99. Now, Prime members can try service the with an exclusive fourth-month subscription for only $0.99. Learn more about Amazon Music and Amazon Music Unlimited. 

Try Amazon Music Unlimited for four months for $1 now.

8. Save 20% and get two free pillows at Bear Mattress

This Independence Day, Bear Mattress is having a great sale on mattress and other bedroom essentials. For a limited time, you can save 20% and get two free pillows by using the promo code "JULY20" at checkout. While many other mattress companies are also having sales, Bear's design is definitely unique: The mattresses feature Celliant, a material that converts heat from the body into infrared energy that's been proven to help rebuild cells and make you feel more rested in the morning.

Shop the Bear Mattress sale now. 

Join the conversation about this story »

• I signed up for a $39 monthly subscription to GEM, a women's daily multivitamin, about four months ago. In that time, it's become a can't-live-without part of my morning routine. 
• What sets GEM apart is that its vitamins come from whole food sources, like mushrooms and algae, which some doctors and nutritionists say are better assimilated into the body than encapsulated powders.
• The daily serving isn't a pill or capsule at all — it's actually like a soft, chewy, smushed block of food. 
• Besides being good for your body, GEM's ingredients are ethically sourced from green suppliers and the company uses eco-friendly packaging to reduce its environmental footprint. 

To be honest, I first landed on GEM's website because I thought the product had something to do with gemstone, and there are few things I love more in life than an energy-clearing crystal.

What I discovered ended up being even better though — a women's daily multivitamin made from real, whole foods and backed by nutritionists.

The copy on GEM's site that immediately grabbed my attention was, "Your body naturally metabolizes and effectively absorbs nutrients from real food." I'd heard the same from doctors and nutritionists before who'd warned me against taking too many vitamins and supplements actually. It's better to get your necessary vitamins and minerals from a diet rich in whole foods like fresh fruits and veggies than encapsulated powder pills.  

That's what truly sets GEM apart from the many, many, many vitamins I've tried in the past. The daily serving isn't a pill or capsule at all — it's actually like a soft, chewy, smushed block of food. The blend contains the same nutrients you'd expect from a daily multivitamin (vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and more), but the nutrients come from whole food sources. For example, GEM's vitamin D is from mushrooms, and the iron is from blue algae.

"Whole foods contain a synergistic blend of micro and macronutrients that work together, compared to any isolated nutrient from a lab," Colleen Baxter, a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, Functional Medicine Health Coach, and founder of Vessel & Soul, tells Business Insider. "It's challenging, if not impossible, to get all we need from our food these days. High-quality nutritional supplements can make it easier on the body, particularly compromised digestive systems, by encapsulating a high potency of one, or several, bioavailable nutrients that we're needing to balance or heal." 

While Baxter says GEM isn't a replacement for a healthy diet (you still need to eat your vegetables), she says the innovative brand may be one worth incorporating into your daily routine. "The pills don't have synthetic fillers or binders, nor are they capsules or tablets to swallow," she says. "And they're derived from whole foods, which can contain a host of other beneficial constituents."

So, are all vitamins derived from foods?

Actually, they're not, and there aren't many FDA regulations in place to monitor the vitamin and supplement industry either. That's exactly what prompted founder Sarah Cullen to launch GEM in the first place.  

In 2017, Cullen turned to vitamins to fill in the gaps in her diet and support her personal health journey. "I was shocked when I found an unregulated $37B industry full of artificial, synthetic, overly processed, mislabeled junk," she tells Business Insider. For example, the vitamin D in supplements often comes from lanolin, a substance derived from sheep's wool.  

"I couldn't find anything I trusted, so I decided to build my own," Cullen explains. After meeting and collaborating with experts in the field, she landed on the concept of "redefining the entire notion of the vitamin," says the founder. "GEM is made with 13 nutrient-dense ingredients you can read on the label — without all the fluff and junk. It's designed to give you the nutrients your body needs the most, with nothing that it doesn't, based on women's common deficiencies and issues." 

