Two key facts are being glossed over with this week’s big announcement from Pfizer: 1) It’s been possible to buy guaranteed authentic Viagra online for years; and 2) Pfizer isn’t really selling drugs directly to customers.
Odd Spending
JC Penney Reintroduces Fake Prices (and Lots of Coupons Too, Of Course)
In early 2012, JC Penney promised the end of “fake prices”—ones that were inflated just so that shoppers could be tricked into thinking the inevitable discounts represented amazing deals. Well, it’s already time to welcome back …
The Splurge Surge: Luxury Spending on the Rise
Wealthy Americans don’t really think that good times are here again for the economy. But they’re going on shopping sprees anyway, with increasing sales seen for luxury hotel stays, high-end automobiles, and more.
Here Come Gun-Focused Retail Super Centers
Picture a sprawling 30,000-square-foot Best Buy store—only instead of electronic gadgets and games, every aisle inside the big-box center is devoted to firearms, bullets, and “tactical gear.” This is the hot retail concept spreading throughout the Midwest.
New Game for Baseball Fans: Go to the Ballpark Without Spending a Dime
Watch any Major League Baseball game on TV. More often than not, when a view of the “crowd” pops onto the screen, you’ll see more empty seats than people. And the fans who did actually show up may be spending little or nothing to …
Hungry and Lazy Consumers, Rejoice! It’s Getting Even Easier to Order Food
Burgers, pizza, and a wide range of groceries are on the menu for consumers who are too busy, or just too lazy, to make a food run—or even bother picking up the phone.
Ben Affleck to ‘Live Below the Line’ with Food Budget of $1.50 per Day
Oscar winner Ben Affleck’s next project is a challenge aimed at raising money and awareness for global poverty.
Budweiser’s New Pitch: Less Beer, Pay More
How’s this for a sales pitch: With Budweiser’s new can design, you’ll get less beer, and you’ll get to pay more per ounce. You’ll also get to support the aluminum industry.
Attention JC Penney Shoppers, Look Out for the Return of ‘Sales Galore’
After months of abysmal sales tallies, the Ron Johnson era is over at JC Penney. Now that Johnson’s “fair and square” no-coupons pricing policies have proved to be a failure, the department store will have to try something else …
Is Retail Therapy for Real? 5 Ways Shopping Is Actually Good for You
You know the phrase, “When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping”? There just may be some wisdom in that.
A Bentley Boom? Rising Sales for Luxury Automakers Like Bentley, Jaguar, Porsche
So much for scaling back. The world’s rich and elite — or those who just want to appear so — have been cracking open their wallets in a big way lately, and luxury automakers are the beneficiaries.
American Families Increasingly Let Kids Make Buying Decisions
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day — so why are you letting your kid pick what you’ll eat? A new study from the NPD Group shows that parents defer to their children about a third of the time when it comes to …