In both cases, few people ever pay the sticker price.
Why Are a Record Number of Americans Living in Poverty?
A family in Detroit eats at a food kitchen (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The US Census Bureau is out with its annual report on poverty and incomes today and the results are striking: The number of people living in poverty in the US is at an all time high. The last time this many people were living in poverty in the US was in the late …
Cheapskate Wisdom from … Vanilla Ice
“O.K., now you can buy a foreclosed, or tax-lien or short-sale home for a lot less than you can build a home.”
How You’re Manipulated into Buying Stuff You Don’t Want and Paying More Than You Should
In these games played by marketers and retailers, you’re the puppet, and the puppeteers are artfully, stealthily steering your hand into your wallet where the credit card rests, waiting to be swiped.
The Newly Insecure, Unsteady, Unsafe Middle Class
“Middle class used to be synonymous with secure, with steady, with boring, because middle-class people were people who were pretty much safe from the time they first started work on through retirement and until their deaths, no longer. Now, to be middle class is to worry, is to be insecure, is to face much increased odds of job loss, of …
The real victims of China’s yuan policy
Frustration in Washington is growing over China’s contorted policy on its currency, the yuan. And for good reason. A so-called “reform” of the regime introduced in June, in which Beijing finally ended a de facto two-year yuan-dollar peg and permitted its currency to “float” in a narrow band, has proven to be a big yawn. The …
It’s a Deal: Buy One, Get One Free Jamba Juice Smoothie
Print this coupon and bring it in to a Jamba Juice location to get a free smoothie when you buy one at regular price. Valid through September 22.
If We Don’t Deliver Your Cable in 30 Minutes or Less, It’s Free!
OK, not exactly. But there’s something wonderfully Domino’s Pizza-ish about the new rules—and fines if a technician doesn’t show up on time—for cable companies operating in New York City.
Tarte Cosmetics: A PhD Drop-Out Shakes Up the Beauty Biz
Natural ingredients like Amazonian clay are just part of Tarte’s recent sucess, which includes a 50% jump in sales last year. The rest of its magic springs from young CEO Maureen Kelly, who possesses an uncanny sense of what …
Lookout Groupon: More Daily Deals En Route, Courtesy of Valpak
A little while ago, it was user-review specialist Yelp encroaching on Groupon’s turf with its test move selling coupons for a single day that grant special discounts at local businesses. Now, old-school coupon veteran Valpak—you know, the business that mails those blue envelopes filled with coupons for local businesses—is entering …
It’s a Deal: Extra 30% Off at Timberland
Use the coupon code FRIENDS10 (thanks dealnews) to get 30% off purchases made by September 20 at Timberland.com. For the biggest discounts, use the code for added savings on items already marked down by as much as 60%.
News That’s Good and Bad for Consumers, the Economy, and the World
Sometimes, news and notable trends aren’t entirely good or altogether bad. They’re a bit of both. For example, should we be happy that unemployed support groups are flourishing online? I suppose we should—though we’d all be happier if there was no reason for such groups to exist.