The millennial generation is easily the most studied demographic since their parents, the Baby Boomers. This is not only because Americans are always fascinated by youth culture, and that millennials are growing up during a …
Smart Spending
Your Car Won’t Get the Mileage Posted on the Window (and Maybe That’s OK)
It’s becoming more apparent that the fuel economy estimates on new-car windows are often very rough estimates. But the knowledge that these numbers are inflated may not necessarily hurt sales.
Price Check! Which Drugstore Chain Is Most Likely to Overcharge You?
Shoppers understand that prices for the same items can vary quite a bit among competing retailers. A new study shows that shoppers shouldn’t expect consistent pricing among stores with the same name — even if they’re located …
Cheap Flights to Europe Take Off: Flights Under $500 Round Trip, Fees Included
Travelers who recall the ’90s heyday of sub-$300 round trips to Europe (taxes included) haven’t been happy in recent years, when a $1,000 flight began looking like a decent price. Their moods may improve now that one of Europe’s largest low-cost carriers is expanding in a big way, with new routes and inexpensive prices that could upend …
Travel Agents Fight Back, Insisting They’re Not Useless Or Obsolete
In the Internet age, the travel agent has become a punch line, cruelly bashed as unnecessary, useless, a dying breed. But no one (including, ahem, journalists) wants to be called obsolete, and travel agents have been fighting back and countering the insults with data and anecdotes demonstrating how valuable their services truly are.
Why It Took Five Years—and Much Internet Mockery—for CVS to Shorten Its Receipts
After being relentlessly bashed on social media for reams of ridiculously long receipts, CVS has vowed to make its receipts less ridiculously long. What took them so, um, long?
August 2013 Looks to Be the Biggest Month Ever for New-Car Sales
“It’s a good time to be in the car business,” says one car dealership owner in Wisconsin. This isn’t just part of some sales spiel either.
Good Jobs, Lots of Dollar Stores: The U.S.’s Best Cities for Cheapskates
Which American cities are best for folks who prefer to keep tight hold of their money? Don’t go looking anywhere along the coasts.
NFL Fans to Owners: Stop Forcing Us to Pay Full Price for Meaningless Preseason Games
In most businesses, it’s smart to cater to your customers, offering them exactly the product they want while excluding extras that are unnecessary and add little value to the proposition. Football works differently. Tickets today are often sold in packages, with fans forced to pay for seats at games they don’t care about just for the …
2014 May Turn Out to Be the Year of the Diesel Engine
Some auto insiders are saying that 2014 is shaping up as the Year of the Diesel, with the number of diesel-fueled cars sold in the U.S. set to double over the next 12 months or so, and even more growth expected down the road.
Want To Get Bank Fees Waived? Complain!
In many cases, complaining won’t get you anywhere. But when it comes to bank fees, a well-executed gripe can save you a bundle.
Nearly half of bank customers have gotten a checking account, credit card, or other financial fee …
Price Matching ‘R Us? Another Giant Retailer Says It’ll Match Online Prices
The vast majority of retailer say they’re not worried about “showrooming.” But their actions indicate differently: Toys R Us joins the group of stores matching prices with online competitors.