Don Bayley / Getty Images

Let’s Play Supermarket Matchmaker: Is ShopRite, Publix, ALDI, or Walmart Right for You?

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.

Apple, L.L. Bean—and Especially, Amazon—Score Big in Online Shopping Satisfaction

Chris Ratcliffe / Bloomberg via Getty Images

In an annual study tracking customer satisfaction ratings with the top 100 online retailers, perhaps the biggest takeaway is that Amazon is the world’s biggest e-retailer for a reason: It just plain makes customers happier than the competition.

How to Get Even for Poor Customer Service

Two-thirds of our economy is in the service sector. So why is service so bad?

Facebook Shuts Down Mom Who Posts Photos of Her Son at Special Olympics

LOIC VENANCE / AFP / Getty Images

Facebook can be maddening. After a Thomasville, N.C., mom posted pictures of her 7-year-old son at a Special Olympics event — he has Down Syndrome — the social networking giant locked her account, apparently thinking that the posts were promoting hate.

Many Big Retailers Don’t Respond to Customer Questions on Facebook

Dan Kitwood / Getty Images

Major retailers including J. Crew, Victoria’s Secret and Radio Shack not only didn’t respond to questions within two days, they actually deleted them, a new survey says.

ING and Capital One: Is a Culture Clash Inevitable?

capitalone_ing

The Federal Reserve Board cleared the way last week for Capital One Financial Corp. to complete a $9 billion, cash and stock deal for ING Direct USA. It’s a coup for Capital One, which already purchased a few smaller banks. But ING Direct customers attracted by the bank’s generous interest rates and lack of nickel-and-diming [...]

Check Out the New Walgreens — Where You Can Get Sushi, Cognac, a Smoothie, and a Manicure

The store will also host a boutique where customers can get virtual makeovers and actual hands-on manicures. An “Eyebrow Bar” is available for those seeking professional shaping and grooming services.

Whoops! That Stuff You Ordered Weeks Ago from Best Buy? It’s Not Coming

Talk about dropping the ball. Best Buy waited until as late as this week — mere days before Christmas — to admit that it’s not going to be able to fulfill the online orders placed by some customers. These are customers, by the way, who made their purchases around Thanksgiving weekend, more than three weeks [...]

Nasty Cashier? Indifferent Waitress? Here’s Why You Should Complain

Getty Images

If you find that you're treated rudely when you patronize a store or other business, don't take it personally: A new study finds that one-third of consumers say they experience disrespectful treatment once a month. This uncivil behavior hurts companies' profits as well as customers' feelings.

Customer Service Done Right: When an Actual Human Being Answers the Phone

White Packert / Getty Images

The ninth circle of customer service hell usually begins with a phone call looped through a maddeningly automated system known as IVR (Interactive Voice Response)—you know, the one in which you “Press 1 to continue in English” and “Listen closely to our list of options, as they may have changed.” Turns out, not all Internet [...]

3 Changes to Look For at the Checkout Line

John Dominis // Time Life Pictures / Getty Images

For a while, it looked like cashiers would keep disappearing and self-checkout would become ubiquitous. But retailers—supermarkets especially—are falling out love with self-checkout. They still love trying to tempt shoppers into impulse purchases and gather customer e-mail addresses at checkout, though.