Amazon is already duking it out with Wal-Mart and Target in the competition for new book sales, and now Sears is getting in on the action in a big way with its “Keep America Reading” promotion.
Mattel is spending millions to promote the new “Fashionista” Barbie at the same time competitors like Bratz and Liv dolls are turning up the pressure in the battle for doll dollars. The squabbles are getting nasty, and will probably grow more so as the winter holiday shopping season hits full throttle: “The Fashionista Barbies don’t even …
The upcoming winter holiday period is shaping up to be one of the most competitive, wildest shopping seasons ever. Stores started hosting Christmas displays way back in July, and toy store skirmishes are already well under way. And now, preeminent online retailer Amazon is fighting battles on several fronts.
Also, the $23 stove, the $2,200 automobile, the $43 water-purification system, and the $20 cell phone with 2¢-per-minute rates—all courtesy of India, where engineers and innovators are coming up with ingenious products that are within reach of the country’s poorest citizens.
Much like bottled water, plastic shopping bags are viewed as wasteful and bad for the earth. They’re natural (unnatural?) targets for environmentalists and tightwads alike. Starting on November 1, all Target stores in the country will begin giving customers a discount for every plastic bag they don’t use.
Banks have grown accustomed to reaping in big bucks off of overdraft fees—$35 or so assessed each time a customer uses a debit card when there’s not enough money in the account to cover the tab. This year, banks are expected to take in more than $38 billion (!) in such fees.
The Energy Department admits it doesn’t properly track how and when manufacturers put Energy Star labels on products. The labels’ ratings, which are supposed to indicate a product’s energy efficiency, were “not accurate or verifiable,” according to the agency. In other words, products that are supposed to save you money, and that are …
For some people who have tried to go cold turkey and stop making unnecessary purchases, being good is getting boring. They’re experiencing “frugal fatigue,” and many shoppers out there are bound to crack.
Economists say the only way you can get your finances in better shape is to save more and spend less. Economists also say that the way to get our national economy in better shape is to have people spend more—and therefore save less. So basically, right now, we should all be spending more and saving more. Right …
A town in the suburbs of Boston needs an overgrown meadow cleared. Rather than hiring a landscaping service to mow it, the town has “employed” some workers who will do the job only in exchange for food. A pilot program has half-a-dozen goats chomping away at the meadow.
Death is inevitable. Being buried in a nice cemetery plot—or any plot for that matter—is not.
Public libraries are obviously great: Books, DVDs, and more are there for the borrowing, free of charge. Now there are ways to get more out of the library without actually going to the library.
