Drivers around the globe purchased nearly a quarter million Toyota Priuses in the first quarter of 2012. That makes the Prius the world’s third best-selling car—and it firmly establishes the fact that this hybrid is not a fluke or a passing trend.
Homeowners are proceeding cautiously with renovations. Whereas in the past they might have insisted on getting exactly what they wanted, price be damned, today’s home remodelers actually care about value and practicality. Imagine that.
To prevent drunk driving, AAA clubs around the country are offering free rides to folks who’ve celebrated too much to safely get behind the wheel over Memorial Day weekend. They’ll also tow your car home—again, free of charge. Amazingly, the service is available even if you’re not a AAA member.
Some shoppers have felt the need to stealthily scan items in stores with their smartphones. They’d rather not be accused of “showrooming,” the practice in which one scopes out merchandise in a brick-and-mortar store, only to purchase it online—at Amazon, likely—for less money. This week, though, Target began actively encouraging mobile phone scans nationwide.
A new study analyzing comments on social media reveals something interesting about Americans’ plans for the big Memorial Day holiday weekend: Most of us seem to be planning on opening our wallets, big time.
In recent years, Memorial Day weekend has become an especially big period for new car sales. The trend is expected to continue this weekend, and special promotions, rebates, and incentives—at least for certain vehicles—will help the cause.
Businesses will go to great, and sometimes unusual, lengths in order to entice customers into going shopping. With the goal of becoming a “destination,” rather than just another place to shop, malls and car dealerships are getting creative. They’re installing new features and additions in order to woo consumers and set themselves apart from the [...]
Car dealerships are placing a renewed focus on making more money from their service departments, sometimes via questionable tactics, including classic upselling and proactively reaching out to customers about problems they might have but don’t even know about.
When retailers and restaurants offer freebies, the point is to draw attention—not controversy. The only reason to protest 7-Eleven for giving out free Slurpees or Haagen-Dazs for dishing out free ice cream cones might be that the complimentary serving sizes are too small. But what do you expect when you’re paying $0? Now, though, a [...]
Do you think all supermarkets are basically the same? The results of a new survey show differently. If you’ve been shopping around for a new grocery store, the numbers may provide insight as to which chain is the perfect match for you.
Apparently, plenty of travelers aren’t turned off by airlines that charge extra for everything from paying for flights with a credit card to $3 bottles of water on board the plane. Lately, the most profitable carriers in the U.S. and Europe are the ones that pile on fees at every turn.
