In the travel business, the nickel-and-dime model rules. Fees are now tacked on to nearly every aspect of flying with a domestic airline, and hotels are on pace to collect record-high fees in 2012. Fees aren’t exactly new to the …
food
Got Milk? Increasingly, the Answer Is No
According to recently released U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics, U.S. milk sales came to about 6 billion gallons last year. Sounds like a lot, but it’s actually the lowest total since 1984. Why are we drinking less milk?
Chipotle’s Fuzzy Math: Why They Stopped Rounding Customers Out of Change
The next time you’re in Chipotle, check your receipt. That’s what one guy in New Jersey did, and he discovered that the fast-casual restaurant was rounding up to the nearest nickel — and it was costing him money.
Nothing to Hide: Why Restaurants Embrace the Open Kitchen
In the past, restaurant customers may have preferred food to magically appear out from behind closed doors, with no indication whatsoever about how the sausage is made—figuratively or literally. After years of hearing Big Food …
How to Beat Rising Food Prices: Be Smart About When You Buy
The severe drought in our nation’s breadbasket has a lot of people worried about rising food prices. That makes this a great time to know when to buy food — because knowing when to buy can save you a lot of money. Here are a …
The Latest in Gluttonous, All-You-Can-Consume Restaurant Deals
Consumers keen on getting their money’s worth at restaurants: You are in luck! Lately, national restaurant chains are overflowing with promotions that can make your meal “Endless” or “Never-ending.” There are not only …
Fast-Food Chains Want You to Eat More than the Usual Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
You’d think that McDonald’s, Taco Bell and other chains would be satisfied to draw in crowds who come during the normal meal hours and who order food and beverages that are normally enjoyed during those hours. Instead, in the …
4 New Ways Travelers Are Being Tempted Into Spending More
Travelers naturally get agitated when they’re asked to pay for services that used to be provided at no extra charge—airline baggage fees being the most obvious example. While price hikes and new fees are rampant in the travel …
Big-Box Shrinkage: Retailers Embrace Sales on a Smaller Scale
While the big-box retail model is far from dead, stores such as Walmart, Best Buy, and Cabela’s are realizing that the enormous, one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work for all shoppers—nor all locations. To grow, many …
How Groupon Saved a Zoo – And Ruined a Waffle Restaurant
Judging by the experiences of some small business owners, Groupon has tremendous make-or-break power. A daily deal from Groupon can turn a business around, in ways that are good or, possibly, deadly.
5 Ways Mother Nature Is Impacting Your Wallet
All of a sudden, much of the country seems to have turned into Arizona, with a hot, dry summer coming on the heels of a remarkably mild winter. Here are five ways that months of odd weather have affected—and will continue to …
Thanks to Heat Wave, Grocery Prices Are Likely to Spike by the Fall
The heat wave that scorched much of the U.S. for the last month was brutal. But there’s more pain to come, this time in the form of higher food prices.
