Loyalty programs provide consumers with special discounts, and they give retailers loads of data on shoppers’ habits and preferences. So why are supermarket loyalty membership numbers falling? And why has one major grocery company pulled the plug on its loyalty program?
Saving & Spending
7-Eleven’s Free Slurpee Day: This Year With Bigger Slurpees!
It’s July 11, or 7/11, the day each year that a certain convenience store chain celebrates as 7-Eleven Day. That’s the official name anyway. Most customers know July 11 simply as Free Slurpee Day.
Why Golden Corral’s Gross-Out Video Won’t Scare Off Customers
The phrase “public relations nightmare” gets thrown around often. But the truth is that viral videos showing disgusting things happening at chain restaurants don’t really put a dent in sales.
Back to School Sales Already? Kids Get Ugly Reminder School Isn’t Too Far Off
It’s not your imagination. Stores really are pumping up back to school deals earlier than ever, even at the risk of putting shoppers—kids especially—in a foul mood.
Nickeled, Dimed, and Dollared to Death: Fee-Laden Payroll Cards Forced On Low-Wage Workers
A recent lawsuit and reports from regulators and consumer advocates suggest that some of the most abusive fees are being forced on those least able to protect themselves
Women at the Auto Repair Shop: Better at Haggling, Yet More Likely to Get Ripped Off
According to a new study, it’s good and bad to be a woman when dealing with auto mechanics: It’s bad because you’re more likely to get above-market price quotes for the job at hand, but good because you’re more likely than a man to negotiate a better price.
Supersizing Strikes Back: Homes and TVs Get Bigger, Sales of Yachts, RVs, Trucks Rise
After years of downsizing and making do, American consumers are going big once again.
Why Saving Money and Cutting Debt Doesn’t Cut It Anymore
Consumer savings are up, and credit card debt is down. But experts say the economic current is running against us, so even those who think they are swimming are probably just treading water.
Better Burger Wars: The Saga Continues
McDonald's may have pulled the plug on its pricey Angus “better burger” concept, but the category of $5 quick-service burgers is as hot as ever. Better burgers are taking new shape (sometimes with pretzel buns!), and they’re popping up overseas and even in supermarkets.
Hertz Drives to Be King of Anytime, Anyplace, Any Duration Rental Cars
In the near future, when you swing by the drugstore or home improvement center, renting a car could be as easy as picking up shampoo or a new ratchet set.
Paula Deen’s Sponsorships Disappear, But Book Sales Soar
Updated, June 28, 5:50 p.m. EST: Despite high presale numbers, publisher Ballantine Books announced Friday afternoon that it has canceled Paula Deen’s multi-book deal, including the upcoming Paula Deen’s New Testament: 250 Recipes, All Lightened Up after “careful consideration”.
Paula Deen’s new book isn’t officially for sale until …
Atlantic City’s Next Big Bet: Legalized Online Gambling
Business has been on the decline in Atlantic City casinos for six years and running. To stop the bleeding, casinos are betting big on online gaming—an option that, of course, gives gamblers an easy way to avoid Atlantic City entirely.