There’s a theory holding that when gas prices are high, consumers wind up paying higher prices for cars—especially vehicles with good gas mileage. Well, gas prices are rising, and sure enough, the numbers show that we’ve been …
Odd Spending
Domino’s Latest Stunt: $50 Foie Gras & Snow Crab Pizzas
In the U.S. pizza is casual, feet-on-the-coffee-table grub, but Japanese diners are dropping $50 on pies from Domino’s, following a big marketing push by the American pizza chain to rebrand the collegiate staple as haute holiday fare. For fifty bucks, diners aren’t just getting a plain — or even pepperoni — pie: They’re getting pizza …
Think Twice Before Putting a Pet Bunny in the Easter Basket This Weekend
Wouldn’t your kids love it if the Easter Bunny brought them a real live bunny this Sunday? While the idea of giving a rabbit on Easter sounds adorable, a nonprofit pet rescue organization is trying to talk parents out of it. Why? …
How’d You Like to Buy an Entire Town? Bidding Starts This Week at $100K
In the real estate world right now, it’s clearly a buyer’s market. Years of foreclosures and price drops have brought about a sharp rise in investment and vacation home sales, while the market also presents buyers with ample …
The War Against Couponers: Double Coupons Going Way of the Dinosaur
As of April 1, yet another major supermarket chain has put an end to double coupons, in which a store matches a manufacturer coupon, doubling the discount. The move comes amid a larger strategic war against “extreme couponing” …
10 Fun, Weird, Sometimes Disturbing Factoids About the $640 Million Mega Millions Lottery
Tonight at 11:00 p.m. E.T., the winning numbers of a record-breaking $640 million lottery will be announced. The monster jackpot is causing a frenzy across the U.S., with players waiting up to three hours to buy tickets at “hot” stores and math nerds debating whether it’s worth it to buy a ticket. The media circus over Mega Millions even …
Backlash to the ‘Pink Slime’ Backlash
Who in the world would ever want “pink slime” in their hamburger? Before answering, take note that the slime is officially referred to as “lean finely textured beef,” or LFTB, that it’s 95% lean, on average — and that without …
Maybe Shoppers Don’t Want ‘Fair and Square’ Prices After All
At some level, all shoppers know that a game is being played in every aisle of every store. Original prices, weekly promotions, clearance racks, coupons, Black Friday, blue-light specials, flash sales, oddly specific prices …
How to Get a Photo with Newt Gingrich for Free
This week, the increasingly desperate-looking presidential candidate Newt Gingrich began charging $50 a pop to anyone wishing to have a photograph taken with him. Starting on Monday in Delaware, supporters who wanted to pose with …
Game Changers: 5 New ‘Next Big Things’
Imagine if you could pay for parking with a few taps of your phone, and that you’d never have to pay for more time than you used. Imagine if, after you’re done eating a bag of chips or drinking a carton of juice, you could scarf …
When New Cars Are Cheaper Than Used Cars
Sometimes, thanks to a combination of soaring used car values and special dealership and automaker incentives, the stars align and a fluky thing happens: Buying a new car is cheaper than a used version of the same model. It’s …
Movie-Theater Owner Tries to Justify $4 Fountain Sodas
It’s been estimated that movie theaters make an 85% profit at the concessions stand on overpriced soda, candy, nachos, hot dogs and, of course, popcorn. Movie-theater popcorn has been called one of America’s biggest rip-offs, …
