Ozempic Reshapes US Spending: Jewelry Up 36%, Pizza Down 22%

Spending on jeans rose 66% among Americans taking GLP-1 weight-loss medications, and jewelry spending climbed 36% — a figure nobody has convincingly explained. Those numbers come from a survey conducted earlier this year by PwC, which tracked how the drugs are rewiring household budgets across the United States.

An estimated 11% of American adults now take some form of GLP-1 to lose weight, five years after the Food and Drug Administration approved the medications for chronic weight management. Users can pay potentially hundreds of dollars each month for the drugs. The visible consequences — the protein-ification of everyday foods — are well documented. The quieter ones, from tailor shops to airline fuel bills, are only now surfacing.

Where is the money going instead?

The PwC survey found 26% of GLP-1 users spend more on clothing overall. After six to eight months on the medication, many adopt what the report calls a "treat yo self" mentality, shifting to higher-quality and more expensive brands. Swimwear spending rose 31%. Jewelry's 36% jump is harder to account for; the report offers no clear explanation.

Brooklyn's Alan David Custom, a fifth-generation bespoke suit-maker, is feeling the side effects in a different way. Owner Alan Horowitz told The Financial Times that customers who lose weight, then regain it after going off the medication, are straining the company's free lifetime alterations offer.

"The wild swings in weight . . . It's been a tailoring nightmare," Horowitz said.

Are gyms winners or losers?

The fitness picture splits both ways. PwC found 36% of GLP-1 users walk, run, cycle or swim more frequently, yet 14% of people currently on the medications attend group fitness classes less often, against 11% who attend more.

Doctors recommend strength training for GLP-1 patients to combat muscle and bone density loss during weight loss, and gyms are reconfiguring accordingly. The Financial Times reported that PureGym, Planet Fitness and The Gym Group have dedicated a greater share of floorspace to strength and functional training.

Could slimmer passengers save airlines millions?

Jefferies analyst Sheila Kahyaoglu calculated earlier this year that if the 178 passengers on a Boeing 737 each lost 10% of their body weight, the combined annual savings for American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines would reach roughly $580 million.

"It actually could move the needle, especially because oil is so high right now," Kahyaoglu told The Financial Times.

The catch: lighter passengers may travel more, but they buy fewer snacks and alcoholic drinks in flight — a revenue offset the same report flagged.

What happened to food spending?

Food shows the sharpest shifts. Household spending at quick-service restaurants fell nearly 9% after six to eight months on the medication, according to PwC. Pizza spending fell 22% in the same window.

Grocery carts are changing shape too. The survey found 61% of current users buy fewer sweet treats, while sales of sugary drinks and alcohol also decline. Shoppers still visit the stores, but 44% buy more fresh produce and 34% buy more fresh protein, favoring items like Greek yogurt, jerky and nutrition bars over packaged goods.

Saxon Moseley, head of leisure and hospitality at accounting firm RSM UK, framed the pattern for The Financial Times: "It's perhaps not a surprise that people who are willing to pay this much for their health through GLP-1s will also pay more for healthier and better options."

The spending discipline, however, appears tied to staying on the drugs. The report notes many users struggle to keep weight off after stopping, and tailors like Horowitz are already absorbing the cost of those rebound pounds. For retailers, airlines and restaurant chains, the durable question is whether GLP-1 economics hold once the prescriptions stop.