Peter Zaleski, PhD
Professor of Economics | Villanova School of Business Villanova University
Social
Areas of Expertise
Biography
Education
University of Maryland
PhD
Temple University
MA
St. Joseph's University
BA
Affiliations
- Member, American Economic Association
- Member, National Association for Business Economics
Select Media Appearances
High Oil Prices Due to the Iran War Weigh on Everything From the Gas Pump to Consumer Goods
Associated Press
2026-04-30
Steep diesel prices are making it more expensive to haul everyday goods. Diesel is now at an average of nearly $5.50 a gallon, up from $3.76 before the war, AAA says... "Diesel's the one that you want to watch out for for prices of consumer goods," said Peter Zaleski, professor of economics at Villanova University.
"You Can Never Really Catch Up": The Iran War Is Exacerbating Already High Grocery Bills and It Will Only Get Worse if the War Continues, Experts Say
Fortune
2026-04-08
If the war does not last much longer, food prices may not go up, Peter Zaleski, an economics professor at Villanova University, told Fortune. While crop prices tend to be volatile, other foods may not change in the short term. "Even... at the retail level, firms are loath to raise prices," Zaleski said.
While Some Retailers Struggle, Discount Stores Like T.J. Maxx Are Beating Expectations
APM's Marketplace
2025-11-21
The off-price retailers are really strong right now... "They're providing high quality products at a less than normal retail price," said Peter Zaleski, an economist at Villanova University... "It's not a very highly cyclical company. So, in a boom, they may not see sales spike, but in a recession, they may actually pick up customers," Zaleski said.
Opinion: Don't Let Skill Game Tax Revenue Go the Way of Tavern Games
PennLive
2025-04-16
"Gov. Josh Shapiro's budget proposal to tax skill game revenue at 52% will fall well short of his estimated $8 billion projection over five years. How far short? To answer that question, one needs to look no further than Pennsylvania's experience with tavern games."
Why the Only Grocery Stores Growing in San Francisco Are the Most Expensive Ones
The San Francisco Standard
2025-03-22
The surge of high-end specialty markets isn't specific to San Francisco. According to economist Pete Zaleski, the grocery industry's split in two directions has pulled the rug out from under midsize standbys like Safeway and Whole Foods. "On one side, you got the value-seeking customer, and on the other side is what I'd call the 'new experience' customer," said Zaleski, a professor at Villanova University who studies markets, economic strategy and food prices.
McDonald's, Big Mac Prices and America's Big Beef Problem
Quartz
2024-10-28
Not everyone agrees that the overall price of beef has gone up all that much... The price of cuts like sirloin has remained relatively constant, noted Pete Zaleski, a professor of economics at Villanova University and an expert on food pricing. He argued that food prices are cyclical and that measuring from peak to peak gives a better sense of beef price inflation.
How Do Grocery Stores Make Money When Their Profit Margins Are So Low?
APM's Marketplace
2022-05-13
Overall, a grocery store's profit margins are roughly 1% to 3%, but those numbers don't tell the full story. There are other financial metrics to take into consideration, said Peter Zaleski, an economics professor at Villanova University.
Heat Wave: Four Things That Will Rise With the Temperatures
The Christian Science Monitor
2017-07-13
Malls are high on the list of places where people frequent for free air conditioning outside the home. So, it's not a surprise that retail sales jump during heat waves, especially on goods related to keeping cool... "When you see items like these picking up, it's a pretty safe bet they're affected by the weather," says Peter Zaleski, an economist at the Villanova School of Business in Pennsylvania.
Wheat Supplies Tight, Driving Grain Futures Up
TheStreet
2016-10-06
"What happened in wheat over the past few years is that Russian exports began to dominate the world market," says Peter Zaleski, an economics professor at the Villanova School of Business. "In response, U.S. stockpiles increased. That led U.S. farmers to cut back on their acres of wheat planted. With planting reduced, prices could go higher, but if Russia continues to supply the world, any upward pressure on prices due to the U.S. cutback will be tempered."
Consumers Are Seeking Irresistible Experiences at Shopping Malls
TheStreet
2016-04-15
Although shoppers are feeling the pinch of stagnant wages, they are still heading to the malls because people are "social beings and require human contact," said Peter Zaleski, an economics professor at Villanova School of Business. "Malls will recover, but those that flourish will be the ones that continually renovate and continue to offer a new or unique experience," he said.
What Food Price Increases to Watch Out for in Restaurants and Grocery Stores
TheStreet
2015-07-17
While the surge in cost of eggs has stabilized and pork has become cheaper, consumers should not expect a reprieve in the cost of beef... Restaurants have avoided increasing prices due to the egg shortage, which could be the result of watching how pork prices recovered quickly last year after a virus which infected hogs caused supply to shrink and pushed the price of pork up by 8% to 10% in 2014, said Peter Zaleski, an economics professor at Villanova Business School.
Big and Small Businesses May Give Up Reluctance to Start Hiring
The Philadelphia Inquirer
2010-11-05
In light of the GOP's gains, said Villanova University economics professor Peter Zaleski, manufacturing should continue what has been 15 straight months of expansion, largely because "what I would expect to see out of Washington would be a more business-friendly climate."
Select Academic Articles
The Effect of Leasing Versus Buying on Entry Deterrence
Managerial and Economic DecisionsWen Mao, Peter Zaleski
2011
Start-Ups and External Equity: The Role of Entrepreneurial Experience
Business EconomicsPeter Zaleski
2011
The American Economic Review at 100: A Summary of the Journal's Most Frequent Contributing Authors and Institutions
The American EconomistJean Heck, Peter Zaleski
2011
Leading Institutional Contributors to the Elite Economic Journals
Applied EconomicsJean Heck, Peter Zaleski, Scott Dressler
2009