A big one is vitamin D. "This super-hormone is involved in so many vital needs including mental and emotional health, a happy gut, and a strong immune system," Baxter says. GEM sources its vitamin D from mushrooms (not sheep's wool, thankfully), so that the body can better absorb and process it.

"B vitamins are important for metabolism, mental and emotional balance and energy, cellular health, and DNA repair," Baxter adds, and GEM has them in spades thanks to spirulina and chlorella, two different forms of algae. She says that many women can also be deficient in magnesium, which can lead to anxiety, muscle tension, and issues with digestion and blood sugar. That's why the nutrient features heavily in GEM's ingredient list, care of sea minerals.

Also inside are omega-3s from pumpkin and chia seeds, iron and antioxidants from algae, stress-reducing adaptogens like ashwagandha, and plant-derived vitamin K2 for healthy skin and bones. 

Since starting my monthly $39 GEM subscription, I've been able to eliminate quite a few other pills and powders from my diet. One daily GEM chewable gives me energy (care of B vitamins), balances my hormones and mood (thanks to omega-3s, magnesium, and vitamin D), and even helps my skin (that'll be the K2 and astaxanthin, a type of algae packed with antioxidants). 

You may have noticed a lot of algae in the ingredient breakdown, but according to Cullen, that's all by design.

"The UN andeven NASA endorsed algae as the healthiest food on the planet and we agree, which is why more than 30% of GEM is made up of algae," she says. Besides being good for you, algae is one of the most sustainable sources of vitamins and nutrients. "For instance, one gram of spirulina is equivalent to one kilogram of fruits and vegetables in nutrient density," Cullen explains. "Algae creates half of the earth's oxygen, and doesn't need a lot of space or pesticides to grow." In short, it's not only great for human health, it's great for the planet's health too.  

This focus on sustainability is a theme that GEM carries throughout all aspects of the business — which is another reason I'm so dedicated to this particular daily vitamin. The company boasts an ethical supply chain and works with mostly eco-friendly suppliers, and GEM's packaging is recyclable too. The brand is set to release a reusable tin and compostable packaging soon.

With all of that in mind — the whole foods, sustainable sourcing, eco-friendly packaging — GEM has become my go-to, can't-live-without vitamin in the past four months.

I love the feeling of biting into my morning vitamin as opposed to swallowing a capsule. Even though it's a little seed-y and definitely not the most delicious thing I've ever eaten, I really do feel like my body responds well to it. Plus, the monthly subscription makes it easy to stay on top of my health.

If you're interested in GEM Daily Vitamins for yourself, talk to your doctor or nutritionist first. I've found this to be a great addition to my regular diet and lifestyle, but since every body is different, it's important to get a personalized, professional recommendation.

One pro tip though — if you do subscribe to GEM, take one before you brush your teeth in the morning. The abundance of green and blue algae leaves the faintest hint of color behind. Though honestly, it's a small price to pay for a bioavailable, high-quality women's daily vitamin, right?

Shop the GEM Daily Vitamins starting at $39 here 

Join the conversation about this story »

• AmazonFresh is Amazon's grocery delivery service, which Prime members in select cities can add to their membership for $14.99 per month.
• Right now for Prime Day, you can save up to 40% on groceries when shopping AmazonFresh. Plus, new AmazonFresh customers can get $15 off their first order of $35 or more with the promo code "FRESH15" at checkout.
• You can start your 30-day trial here, or find a full AmazonFresh review here.
• Save time on Amazon Prime Day 2019 and check out our master list of the best deals to shop. We'll be updating it frequently.

If you've ever made the rookie mistake of picking up groceries on a weeknight in Manhattan, you're already familiar with lines of tired adults snaking through aisles, ransacked shelves, and a long walk back to an apartment under the weight of a week's worth of food.

Even if you're not living in a fifth-floor walk-up, the humdrum of looking for parking and ambling through temperature-controlled aisles under fluorescent light for an hour may be enough to make you consider getting groceries delivered to your doorstep.

