Comparison shopping has never been easier. Forget about store circulars, let alone physically going to multiple stores to scope prices. With a smartphone and a price-comparison app, scouring the competition is as easy as entering a single store and punching in an item’s model number or scanning the bar code, then waiting a few moments to …
The Quirky Reason Big Bank Customer Ratings Are Improving
At the same time banks are losing customers, their customer satisfaction ratings show clear improvement. Huh?
So Much for the ‘New Normal’: Is the Era of Mindful, Frugal Consumers Already Over?
An uptick in shopping sprees seems to indicate that the era of modest consumerism, with increased saving and decreased spending, may have already ended. If so, this shift in consumer behavior only lasted for a couple years, so I suppose it doesn’t really qualify as an “era.”
Shout Out: ‘Should You Buy That Gift?’ Flowchart
A Mint.com post comes to the rescue by answering everybody’s holiday shopping question — by prompting shoppers with some questions to answer first. Questions such as: “Is the chocolate molded into an offensive shape?”
It’s a Deal: 50% Off Pizzas at Domino’s
Per Domino’s Facebook page, use the coupon code 50OFFPIZZA to order a pizza at 50% off the regular menu price. The code is valid only for carry-out orders (not delivery) at participating Domino’s locations through December 19.
Why ‘For a Limited Time Only!’ Drives Shoppers to Spend Like Crazy
When retailers roll out flash sales and deep discounts, the actual price of the freshly marked-down merchandise is only one factor enticing shoppers to buy. Rather than carefully considering whether the item is worth the newly discounted asking price, consumers are often prompted to buy during a short-lived sale because stumbling upon …
Is government austerity warfare against the middle class?
Student protests could become regular in the new normal (Photo: Stefan Wermuth/REUTERS)
Prince Charles’s battered Rolls-Royce could become the symbol of the new economic reality facing the developed West – and the social and political dangers that come with it. After the U.K. parliament narrowly voted in favor of tripling the cap …
Quick Shopping Tip: To Avoid Tantrums and Overspending, Whip Out Your Phone and Lie to Your Kids
Every parent has been in this situation: You’re in the toy aisle, your kid has an eye on one or twelve toys he just has to have, and you don’t want to buy it—at least not at that price, not in front of the child, and not at this time of year. What do you do to get out of the store without buying the thing, and without a major freakout?
Plastic Predictions: What to Expect with Credit Cards in 2011
After years in which the credit card scene has changed dramatically—with landmark legislative reforms that prompted more fees and higher interest rates, a steep rise in how complicated card offers have become, millions of customer accounts involuntarily closed followed by a time when card issuers are actively pursuing customers even if …
Are Mortgage Defaulters Getting a Pass?
Don’t just walk, skip (Photo: Getty Images)
It appears not paying your mortgage won’t hurt your credit as much as you think.
The New York Times reports that banks, in an effort to boost their credit card business, are courting customers who decided to default on their home loans. So-called “strategic defaulters,” who walk away from …
It’s a Deal: $10 Off $20 Apparel Purchase at Sears
This Wednesday and Thursday (December 15-16), use this coupon (thanks Buxr) to get $10 off when you make an in-store purchase of at least $20 worth of apparel and accessories.
The True Meaning of Shopping
If you think shopping is a simple act based on simple human needs, you’re sadly mistaken. Either that or you’re a really good, amazingly efficient and unemotional shopper. For most consumers, shopping takes on meaning beyond a basic exchange of goods and currency, serving as therapy, entertainment, sport, drug, and sometimes, um, torture?