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.
Smart Spending
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.
Rideshare Battle Shifts to L.A.: City Tells Uber, Lyft, SideCar to Stop Picking Up Riders
Sharing may seem harmless—a helpful, good thing for society, even. But for months, “sharing economy” businesses like Airbnb, FlightCar, and Lyft have come under legal fire in cities such as San Francisco, New York, and Austin. This week, ridesharing companies, which match nonprofessional drivers up with paying passengers, received …
Kid Rock’s $20 Concert Ticket Plan: Good for Fans, Bad for Scalpers
At first glance, Kid Rock’s “$20 Best Night Ever” tour seems ripe for exploitation by scalpers. It’s not hard to imagine entrepreneurs scooping up loads of tickets for $20 apiece, and then selling them for triple or quadruple face value—at which point, they’d still be cheaper than the average concert ticket.
Not So Fast: The Relaxed, Slowed-Down, Lounge-ization of Fast Food
The traditional formula for fast food franchises—get ’em in, get ’em fed, get ’em out—is changing. Lately, chains known for being among the quickest of all quick-service restaurants are installing fireplaces and cushy seats for a comfortable lounge vibe that invites customers to linger longer.
5 Ways Companies Win by Giving Stuff Away
Consumers love freebies. But the companies handing out complimentary donuts, comic books, ice cream, pancakes, and Slurpees love giveaways even more. On the surface, freebies look like obvious money losers. But when handled wisely, giveaways are all but guaranteed to boost sales.
Last week, Procter & Gamble hosted an enormous giveaway …
Dorm, Shmorm: Meet the Guy Who Lived in a Van for Two Years During Grad School
Many grad school students are poor, and pride themselves on living frugally while working on their degrees. One post-graduate student—and now, the author of a new book—took cheap living to the extreme, living in a van while …
Let’s Hope You’re Not Trying to Sell an Electric Car Anytime Soon
In May 2012, the average trade-in value for a 2011 Nissan Leaf was around $25,000. A year later, that same car’s value had fallen to roughly $15,000.
Courtside Seats at NBA Finals Game 7 Selling for $30K Apiece
If you want to bring your talent to South Beach to see the Miami Heat take on the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, you better bring lots of money.
Wanna Test Drive a Car, But Hate Car Dealerships? That’ll Be $19
For $19, you can have the new vehicle of your choice delivered to your home, where you can kick the tires, take it for a test drive, and even see how it fits into your driveway.
A $50 Movie Ticket? Theaters Try Selling a Supersized ‘Mega Ticket’
People complain that $50 is too steep of a price to bring a family of four to the movies. Yet this week theaters are seeing how many fans will pay $50 per person for a package that includes admission to the new Brad Pitt film, “World War Z,” two days before the worldwide release.
Ford Smartens Up and Dumbs Cars Down
Since 2010, Ford has been aggressively pushing a touch-screen control system as a replacement to old-fashioned knobs and buttons on the dashboard. But guess what? Those knobs and buttons did the job pretty well—and drivers want them back.