That's exactly what you'll get from Amazon's grocery delivery service, AmazonFresh. It's like a digital grocery store — complete with fresh produce, perishables, favorites from your local stores, and Whole Foods 365 brand products — all of which you can have delivered to your doorstep. Prices are low, and orders over $35-$50 (depending on zip code) get free shipping.

AmazonFresh deals for Prime Day 2019

1. Right now for Prime Day 2019 (officially happening July 15-16), you can save up to 40% on groceries when shopping AmazonFresh.
2. New AmazonFresh customers can get $15 off their first order of $35 or more with the promo code "FRESH15" at checkout. The offer expires at 11:59 p.m. (PT) July 16, 2019.
3. Find all the early Prime Day deals you can take advantage of here.

Your AmazonFresh cheat sheet

• Who can use it: Prime members in eligible cities.
• What you can buy: groceries (including perishables and produce), everyday essentials, favorites from local shops and restaurants
• Cost of service: $14.99/month.
• Delivery fee: Orders under the local minimum ($35-$50) have a $9.99 shipping fee. Those that exceed the local minimum get free shipping automatically.
• Delivery options: Get groceries delivered to your doorstep/doorman or pick it up yourself. Pickup is available in select cities for free and without an order minimum.
  • Attended delivery: You choose a one-hour time slot when you'll be available to receive it in person, and your order will be delivered in paper bags rather than temperature-controlled totes.
  • Doorstep delivery: You choose a two-three hour time slot when Amazon can leave your items on your doorstep or with your doorman in temperature-controlled totes. Only choose this option if the delivery person can access the necessary parts of your building like the lobby.
  • Pickup (only available in select cities): Pick up your order from your chosen pickup location within the time slot you chose — for free and without an order minimum.

Read my full review of AmazonFresh for more information.

Sign up for your 30-day AmazonFresh trial here [new AmazonFresh customers can get $15 off their first order of $35 or more with the promo code "FRESH15" at checkout]

Read all our Amazon Prime Day 2019 coverage here, and bookmark our list of the best deals of Prime Day 2019 here.

Join the conversation about this story »

• A wealth tax would make ultra-wealthy Americans pay the federal government a small percentage of their net worth each year.
• Presidential candidates, tax experts, and billionaires alike have said the revenue from a wealth tax could be used to fight climate change and repair the country's infrastructure — if the IRS can find a way to enforce it.
• Despite popular support, a wealth tax bill would have to overcome opposition in both Houses of Congress, the White House, and the Supreme Court before becoming law.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Income inequality in America is a serious problem, and all indications say it's only getting worse.

Since 1989, the wealthiest 1% of Americans have added $21 trillion to their combined net worths, while the poorest 50% of Americans have seen their combined net worths drop $900 billion, an analysis of Fed data reported in New York Magazine found.

A federal wealth tax is one potential solution that has been touted by presidential candidates and hedge fund billionaires alike. And the idea has support among Americans: An INSIDER poll shows that more than half of Americans support Senator Elizabeth Warren's wealth tax proposal.

However, the revenue raised by the proposed wealth tax would likely be much lower than its advocates expect, former Department of Justice tax attorney James Mann, who is now a tax partner at law firm Greenspoon Marder, told Business Insider. 

What is a wealth tax?

Today, ultra-wealthy Americans pay taxes on things like superyachts and fine art when they purchase them — but not after. A wealth tax would change that, making them pay taxes on their wealth every year.

One of the most frequently cited proposals, Elizabeth Warren's "Ultra-Millionaire Tax," calls for a 2% annual tax on households with a net worth between $50 million and $1 billion and a 3% annual tax on households with a net worth over $1 billion.

The US has never had a wealth tax, but other countries have implemented them with mixed success. France introduced a wealth tax in 1988 that resulted in a massive capital flight, prompting President Emmanuel Macron to replace the wealth tax in 2017. The tax's repeal was unpopular and helped spark the country's yellow jacket protests, according to the Washington Post.

