Consumerist
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online shopping
Here Are Your Shipping Deadlines For Christmas 2009
If you're planning on spending the next 6-8 weeks pouring cash into Mammon's gaping maw—and really, who isn't? it's how we love each other—then here are the shipping deadlines for over 100 online retailers, courtesy of CouponSherpa. In today's UPS/FedEx world you can frequently wait right up until Christmas week, but you might want to double-check the list if there's a retailer you absolutely have to shop from.
"Holiday Shipping Deadlines for Christmas 2009" [CouponSherpa] (Thanks to Jeff!)
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lists
Game Consoles, Dolls And Wooden Dogs Are The Best Toys Ever
Did you play with a Slinky growing up? Well, that makes you a loser, because your toy didn't make Good Housekeeping's Yahoo list of the greatest toys ever made. More » -
saving money
Take More Notes, Save Money
Yesterday I grabbed a notebook app for my smartphone and spent a couple of hours organizing the various content folders—ideas for Consumerist, gift lists for Christmas, things to look up later on a computer—so that I could capture information more efficiently. Wait, why s ths n Cnsmrst? Because The Simple Dollar argues that by keeping a notebook and using it all the time (Lifehacker calls it "ubiquitous capture"), you can end up saving money. More » -
ask the consumerists
How Can We Determine Who Gave Us This $250 Wedding Present?
UPDATE: The gift-giver's identity has been discovered! Perhaps this is a better question for Miss Manners than Consumerist, but Chris needs help. See, a beautiful red KitchenAid mixer, an item on his Target wedding registry, arrived via FedEx with no clues as to who sent it. Adding to the confusion, the item doesn't appear to have come off the registry. Which seems to us to be the entire point of registries. More » -
Forget about that $2600 urn that's shaped like your face. Thanks to commenter microcars, here's the original manufacturer's website, where the same stuff sells for a lot less. Plus, here's a creepy video of the end products! [That's My Face]
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stereotypical
Top Father's Day Gifts From Consumer Reports
Looking for stereotypical Father's Day gifts? Consumer Reports Home & Garden has ratings on all of the gas grills, electric drills, weedwhackers, and leaf blowers a man could ever want. Or anyone who needs to flame-broil or drill holes into anything. [Consumer Reports Home & Garden]
(Photo: armydre2008)
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gift certificates
Will Best Buy Accept A Gift Certificate That's 12 Years Old?
Jon writes:
More »While digging through a box of old books, I came across a Best Buy Gift Certificate my brother had given me several Christmases ago. It's for $40, and is dated 20-Dec-1996. I can't say if I've even bought anything from BB since then, but I'm certain I haven't thought about that gift certificate.
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ripoffs
HealthyBack Forces Free Pillows On Customer, Then Charges Him $120
Tony bought a Tempur-Pedic mattress from healthyback.com last December, and they sent him two pillows as a "free gift." Tony didn't want the pillows, but HealthyBack refused to take them back, and assured him they were part of a promotion.
When he tried to return the mattress, HealthyBack charged him $120 for the non-returnable pillows. More »
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stupid shipping gang
Target Ships Clock in Box Fit For Human Habitation
We love to report on comically overpackaged mail-order items and Target's reality vortex here, but I didn't think that the two would coincide. A wedding gift that John and his fiancĂ©e received proved me wrong. In the photo are the gift, the box it was shipped in, and the lovely bride. Who fits in the box along with the clock. (Paging Dr. Seuss?) More » -
tough times
Is It Ok To Give Cash To Needy Friends?
Yes, it's ok to lend cash to needy friends, but only if you have a clear understanding of your gift and its effects. Money undeniably alters relationships, and giving can greatly complicate, if not entirely undermine, a valued friendship. Yet, money is also one of the most direct ways to provide help. The Times provided several questions to consider before making a gift... More » -
relationships
Three Tips To Keep The Recession From Depressing Your Relationship
Money can ruin relationships, but by talking honestly about finances with your significant other, you just might emerge from this depressing recession as a couple. Even if your finances are deteriorating, there are a few ways to keep your money problems from rotting your relationship. More » -
dsw
DSW's Dirty Trick Backfires; Now Customer Has Free Shoes
DSW is playing dirty with Brook, who tried to legitimately order two pairs of shoes on January 30th. Due to an error on DSW's side, the order was never fulfilled. He called and resolved the problem and they re-processed the order, but a few days later DSW decided to send the order a second time, and this time they jacked up the price by $20. They won't let him cancel the order and say they'll only refund the smaller of the two amounts if he returns it. Surprise, DSW! According to the FTC, you just sent Brook some free shoes. More » -
sony
VISA Won't Replace Dusty PS3 After All
Remember that guy with the PS3 Sony said was too dusty to repair? The saga continues. More » -
grinches
Walmart: Your Generous Holiday Gesture Is Blocking Foot Traffic In Our Vestibule
Barry Goldberg decided that this was the season for giving — so he spent $1300 on $10 Walmart gift cards and stood in front of the store handing them out. Until Walmart stopped him. More » -
PC Magazine offers a slideshow of the top 10 Black Friday sites, for those of you who still have money to burn on doorbusters. [PC Magazine]
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gift cards
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.. More »
gifts
New York, 8:57 PM
Tue Nov 10
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