Daily deal giant Groupon is known for its peculiar sense of humor. There was the time the site “bought” April Fool’s Day. The introduction of marketing gimmicks like the creepy virtual discount wheel called “Clicky” can only be attributed to some offbeat sense of what’s amusing. And of course, from the beginning, subscribers have been reading Groupon’s trademark absurdist, careful-not-to-offend descriptions for deals arriving in their in-boxes. The fact that there’s a network sitcom in the works featuring Groupon is apparently no joke, however.
A new study questions the long-accepted wisdom of setting a budget and sticking to it. The purpose of establishing a budget is to rein in one’s spending, but under certain circumstances, setting a budget does the opposite — and actually increases the likelihood you’ll spend more.
Paying less than your neighbor for everything from ketchup to cars often boils down to carefully timing your purchases right. The best time to get a deal often isn’t when you need the item at hand, but when the magic mix of seasonality, low consumer demand, and the likelihood that retailers are swimming in excess [...]
Last year, prices on 3D TVs plummeted by 33%. But anyone who bought one in 2011 thinking they’d scored the deal of a lifetime should probably stop reading now: One prominent bargain-tracking website says 3D TVs have already dropped to a new record low this year and predicts prices will keep falling as the year [...]
In order to make shelf space for new models that will be arriving in stores soon, retailers are discounting the units they still have in stock. What’s more, a new incentive system will be introduced this spring, making it a lot less likely for stores to mark down TVs in the future as dramatically as [...]
Getting TV stations through the airwaves may seem like an anachronism in the age of streaming video online. But actually, the rise of Hulu and Netflix seems to be helping the rabbit ear industry.
A just-announced joint venture between Verizon and Redbox will soon offer a service combining video streaming and physical DVD rentals. Now wait just a sec. Isn’t there some company that already does both of those things?
What, you were just planning on sitting back and enjoying the big game on a single non-interactive screen? What a slacker. Through the course of the upcoming Super Giants-Patriots matchup, viewers are expected to Tweet, post on Facebook, juggle multiple devices, and be social with a group much larger than the crowd elbowing for couch [...]
The Super Bowl is a big game for NFL fans and players, and it’s arguably an even bigger day for business interests surrounding the event. Here’s a look at some of the stats that have nothing whatsoever to do with what happens on the field, but a lot concerning how much money is spent.
The numbers show that, shaky economy or not, Americans are sparing no expense in order to be festive: We collectively dropped $7 billion on Halloween last year, and another $6 billion on Christmas decorations. And the Super Bowl? That’s when we’re really expected to go all out.
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.
