Based on the statistics, the recession has had a noticeable impact on babies, casinos, customer brand loyalty, and the church collection plate.
It’s a Deal: Up to 20% Off Old Navy Purchases
Use the coupon code ONSAVEBIG (thanks dealhack) to get 15% off purchases of $75 or more, and 20% off purchases of $100 or more at OldNavy.com. The offer is valid for purchases made by May 12. Free shipping for orders of at least $75 too.
Should ATM Fees Be Capped at 50¢?
You need cash, and you’re not anywhere near one of your bank’s ATMs. So what do you do? Most likely, suck it up and accept the fee assessed for getting cash from a unaffiliated ATM. The average fee seems to be $3 nowadays, though it can run you $5 in some casinos or airports. And what does the transaction actually cost the banks …
Morning Must Reads: Jobs Number Jumps, Goldman Settling?
—Is this the number we have been waiting for? The economy added 290,000 jobs in April. That was better than expected. Yes, the unemployment number went up. But that is to be expected as well. As more employers hire, more people come back into the workforce. Still at 9.9% jobless, we have a long way to go. And CNNMoney reports it …
Jobs Report Better Than Expected
One month of jobs numbers tells us very little about the economy’s direction. But with the April jobs numbers released Friday morning we have back to back months of powerful gains. The Labor Department reports that April job growth was 290,000. The original number for the month of March had been 162,000 jobs gained; it was revised up to …
Psych Study: When You’re Bummed, You’re More Likely to Buy
The idea of conspicuous consumption implies some amount of showing off. You buy stuff to demonstrate, in conspicuous fashion, just how well you’re doing. But a new study shows that buying high-status goods isn’t only about flashing some plumage. You might also be willing purchase pricey goods for entirely internal reasons—specifically, …
Lawns, Fine Print, Virginity, and 9 Other Things the World Should Get Rid Of
I have conceded defeat on the quest for a perfect, weed-free lawn, and apparently I am not alone.
The Good News About the Market Drop
You probably know the bad news already. Stocks on Thursday dropped 600 points in 15 minutes in mid-afternoon. The market went down nearly 1000 points before rebounding. That’s the worst mid-day drop in the Dow Jones industrial average EVER. So really bad stuff. But here’s the good news: Bond prices were up. During the hysteria, the …
Dow Suffers Surreal Drop, Ends Down 350
The stock market sent shock waves through the world economy on Wednesday, falling nearly 1000 points in the early afternoon in a spastic move that was partly reversed within an hour or so of the initial drop. Most startling, seven hundred points of the drop happened in just 15 minutes, leading many to conclude that high frequency …
Chicken Nugget Cage Match
And the winner of the battle for the world’s tastiest, most nutritious (or at least not totally unhealthy), best-for-the-money store-bought nuggets is …
Mother’s Day: 33 Ways to Show How Much You Appreciate Her, Without Dropping a Ton of Cash
The founder of Mother’s Day says you shouldn’t send a telegram to Mom on her special day—so damn, it’s back to the drawing board for me. Here, some other ideas …
Morning Must Reads: Financial Reform Deal, How Much are CEOs worth?
—The Senate moved closer to passing a financial reform bill. Dodd is playing down the fact that regulators will lose the ability to create a $50 billion fund to pay for future bailouts. But to me that seems like a big deal. Yes, the government still has the ability to make banks pay for the bailouts after the fact, but without a fund …