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 news broke that it lost $42.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2011. But some parts of the daily deal industry may have brighter futures than others.
A collection of five-star ratings can do amazing things for a business. It’s not all that surprising, then, that hotels, restaurants, local services, product manufacturers and even doctors and dentists are known to plant glowing reviews, pay for perfect ratings and otherwise manipulate the system. What can be done to stop them?
People often think that the sooner you buy your airline tickets, the better. Flying home for the holidays this year? Start looking now! But according to a new study, you’ll find the cheapest tickets six weeks before your trip – not more, not less.
After seeing images of the Costa Concordia, which ran aground near an Italian island last week, killing at least five people, it’s understandable that a sizeable portion of the public is deciding that maybe cruising isn’t for them after all.
Here are five consumer items that will get cheaper and five that will get more expensive as the new year wears on
Drunk dialing, drunk texts, drunk Facebooking … there are many things one shouldn’t do while drunk. Add online shopping to the list.
The Euro is about as low relative to the U.S. dollar as it’s been all year, as policymakers and bankers alike fret that the shared currency masks deep sovereign debt problems and that the European economy is about to slide into recession once again. This is all pretty grim stuff, but experts say it could have [...]
Just weeks before one of the busiest travel times of the year, American Airlines’ parent company filed for bankruptcy protection. But don’t worry: Your plans to head home for the holidays aren’t likely to be interrupted.
The most hype-filled shopping day of the year will soon be upon us. Here’s a roundup of alternately eye-opening, quirky, and confounding facts and figures about Black Friday 2011.
I just returned from a six-week vacation to Bolivia and Peru. Since the beginning of October, I’ve been climbing mountains, exploring ancient ruins, and sipping pisco sours. Many folks dream of taking trips like this, but few people make it happen. (Well, except for Australians it seems. In Peru, I met dozens of Australians who had [...]
If you haven’t booked your flight for Thanksgiving, be prepared to pay up: Ticket prices around the holiday will be 6% to 12% higher than last year.
