Walmart customers who rely on its layaway program to get all that holiday shopping done will surely be grateful for a little extra time this year to buy gifts and pay them off in time. The store announced that layaway will return a month earlier than it did last year, and tweaked a few of the program’s rules in the process. [More]
Holiday Layaway Starting A Month Earlier This Year At Walmart, With A Few Changes
By August 20, 2012
Survey: 13% Of Adults Have Already Given Into The Christmas Creep
By July 23, 2012
It’s July 23. Have you begun your holiday shopping yet? According to a new survey, it’s likely that more than 1 out of every 8 of you is answering yes to that question. [More]
UPS Won't Budge On Refunds For Packages That Didn't Make Guaranteed Christmas Delivery In Colorado
By December 28, 2011
There are several thousand irritated UPS customers in the Denver area this week. They paid for UPS’ guaranteed pre-Christmas delivery but Big Brown was unable to make good on its promise and 50,000 packages didn’t make it under the tree in time. Now UPS is saying these customers will not be getting refunds because the delay was snow-related. [More]
How Long Should You Expect To Wait For Refunds From Online Retailers?
By December 28, 2011
We are now three days into the official Holiday Returns & Exchanges Season, and while those shoppers who paid a little more — and put on pants — to go shopping at bricks-and-mortar stores, it’s usually just a matter of waiting in line to get your refund. But for gift-givers who did their buying online this year, that wait for a refund could be anywhere from a few days to several weeks. [More]
Consumer Reports Poll Says 14% Of Shoppers Lie To Cover Up Lack Of Gift
By December 21, 2011
You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch. Or at least a liar, according to a new poll by our astute older siblings at Consumer Reports. While some of us hem and haw and promise a gift in the future, a full 14 percent of shoppers lie outright when they haven’t bought a gift for someone. [More]
Best Buy Waits Until Now To Admit It Doesn't Have That Stuff You Ordered On Black Friday
By December 20, 2011
In case you are calendar-challenged, Christmas is less than a week away, meaning you have precious little time to get your shopping done. Unfortunately for some people who thought they were getting things done early by ordering through Best Buy’s website over the Black Friday weekend, they are just now finding out that they are out of luck. [More]
Walmart Managers Turn Away Wannabe Secret Santa
By December 20, 2011
The biggest trend this holiday season appears to be people who have some money doing something nice for those who might need it by anonymously paying for layaway purchases. But when a woman in Houston attempted to do this at two of her local Walmarts, managers at both stores turned her away, citing a nonexistent company policy. [More]
How An Attempt To Return TV To Best Buy Left Man With No TV And No Refund
By December 20, 2011
Eli thought he could just walk into a Best Buy with a TV and a gift receipt and walk out with a refund or store credit. But this is Best Buy, where nothing ever ends up the way it’s supposed to. [More]
ToysRus.com Loses My Order, Tells Me I Can Go Pick It Up In Store For An Additional $60
By December 19, 2011
As we reported last week, a recent survey showed that the website for Toys R Us came in dead last among top online retailers for its average delivery time. Unfortunately, this news came too late for Consumerist reader Victor who had already been waiting 11 days for his order from the site. [More]
Generous Mystery Family Hands Out Cash, Pays For Purchases, At Indiana Goodwill
By December 19, 2011
Over the weekend, a family in Valparaiso, IN, took the name of the Goodwill store quite literally, handing out money to shoppers and paying for their purchases at the checkout line. [More]
How To Be A Return-Friendly Shopper This Holiday Season
By December 19, 2011
You may think you’ve bought the perfect gift for everyone on your list, but at least some of your recipients are likely to disagree: Last holiday season, nearly one in seven adults returned a gift within the first two weeks after Christmas. And many shoppers make it harder for them by leaving out gift receipts or failing to look into retail return policies. [More]
Which Online Retailers Have The Fastest & Slowest Delivery Times?
By December 16, 2011
Today is Free Shipping Day, which is pretty self-explanatory, but free shipping doesn’t mean good shipping. That’s why the folks at STELLAservice wanted to know which of the top 25 online retailers were able to get you your order in a timely manner. [More]
A "Buy Nothing Christmas" Can Save Money, Refresh The Holiday Spirit
By December 16, 2011
Maybe you just can’t afford to buy Christmas gifts this year — or perhaps you want to revive the true spirit of the holiday. In either case, advocates of a “Buy Nothing Christmas” are doing just that — occupying the holiday season, as it were, by deciding not to shop. [More]
A Dozen Scams Certain To Spoil Your Holiday Spirit
By December 15, 2011
With Christmas just 10 days away and Hanukkah even sooner, it’s no wonder that most of us are feeling harried and distracted. But don’t take leave of your senses. Thieves and scammers celebrate the season by taking advantage of people who don’t have time to give things the usual scrutiny. [More]
More Holiday Buying Leads To More Returns
By December 15, 2011
Retailers that rejoiced over big Black Friday numbers that kicked off a strong holiday sales season now have reason for pessimism. More buying means there’s also more buyer’s remorse, with a National Retail Federation survey finding that retailers will refund 9.9 cents for every dollar they take in, due to returns. The figure is up 0.1 cents from last year, and nearly three cents higher than in a better economic climate. [More]
Every Monday Is Cyber Monday This Holiday Season
By December 14, 2011
According to the ancient tradition, the Monday immediately following Thanksgiving has been known as Cyber Monday, that day when we all pretend to be working but are really sifting through countless websites looking for bargains. But that long-held tradition is now being repeated every first day of the work week this holiday season. [More]
Who Is Responsible When A Shopper Loses Items He Just Bought?
By December 13, 2011
In all the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping, we’re surprised we don’t hear more about shoppers accidentally losing a bag of items they just purchased. But when that happens, is the store responsible for the shopper’s forgetfulness? [More]
