Despite earlier forecasts anticipating steadily rising gas prices well past Memorial Day, prices at the pump began declining in April and are now cheaper than they were a year ago at this time. That’s not to say prices are cheap—nor that there aren’t stations blatantly gouging customers with inexplicably high prices.
Having to pay an exorbitant amount in order to handle one’s own chores is what fuels the idea that razors are one of life’s most annoying rip-offs. Are there ways to make grooming less grating?
It’s been estimated that movie theaters make an 85% profit at the concessions stand on overpriced soda, candy, nachos, hot dogs and, of course, popcorn. Movie-theater popcorn has been called one of America’s biggest rip-offs, with a retail price of nine times what it costs to make. Now, after a Michigan man sued a movie [...]
Apparently, it’s totally legal to scam people, so long as you inform them they’re being scammed in the fine print. How brilliant! And how evil!
Yesterday morning, Target began selling clothes, accessories, and home furnishings from its new Missoni for Target collection. To say that Target’s collaboration with the Italian fashion house has been a hit is putting it mildly. Many stores were sold out by 9 a.m., and a surge of online shoppers caused Target’s website to crash. Inevitably, [...]
Entrepreneurial techies have been selling thousands of smartphone apps that claim to treat acne for 99¢ and $1.99 a pop (excuse the pun). Now, however, a Federal Trade Commission investigation reveals that (shocker!) the claims have no scientific basis.
So much for a locals discount. With action at the 2011 Rugby World Cup just weeks from starting in host country New Zealand, sporting goods giant Adidas decided to charge 220 Kiwi dollars (about US$182) for a jersey of New Zealand’s national team, the hugely popular All Blacks. What makes this qualify as an extraordinary [...]
A car dealership service manager confesses that maintenance bills are routinely inflated with unnecessary fluid flushes and replacements, nickel-and-dime charges for regularly used “shop supplies” like rags and lubricants, and parts that the car owner could buy for 30% less at a store like AutoZone.
This is not a trick question. But it’s one that AT&T, by trimming its text plan options to two—unlimited for $20 monthly, or a la carte texts at 20¢ apiece—is forcing customers to ask themselves.
“You pay $50 per month for Internet at home, $30 per month for Internet on your phone, and, now, $30 for Internet on your tablet. You pay for the same exact thing three different times. As more and more devices become connected, some company is going to have to step-up and address this current reality.”
