Many a disgruntled employee has complained of working for peanuts. But is working for lattes any better?
Unemployment rates are still high and wages stagnant, but American workers are more productive than ever. That’s good news for the economy, but means that rank-and-file employees are working longer and harder.
And what are we …
It’s prime time for consumers to buy things they shouldn’t, even at 75% off.
What did the 2012 holidays teach us about the current state of shoppers—and, of course, the places where they shop?
Just about anything ugly or ill-fitting can be returned if the giver was nice enough to include a gift receipt, but what if they assumed you’d just loooove their present and didn’t include one (and you don’t have the heart to …
Don’t feel down that it’s December 24 and you still have shopping to do. There are plenty of quick and easy options to consider—and you may even be rewarded for waiting so long.
Why buy gift cards at face value when the holiday season is filled with deals giving 20% bonuses on card purchases?
Six in ten shoppers will hit the malls during the always-expanding holiday season and engage in what’s rapidly becoming a holiday tradition: self-gifting. We’ll reward ourselves with an average of around $140 in self-gifts this …
Retailers and manufacturers often prefer to give consumers a little something extra rather than simply offering items at lower prices. When that something extra comes in the form of a gift card that must be used in a separate purchase, the strategy ensures that the shopper must return as a customer. So what seems like a bonus for …
The traditional incentives for attending school—getting into a good college, avoiding punishment at home, possibly learning some useful stuff—don’t seem to be doing the job. To boost attendance at struggling schools, …
In a recent survey, roughly 15% of U.S. retailers offer digital gift cards that are truly mobile—meaning they can be used immediately for a purchase via smartphone. A major growth spurt for mobile gift cards seems to be in the works. In the same survey, 61% of retailers said they plan on offering such cards in the next three years.
Why is it that it’s so difficult to buy gifts for dads on Father’s Day? The answer, which many marketers and quite a few sons and daughters don’t want to hear, is that plenty of dads truly don’t want anything that’s bought in a store.
Some shoppers have felt the need to stealthily scan items in stores with their smartphones. They’d rather not be accused of “showrooming,” the practice in which one scopes out merchandise in a brick-and-mortar store, only to …
