Talk about dropping the ball. Best Buy waited until as late as this week — mere days before Christmas — to admit that it’s not going to be able to fulfill the online orders placed by some customers. These are customers, by the way, who made their purchases around Thanksgiving weekend, more than three weeks ago.
Scrooged: Walmart Managers Turn Down Layaway ‘Secret Santa’ Donor
After one anonymous woman in western Michigan generously paid for a stranger’s layaway purchases, reports of copycat good Samaritans have popped up around the country. But one would-be do-gooder in Houston was thwarted when she went to not one, but two local Walmarts with a request to donate $300 toward other people’s holiday gifts.
Why North Korea Keeps Weakening Itself
I’m in Seoul, South Korea, the perfect place to reflect on the goings-on across the border, in Pyongyang. In the wake of Kim Jong Il’s death, North Korea is proceeding with business as usual – or at least that seems to be …
Guru Gaffe: Investors Losing Faith in ‘Bond King’
Bill Gross, a legendary bond fund manager, is about to close the books on a terrible year for his $241 billion PIMCO Total Return Fund. His missteps underscore the risks of a concentrated investment and in staying too long with a …
5 Credit Card New Year’s Resolutions
It’s time for New Year’s resolutions: Along with promises to yourself about cutting out the reality TV and hitting the gym more often, there are also some financial goals you should set for 2012. Specifically, there are some …
One-Quarter of Consumers Haven’t Even Started Holiday Shopping Yet
In a survey conducted this past weekend, 25% of consumers said they hadn’t yet bought a single present for the holidays. But they can’t blame retailers — many of which launched Christmas sales starting in September.
Wendy’s Beats Burger King — By Rounding Its Hamburgers?
It’s been nearly three decades since Wendy’s started asking America “Where’s the beef?” As it turns out, the question it should have been asking all along was, “What shape is the beef?” The longstanding third-place hamburger …
Last-Minute Online Holiday Shopping: Still Time for Free Shipping That’ll Arrive for Christmas
Not only has free shipping been readily available to online shoppers this holiday season, the deadlines for placing an order shipped for free in time for Christmas have never been closer to the holiday itself. While most stores cut off such free shipping offers earlier this week, several e-retailers are still floating promotions …
Hacker Is Selling Your Personal Data Online — Cheap!
Did you know there’s a virtual online marketplace where hackers gather to buy and sell the fruits of their criminal labors? Think of Amazon or eBay — except the items customers put into their virtual shopping carts are stolen credit card numbers rather than audiobooks or dusty collectibles. If this sounds infuriating, just wait until …
Why the End of December Is a Great Time to Buy a Car
New or used? Economy, mid-level, or luxury? No matter what kind of vehicle you have in mind, the end of the year is when hardnosed bargain hunters head to the car dealership—for good reason.
The Blackberry Moral (Or: The Trouble With Too Many Options)
We were intrigued but not surprised by a recent article in the New York Times detailing troubles at Research in Motion, maker of the Blackberry. Among several problems facing the Canadian tech company is an overabundance of …
Real Estate Crash Hit Lower-Priced Homes The Hardest
When the housing bubble popped — in 2006, 2007, or 2008, depending on where you were — chances are that the value of your home took a nose dive. But who got hit worse, the top of the market or the bottom?