“Good Mother’s Day gifts are like geometry class where you are required to show your work in order to get credit.”
Saturday, May 7, is Free Comic Book Day, when comic book shops around the country give out select complimentary comic books to all customers. Search for participating locations here.
Here’s some recommended reading, inquiring into issues like: Why do consumers keep paying top dollar for huge, high-end kitchens and designer appliances they almost never use? Why do students keep buying into the idea that college is the only path to success, and that racking up tens of thousands in loans is a good idea? [...]
The National Retail Federation expects a rise in Mother’s Day spending this year: The average celebrant will spend $140.73 on mom, up from $126.90 last year. Consumers are expected to drop billions on restaurants, flowers, greeting cards, and candy—and interestingly enough, much of this spending goes against the wishes of Mother’s Day founder Anna Jarvis, [...]
Through May 7 (and just in time for warm weather), Toys R Us is discounting all Schwinn bicycles and helmets by 25%. This 18-inch boys’ bike, for instance, is selling for $59.99, down from the original price of $79.98.
Store reward programs seem like a great deal for shoppers, with instant discounts and special offers not available to non-members. But there are tradeoffs to all these deals. Retailers haven’t designed and instituted these programs out of pure kindness and the generosity of their bottom-line hearts, and at some point the savvy consumer must ask: [...]
Despite some indication that interest in Groupon and other daily deal sites is on the wane, the flash deals market keeps getting more and more crowded—with bigger and badder competitors. Facebook rolled out its deals service last week, and now Amazon and AT&T are jumping into the daily deal mosh pit as well.
Follow this link to sign up for a coupon granting free admission to public gardens around the country this Friday, May 6. The promotion comes thanks to a partnership of Better Homes and Gardens with the American Public Gardening Association, to celebrate National Public Gardens Day.
In March, Chase ATMs in Texas and Illinois began charging jacked up ($4-$5) fees for each non-customer transaction. The fee hike has already proven to be a failure, however, and the charges are now back to $3 a pop (which is still sorta ridiculous, but by this point is basically the standard). One insider, commenting [...]
Sales incentives from car markers are at their lowest levels in years, and the average buyer can expect to pay more at the dealership for months to come.
A new study from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies reveals that one out of every four American renters—10.1 million households in total—spends more than half of its income on rent and utilities. Another 26.2% spends between 30% and 50% of household income on rent and utilities.