What would the benefits of a wealth tax in the US be?

Introducing a wealth tax is one of the few issues that a majority of Americans agree on.

An INSIDER poll from February shows that 54% of Americans support Warren's plan, while only 19% disapprove of it. Warren's wealth tax even has the support of some of the billionaires who would be paying it. That includes George Soros, Abigail Disney, and members of the Pritzker and Gund families, who signed an open letter on June 24 outlining their request. Real estate magnate Eli Broad had also separately spoken up in favor of a wealth tax.

Read more: A majority of Americans approve of Elizabeth Warren's new tax on the wealthy, according to a new poll

The June 24 letter was signed by 19 ultra-wealthy Americans who noted that the revenue raised by the tax could be used to fund environmental initiatives, fuel economic investment, and reduce the cost of health care. 

Elizabeth Warrenhas said that the wealth tax could generate $2.75 trillion in revenue in a decade. She claims that a wealth tax could also help limit growing economic inequality by funding programs that would benefit the poorest Americans, but doesn't say by how much it will reduce inequality — or how quickly.

What are the drawbacks?

The biggest problem with a wealth tax would be figuring out how to enforce it, Deutsche Bank Managing Director of Wealth Management Blanche Lark Christerson told Business Insider. It's easy for the IRS to figure how much to tax a billionaire's investment portfolios, Christerson said, but the value of other assets like yachts and fine art are up for interpretation.

Appraising is more of an art than a science, Christerson said, and the IRS would have to verify those appraisals. Neither Christerson nor Mann believes that the IRS is currently equipped to do that.

To make matters worse, ultra-wealthy Americans are so good at finding ways to reduce their tax bill that they would likely be able to find a way around any anti-evasion measures, Eric Hananel, a tax consultant at UHY Advisors focusing on high net worth individuals, said. Hananel also said that billionaires might be motivated to move their money outside the country to avoid the tax, hurting the economy in the process.  

Read more: The IRS pursues fewer cases of tax evasion than it did 10 years ago — and experts fear more people will get away with tax fraud

Mann, Christerson, and Hananel agree that it's unlikely that a wealth tax would raise as much revenue as its proponents hope, though they did not specify an alternate estimate as to how much it would actually raise. Mann, for his part, noted that it's impossible to estimate exactly how successful a wealth tax would be without more data.

"These are the people who obviously have access to the most sophisticated financial planners and lawyers and accountants," Mann said about the ultra-wealthy people who the wealth tax would target, "and I think it's naive to think that they wouldn't plan to minimize their wealth tax burden."

"It's just when you look at the practical application of how would this really work, it's hard to imagine that it would work successfully," Christerson said.

How would a wealth tax change my taxes?

Warren estimates that her "Ultra-Millionaire Tax" would only affect the wealthiest 75,000 households in the US. For those families, even figuring out how much they owe will be a massive headache, according to Christerson.

Multi-millionaires and billionaires would need to enlist the help of appraisers to put a price on hard-to-value assets like yachts and jewelry, and then file separate documents with the IRS to pay the tax on them. The whole process would be independent of the current income tax system and likely run on a different schedule, Mann said.

"It would really be like filing an annual estate tax return," Christerson said. 

This could pose a problem for Americans who have inherited most of their wealth. Many heirs and heiress inherit their fortunes in the form of real estate and fine art, not liquid assets like cash or stocks, according to Christerson. A new tax bill could force them to liquidate.

Little would change in the tax bills for Americans who fall in or below the middle class, Christerson said.

When could we see a wealth tax?

A "pretty seismic change in the political landscape" would be required to add a wealth tax to the tax code, Christerson said. Progressive Democrats would have to gain control of both Houses of Congress and the White House. The constitutionality of such a tax would likely end up debated in front of the Supreme Court as well, according to Mann. 

