According to one estimate, 60% of all Valentine’s spending occurs in the five days leading up to and including the holiday. That means we’re in the prime Valentine’s spending period right now. Here are some more factoids related to February 14—a big day for Cupid, and for quite a few businesses.
All along, skeptics said that the enormous success of daily deals couldn’t be sustained in the long run. And indeed, in recent months, the industry appears to have suffered some setbacks. Roughly one-third of all deal sites disappeared last year, because they were either purchased or closed down. This week, Groupon shares dropped 15% after [...]
Now that the New England Patriots and the New York Giants are set to play in Super Bowl XLVI, the hype for the “Super rematch” of the championship from four years ago can begin. (Where is David Tyree these days anyway?) The hype for the game, though, may pale in comparison to the noise being [...]
A new report estimates that the average American worker drops nearly $1,100 annually on coffee. That’s not much less than what the average worker spends to commute to the job.
Every year, in addition to the battle between the two teams on the field at the Super Bowl, there’s a battle among advertisers to see which company comes up with the most memorable, most brilliant, and most hilarious commercial. This year’s big game is still two weeks away, and yet an ad from one automaker [...]
Wanna hang a stocking for your cat? Or wrap a new rhinestone collar and place it under the tree so your dog can open it on Christmas morning? Knock yourself out, say psychologists.
The death of a loved one is traumatic enough. The scenario of late typically involves difficult decisions and costly medical expenses—followed by a potentially costly ceremony and burial. Increasingly, though, families are cutting expenses by choosing cremation, which costs less than half of the price of a traditional burial.
It’s no secret that health care costs have skyrocketed over the last ten years. Now, consider that pet owners say they refuse to cut back on spending on their dogs and cats even when the economy’s in rough shape. Combine these two ideas, and it should come as no surprise that in many ways, health [...]
The stumbling economic recovery has led many of us to rein in our expenses, even on necessities like diapers. But there are a few lucky sectors that benefit from a weak economy — things that let us escape, give us momentary pleasure or temporarily relieve our stress. They’re the small things, like donuts and yoga [...]
During a worrisome, unsteady, and just plain bad economic climate, consumers change their behavior—typically by trying to spend less and save more. But when it comes to one sector of consumer spending, scaling back is more the exception than the rule. A heaping majority (68%) of dog owners say that regardless of the state of [...]
Consumer activity gives a good indication of how the economy is holding up, and here are five trends indicating that consumers are having a particularly hard time lately.
