When trying to simplify something, the first rule is: Don’t make it more confusing. And yet, while one of the main focuses of JCPenney’s radical retail overhaul is a simplification of pricing, shoppers seem more confused than …
Smart Spending
Why Smartphones Won’t Be Replacing Wallets Anytime Soon
For quite some time, we’ve heard that smartphones will replace wallets. Instead of using cash or plastic, the day will come, likely soon, when consumers will simply wave, tap, or swipe their phones for payment. While there are …
Drivers Have Embraced Small Cars – Will Minicars Be Next?
Given the popularity of small SUVs and subcompacts like the Chevy Sonic, today’s drivers appear to be buying the idea that downsizing can equate to an upgraded ride. Now that smaller vehicles are viewed as acceptable—smart, …
Big-Box Shrinkage: Retailers Embrace Sales on a Smaller Scale
While the big-box retail model is far from dead, stores such as Walmart, Best Buy, and Cabela’s are realizing that the enormous, one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work for all shoppers—nor all locations. To grow, many …
Baby Boomers Like Discounts – Just Not the ‘Senior Discount’
The senior members of the Baby Boom generation are turning 65 at a clip of roughly 10,000 per day. Even so, the generation famous for being at the center of the “youth culture” of the ’60s, doesn’t particularly like to think of …
Driver Consensus: It’s Silly to Upgrade Cars Every Couple of Years
Today’s car buyers are in it for the long haul. Earlier this year, a report indicated that drivers could be expected to hang onto a new car for an average of six years after purchase, up from four years not long ago. According to …
Olympic Schwag for London 2012 Athletes: Free Bibles — And LOTs of Free Condoms
Like every Olympics, London 2012 is sure to be remembered for the magical moments when world records are shattered. Even before the games start, though, one unusual Olympic record has already been trounced: Event organizers are …
London 2012: 6 Tips for Saving Money at the Olympics
If you’re heading to London for the Summer Games, it was expensive enough just getting your airfare, tickets and lodging. So once you’re in the Motherland, there are a number of ways you can enjoy the Olympics without digging too …
Free Haircuts, Gas and Bowling: A Roundup of Midsummer Freebies
To drum up business in the lazy dog days of summer, retailers are offering deals such as free haircuts for kids, free gas, free bowling, and free ice-cold refreshments. Here’s a hot list of current freebies.
A Store Without a Checkout Counter? JCPenney Presses on with Retail Revolution
JCPenney’s dramatic makeover has led to customer confusion and subpar sales, but the company is sticking with its plan to revolutionize its brand.
Lobster Prices Are at Record Lows, But Only in New England
An unseasonably mild winter has created a glut of lobsters along the Northeast that is pushing prices to record lows. Lobstermen across the region are trying to figure out how to boost demand. But don’t rejoice over cheap …
Don’t Expect Gas Prices to Keep Getting Cheaper
The declining gas price party appears to be over. After soaring through early 2012, gas prices dipped in roller coaster fashion during spring and early summer, plummeting by 50¢ per gallon within a few months in much of the …