The Daily Money: No more free seats at Starbucks

Good morning! It’s Daniel de Visé with your Daily Money, vanishing consumer perks edition.

See if you can spot the retail trend here.

Planning to pop into Starbucks to meet a friend, use the restroom, or surf the Internet? Better order a latte or cold brew before you do.

Nearly seven years ago, the world's biggest coffee chain began allowing non-paying guests to use its facilities. In a 180-degree turn Monday, Starbucks announced it is reversing its open-door policy in company-owned North American stores. People who enter a Starbucks must now, you know, order something.

Buy before you try

In other consumer news, Amazon is no longer giving customers the option to “try before you buy.”

The retail giant is dropping the service, which allowed Amazon’s Prime members to try on select clothing items, shoes and accessories at home before making a purchase.

Price gouging in L.A.

With tens of thousands of homes destroyed by fire and many communities completely inaccessible, housing is rapidly becoming one of the most critical issues facing residents of greater Los Angeles, Andrea Riquier reports.

In the aftermath of the fires, "What we see is some people taking this as an opportunity to make additional money," said Natalie Maxwell, managing attorney at the National Housing Law Project (NHLP).

So, it’s important that people renting a home or trying to find a place to live know their rights. It is absolutely illegal to gouge housing prices in the aftermath of a disaster, full stop. Here’s what that means, and what California residents need to know.

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About The Daily Money

Each weekday, The Daily Money delivers the best consumer and financial news from USA TODAY, breaking down complex events, providing the TLDR version and explaining how everything from Fed rate changes to bankruptcies impacts you.

Daniel de Visé covers personal finance for USA Today.