Alongside her proposal, Warren released a letter from professors at leading law schools arguing that a wealth tax is constitutional based on a clause in Article I Section 8 of the Constitution that allows the federal government to "collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises" as long as they are "uniform throughout the United States." However, Article I Section 9 prohibits a "capitation, or other direct tax ... unless in proportion to the census or enumeration herein before directed to be taken."

Constitutional scholars disagree about which clause a wealth tax would fall under, Mann said. To Mann, Warren's plan has one major fault: The letter fails to mention the Supreme Court's most recent discussion of which taxes are constitutional.

"They talk a lot about Supreme Court cases from 100 years ago. They don't talk about the most recent one," Mann said, referencing the 2012 case that briefly upheld Obamacare by classifying it as a tax. However, that decision still doesn't define how the Supreme Court decides whether or not a tax is constitutional. 

Ultimately, Mann and Christerson agree: The chances of a wealth tax before 2025 are essentially zero.

SEE ALSO: Meet the 18 ultra-wealthy Americans begging for a wealth tax, from a Facebook cofounder to a Disney heiress

DON'T MISS: A billionaire who built 2 Fortune 500 companies just joined the chorus of ultra-wealthy Americans begging to be taxed more

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How $100,000 custom pool tables are made for celebrities like Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift

• The Cosabella Never Say Never Curvy Sweetie Bralette ($65.50) is the only bralette I've reviewed that suits my petite, large-chested frame. 
• It's comfortable and relatively supportive, especially considering the lightweight lace material it's made of and the pullover, hook-free design. 
• Available in 25 colors and six sizes, there are a ton of options built for just about any wardrobe. 

Like most people, I'm rife with insecurity about different aspects of my body, personality, and so on. But the biggest acceptance battle I've had to fight throughout my life has to do with my chest. It's relatively substantial while the rest of me is … not.

I'm 4-foot-11, but I wear a 30G bra.

I've never loved having a large chest, but the feeling was especially acute when I'd spot those flimsy little bralettes with triangle cups fanned out in a rainbow of colors by the register at every mall store from Free People to Aerie. Every time I'd cave and take one of them into the dressing room, only to end up very nearly in tears.

Over the years I've tried several promising undergarments billed as bralettes for busty people. Still, something was usually off about them. The cups would cut into me at weird angles, creating visible lumps beneath certain tops, or the closures would more closely resemble an actual bra, making the bra less suitable to pair with backless tops or dresses with spaghetti straps. But then I came across the Cosabella Never Say Never Curvy Sweetie Bralette.

This is a real bralette, with no hooks or wires and an easy pull-on silhouette, only it's designed specifically for bodies built like mine (i.e. small rib cage,large cup size). Unlike similar styles made for smaller chests, the Cosabella bralette has adjustable straps, which are helpful for me and my short shoulder span. Mesh lining, an elegant sweetheart neckline, and hidden elastic around the band and the tops of the cups subtly shape your chest and provide the added support those of us with larger chests need.

Read more: The best bralettes for a large bust

I own the bralette in black (goes with everything!), but there are 24 other colors available, ranging from Pink Lily to Tourmaline. The sizes currently run from petite to extra-large; Cosabella's size chart says the extra large is meant for 38-40 G-H busts.

Of course, this bra doesn't work under every kind of top or dress. Some of my clothing items are better served by the more pronounced lift and structure provided by an underwire bra, even if it's less cozy. But the Cosabella bralette has been a true game changer in my wardrobe. It's comfy enough to wear while lounging around at home and looks pretty underneath a light, airy top on a hot summer day.

Despite the minor drawbacks, the Never Say Never Curvy Sweetie Bralette is worth the $65.50 price tag. It's cozy and sexy, but also much more supportive and attractive under clothing than similar styles I've tried.

Pros: Supportive, adjustable straps, elastic band, wireless

Cons: Expensive, size range could be expanded

Buy the Never Say Never Curvy Sweetie Bralette for $65.50 at Cosabella

SEE ALSO: The best bras you can buy

DON'T MISS: Spanx has become synonymous with shapewear, but its bras are the company's hidden gems — here's why we love them

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