There’s a theory holding that when gas prices are high, consumers wind up paying higher prices for cars—especially vehicles with good gas mileage. Well, gas prices are rising, and sure enough, the numbers show that we’ve been paying more for cars lately, too—a lot more.
March 6 is not a good day to buy a new car. In fact, if you’re hoping to get a decent price at the dealership—and who isn’t?—this Tuesday is supposedly the worst day of the month, and one of the worst days of the entire year, to go car shopping. But it’s not the year’s [...]
Study after study shows that, generally speaking, women are uncomfortable haggling over major purchases. The groundbreaking book Women Don’t Ask indicated that men are four times more likely to initiate negotiations than women, and that women have been known to pay upwards of $1,300 extra to avoid haggling over the price of a car. But [...]
From Kim Kardashian’s wails that she lost a $75,000 earring in the ocean, to Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Dana Wilkey’s boasts that she dropped $25K on sunglasses, reality TV starlets seem to get a rush out of broadcasting how much they paid for their bling. In this way, they are contrarians — not their [...]
They make a living by hounding deadbeats (or presumed deadbeats) to pay off debts. Reports have surfaced that they routinely break the law in pursuit of payoffs. Now, debt collectors are asking for your respect, and even a little sympathy.
Anchor, nibble, crunch. They sorta sound like they could be yoga positions. But they’re actually part of a strategy to talk your way to lower cable bills—or to getting your way in any other business arrangement involving back-and-forth negotiations.
This week’s links cover topics ranging from school fundraisers that aren’t worth your time (and don’t raise much money), to resources for finding the best Black Friday deals, to effective, low-effort, low-cost ways to clean the bathroom.
In this case, the “reward” is one you must demand in exchange for putting up with awful customer service.
Even in today’s marketplace of increased pricing transparency thanks to the Internet, when businesses talk a lot about building strong, trusting relationships with customers, shopping for a car can be a confusing and torturous experience. Today’s consumers have little reason to believe anything that a car salesman says; to be inside a car dealership and [...]
Here are nine scenarios in which it’s easy to overpay, get scammed, or come out on the losing end of negotiations.
Are you an Illogical Rationalizer? A Fine Print Ignoramus? Or perhaps a Shortsighted Sign-Me-Upper? If your behavior fits one of the ten consumer categories below, then there’s your explanation for why you don’t have more money in the bank. If you behave like all of the consumer types below, then let’s hope you make a [...]
