According to an Email received by reader Jessica, Progressive Auto Insurance is increasing rates for New York Customers by nearly 20%. And the best time to announce this? Christmas day, of course!
Progressive Has No Notion of Christmas Spirit, Announces Yule-tide Rate Increase
Happy Holidays!
Today is a half-day at Consumerist. There will be no posts on Christmas. Posts return on Friday. Happy Holidays everyone! (Photo: u2acro)
Last-Minute Shoppers Unable To Save Christmas For Retailers
The AP says that while last-minute shoppers are still out there looking for bargains — the holiday season was over long ago for retailers.
Store's "Free Gift Wrapping" Means "Everything Wrapped Together"
Joe received his order from DiscoverThis.com today and yes, they did indeed wrap the items for free. Too bad they wrapped them together as one unit.
90 Stores That Can Still Deliver By Christmas
Hey gift procrastinators, Dealnews has a list of…
Every Christmas Target Execs Fight Over Auto-Printing Guest Receipts
Regarding this story, turns out, every year at this time, Target has an internal clash of the titans over whether or not to automatically print guest receipts, according to a former employee.
What's New For 2008 Return Policies
Some retailers are tightening their returning policies this year, while others are loosening them. ConsumerWorld tells you who’s naughty and nice this year.
Amazon.com Emails Recommendation Ruins Christmas Surprise
Rob is mad because Amazon, in the figurative sense, delivered his wife’s secret Christmas gift in a see-through glass box:
Free Shipping Day Is December 18th
Check out the 18 and counting online retailers at freeshippingday.com for stores that will give you free shipping and guarantee delivery by Christmas if you shop there on Thursday, December 18th. The retailers include Amazon, Zappos, Dell, Target, Macy’s and other big names, with perhaps more joining before the 18th. Nothing like getting rewarded for waiting until the last minute.
The Return of Layaway
Layaway is back this year. What’s that? It’s where you buy an item at a store, but don’t pay for it completely right away. The store puts the purchase item aside for you. You then make regular payments and once they add up to the full price tag, you get your item. Imagine that, saving up and only buying something once you can afford to pay for it in cash. Layaway plans used to be more popular but were overtaken by the ease and instant gratification of credit cards. Unlike credit cards, you don’t pay any interest, although sometimes there is a base fee. Now that credit lines are being cut and thrift is the new black, layaway is making a comeback. Kmart is featuring it in their Christmas ads, and Oprah talked about it on her show recently.
Jdimytai Damour, RIP
Artist Jeremy Scheuch made this digital image of Jdimytai Damour, the Walmart worker who was trampled to death by a crowd of Black Friday shoppers after they broke down the front doors and stormed in.
Holiday Gifts That Won't Break The Bank
As we’ve all been hearing lately, the sputtering economy is bound to put a damper on gift giving this holiday season. If you’re belt-tightening with the rest of us but would still like to give presents to those special people in your life, there are several alternatives for consideration. For instance:
Gift Cards From Ailing Retailers Can Be Boobie Prizes
When Sharper Image went under (oh no, where will we find a new vibrating massage pinball machine for dad?), people lost about $60 million locked up in gift cards, reports NYT. If you’re holding a gift card, you’re technically an unsecured creditor. If they go bankrupt..
Need gift ideas? Curbly user ModHomeEcTeacher has put together a list of 45 different holiday gift guides from around the web. [Curbly]
Getting Crafty For Fun Holiday Frugality
Personal finance blogger JD Roth is on a mission to help us all save a bundle during the holidays. First he shared a ton of frugal Christmas ideas, and now he’s posted a list of 34 gifts you can make yourself. A few of our favorites include:
New York Times, 1908: 100 Years Of Christmas Creep!
Reader Annie spotted this early Christmas ad while browsing through the New York Times Machine. It’s from November 11, 1908.
Next Victim Of The Economic Meltdown? Santa.
Christmas Creep may be more out of control than ever this year (Were Veterans Day sales always Christmas-themed?), but that doesn’t mean that these are happy holidays for professional Santas. Yes, according to the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas, an organization that actually exists according to the Wall Street Journal, Santa bookings are down. Way down.


