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Reader Charles spotted this clinic in his local Walmart in Georgia. He says the local hospital has partnered with the store to offer services right next to the vision center. He sent a snapshot of the prices. It's strange to see a menu board listing illnesses. Is this a good thing?  More »

Up until its recent plunge into bankruptcy, GM had been our nation's second-largest advertiser — behind only Procter & Gamble. The company spent $2 billion dollars annually for the past few years — and though they've recently cut back and fallen into third place behind Verizon, the company apparently plans to continue to spend their pre-bankruptcy budget of $40-50 million a month on ads.  More »

On May 1st, the NFL is pulling its cable channel from Comcast's cable line-up over a dispute about the cable company's sports tier. As the deadline looms larger and larger, the company is taking their case to the people. David L. Cohen, an executive vice president of Comcast Corp, wrote the following opinion piece for the Philadelphia Inquirer.  More »

Next week, the 146-year-old Seattle Post-Intelligencer will probably stop publishing, following the Rocky Mountain News into oblivion. After its demise, the Tucson Citizen will probably be the next to go.   More »

Yes, today is the day. Starbucks will begin servings its new line of "breakfast pairings" (don't call them value meals!). For $3.95 you shall receive coffee and an egg sandwich, oatmeal or coffee cake. It's all part of Starbucks' latest effort to rid themselves of the perception that they are overpriced — which is probably going to be kinda difficult.  More »

Americans took their cost of living raises and stuck them in their piggy banks, says the Commerce Department, pushing the savings rate to a 14-year high. Not long ago we had a savings rate of 0.1% — now it has skyrocketed to 5%.  More »

Consumers are cutting back — and the AP says that shoppers are abandoning Target for even cheaper stores. In addition, Target's credit card division is running into trouble as shell-shocked shoppers aren't able to pay their bills.   More »

Time wants to know who you think is most to blame for the current financial fiasco. They have a neat community polling application that lets you rate people by their guilt or innocence. Currently at number one: Phil Gramm, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee from 1995 through 2000. Congratulations, Phil! Or, not.

25 People to Blame for the Financial Crisis [Time]  More »

The New York Mets are getting a new stadium. It'll be called Citi Field and that honor cost Citibank (and by extension, one could argue, taxpayers) $400 million.  More »

United Airlines has announced that passengers on flights from New York City to Los Angeles and San Francisco will soon have access to WiFi... for $12.95.   More »

Retailers are hoping that the credit crunch ends and consumers will start spending like crazy again — but Walmart's CEO Lee Scott doesn't think that's going to happen.  More »

General Motors took out an advertisement apologizing for "disappointing" consumers on Monday, asking your forgiveness for years of incompetance. Do you forgive them?  More »

A majority, 61% of Americans are not in favor of bailing out the auto industry, says CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll. Ford, Chrysler and GM have requested up to $34 billion dollars in emergency loans, but a majority of Americans polled thought that bailing out the automakers wouldn't help the economy.   More »

US Airways CEO Doug "OK To Drive" Parker says that US Airways new $15 fee for the first checked bag is a huge success. It's caused a 20% drop in checked luggage — which has improved baggage handling performance — all while adding revenue during a tough time for airlines.  More »

The pundits are concerned that shoppers will be reluctant to buy electronics from a retailer that has declared bankruptcy, because they're worried about whether the store will be there to honor their extended warranties and gift cards. (Ew, extended warranties!)  More »

Walmart is winning the big box retail war it seems. They reported same-store October sales were up 2.4 percent versus October 2007. Target, however, lagged behind, with same store sales dropping 4.8%.  More »

Everyone seems to agree-- this year will be the year of the cheap big-screen tv. The only question remains... will anyone buy them?  More »

Reader Kelly wants to know if she should risk renting a vacation house that is in foreclosure.   More »

AAA is claiming that Americans drove 4.3% fewer miles on public roads in March -- the first year-over-year decline since 1979, and that for the first time since 2002, Americans said they planned to drive less this Memorial Day weekend. So, with the national average at $3.936 per gallon, did you actually drive less?  More »

The Boston Globe has an interesting article in which they attempt to explain the phenomenon of "retail renting" or "wardrobing"--where consumers buy items with the intention of returning them when they're done with the prom or the meeting or whatever. The article blames a mix of influences, including the economy and celebrities who obviously borrow many of their fancy gowns and jewelry.  More »