In retrospect, many fads look silly. But they’re typically harmless, and provide a little fun without costing much money. On the other hand, jumping on the bandwagon with certain recent trends—in particular, getting a tattoo or …
Odd Spending
Billions Wasted: Do Gift Cards Make Sense When So Many Go Unused?
Retailers and restaurants love gift cards—so much so that they load them with bonus cash in order to sell more cards. This makes total sense once you realize how often gift cards aren’t used at all, and how all those cards add …
5 Weirdest Hot-Selling Purchases of the 2011 Holiday Season
During the holidays, it’s expected that clothing, electronics, gift cards and, of course, toys will be hot sellers. But guns? I suppose many of them would fit nicely into a stocking. But still.
The Cure for the Ailing Movie Business Is To … Raise Ticket Prices?
Last year was a bad one for the movie business, with the fewest tickets sold since 1995 and revenues that dropped 4.5% from the previous year. Analysts foresee a better year ahead in 2012, and what is it that’s expected to turn …
Warning: Don’t Mix Alcohol and Online Shopping
Drunk dialing, drunk texts, drunk Facebooking … there are many things one shouldn’t do while drunk. Add online shopping to the list.
Meet the $16 Fast Food Burger
Wendy’s is on pace to replace Burger King as the No. 2 hamburger chain in the U.S., and it owes much of its success to new, more upscale menu offerings like thicker, rounder burgers, fries with sea salt and salad with asiago cheese. But that’s nothing compared to what the company is doing in Japan. It’s pulling out all the stops with a …
Top 10 Shopping Trends for the 2011 Holiday Season
Here’s a look back at the frantic holiday shopping season that’s just passed—and that, among other things, reached a high point for self-gifting, shoplifting, free shipping, and procrastination. Without further adieu, this …
Retro Sneakers Literally All the Rage: Air Jordan XI Concords Cause Fights, Sell for Nearly $1,000
Each holiday season, an especially hot, must-have gift emerges, often triggering behavior by desperate consumers that seems wacky and ugly at the time — and even more so in retrospect. (Example: Some guy made $6,000 selling Zhu Zhu pets on eBay last year.) This year, the behavior surrounding one hot item seems especially extreme — …
Final Holiday Shopping Marathon: Stores Stay Open 112 Hours in a Row Before Christmas
Kiss Mistletoe Goodbye? Poor Weather Blamed For Holiday Shortage
But we’re not going to let this stop our normal routine of awkward holiday kissing.
Scrooged: Walmart Managers Turn Down Layaway ‘Secret Santa’ Donor
After one anonymous woman in western Michigan generously paid for a stranger’s layaway purchases, reports of copycat good Samaritans have popped up around the country. But one would-be do-gooder in Houston was thwarted when she went to not one, but two local Walmarts with a request to donate $300 toward other people’s holiday gifts.
One-Quarter of Consumers Haven’t Even Started Holiday Shopping Yet
In a survey conducted this past weekend, 25% of consumers said they hadn’t yet bought a single present for the holidays. But they can’t blame retailers — many of which launched Christmas sales starting in September.
