The reason why door buster deals, coupons, dramatic markdowns, and a short-lived sales are staples of the retail holiday scene is simple: They drive traffic into the stores. So how does a store attract customers when it’s sworn …
Smart Spending
Time It Right: Sweet Spot Emerges for Snagging Best Holiday Gift Deals
If you’re seeking the best prices on holiday gifts, Black Friday may not be all that it’s cracked up to be. Instead, be patient, and when the second week of December rolls around, be ready to pounce.
The Best Times to Buy Clothing
If you’re a clothes horse – or even if you’re not – you may have noticed that the shirts, pants, sweaters, and dresses you want probably cost more than they did a year ago.
You Never Know What’ll Pop Up Next: The Newest Pop-Up Businesses
Nowadays, the pop-up business concept goes way beyond the temporary Halloween store that features costumes and novelties—and that is gone before kids finish their trick-or-treat candy.
So You Want More Free Shipping? You Got It
If there’s one thing e-retailers hate, it’s shopping cart abandonment. Shoppers fill up their virtual carts and then fail to follow through on the purchase quite frequently. While there are many reasons why this happens, one of …
How Layaway Is Starting to Resemble the Lottery
One of last year’s feel-good stories for the holidays was the rise of “layaway Santas,” in which random people decided out of the goodness of their hearts to pay off total strangers’ layaway accounts—usually at Kmart, usually …
4 Ways You Pay Too Much–and What to Do About It
By seizing on promotions and not paying attention to new products and changing markets, consumers end up in the wrong loans all the time. They spend an estimated $541 a month more than necessary on their debt repayment. Here’s …
Smaller Cars, Better Mileage: Hot Auto Trends Now – and For Years to Come
Is Grilled Cheese the Next Big Thing in Fast Casual Restaurants?
Say cheese! The formula of speedy service, customization, and high quality practiced by fast-casual restaurant leaders Chipotle and Panera Bread is already being widely applied to better burger chains and
The Straight Dope: Is Lance Armstrong Memorabilia Worthless Now?
Lance Armstrong’s legacy as a seven-time Tour de France winner went up in smoke last week. So might have the investments of a cadre of collectors who specialize in autographs and other sports memorabilia like signed jerseys and …
Top New Cars of 2013
Cars are Americans’ most trusted servants. For 2013, automakers are making them more efficient, yes, but also smarter: Various new models can now read e-mail, find addresses, shuffle through music, park themselves, and even avoid …
$47 a Month? Why You’re Probably Paying Double the ‘Average’ Cell Phone Bill
A new report from the CTIA Wireless Association has it that the average monthly cell phone is $47.16. So how does it feel to be well above average?