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 competition.
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 [...]
Spring is now a hot season for gift cards. Why? It’s when consumers are compelled to buy gifts for Mother’s Day, as well as graduations, weddings, First Communions, Father’s Day, and more. That’s a lot of gifts to buy, and chances are you won’t know exactly what each recipient really wants.
A new rewards program from Groupon aims to increase the likelihood that flash-in-the-pan daily deal customers become long-term customers.
Major fast food and coffeehouse chains are launching special discounts and promotions aimed to keep customers streaming in during the hot days and months ahead. Who says “happy hour” has to be limited to bars and restaurants that serve alcohol?
A fast-food chain that’s named after a song about marijuana by “Wild Thing” rapper Tone Loc? That sells “blunt” sized sandwiches, each of them named for a different strain of ganja? And hemp brownies listed on the menu under “Incredible Munchies” (desserts)? It sounds like the makings of an old “Saturday Night Live” sketch, perhaps [...]
Tyler Cowen is an economist who teaches at George Mason University. He has written economics columns for the New York Times, published what the Economist called “the most talked-about economics book of the year” in 2011, and was praised recently by Foreign Policy as one of the world’s “Top 100 Global Thinkers.” The man is [...]
Two classic staples for Friday night, or any night really, are getting makeovers. Among the newest options for consumers are beer that doesn’t taste like beer, frozen pizza that doesn’t taste like cardboard, and gas stations that bring a whole new meaning (and joy) to the term “filling up.”
Mid-April, long known for its looming annual tax deadline, has in recent years also developed a reputation as a season of giveaways and special deals from coffee shops, restaurants, movie theaters, and more. This year ushers in a return, so to speak, of deals related to Tax Day, some available well before April 17.
For the most part, restaurant deals from the likes of Groupon, LivingSocial, and other sites have come in the dine-in-only variety. Starting Thursday, though, LivingSocial is offering takeout and delivery services at restaurants in 26 U.S. markets, with the rest of the country to soon follow.
For steak lovers, this is like a knife to the heart: Thanks to soaring meat costs, it’s growing common for steakhouses to raise menu prices at the same time they’re decreasing portion sizes. In some cases, even appetizers are nearing $20 a pop.
