It’s been a little over a year since Amazon released the Kindle, and now publishers are finally getting the chance to set their own pricing on ebook editions. The result has been a slow creep in pricing on some titles—in some cases to levels above the price of a paper edition of the same book—for a digital edition that you can’t resell, give away to someone else, or read on any other device. Kindle owners have started to notice, and now some of them are complaining that Amazon overpromised the $9.99 bookstore concept to move Kindles.
prices
ExxonMobil Gift Card Results In Higher Prices At Pump
By 12.29.08
ExxonMobil says their gift cards are “better than cash.” They also say, “This cash card is not a credit card.” But Rob in NY was hit with a credit card surcharge when he used his.
As Retailers Suffer, Shoppers Start Haggling
By 12.29.08
Shoppers are frequently haggling over prices, even at major chain stores, the AP reports. With retail stores suffering, “you’d have to be a moron not to ask for a discount.”
Another Gap Markup Story, Higher Price Rung Up At The Register
By 12.28.08
After seeing our story about Gap selling pants at an elevated sale price, reader Neff told us the same thing happened to him in Texas, with the higher price ringing up at checkout.
These Gap Pants Are On Sale For Ten Dollars More Than The Original Price
By 12.27.08
Reader Ryan caught his local Gap offering a great deal on some snazzy pants: only ten dollars more than the original price!
Consumer Prices Are Plummeting! Steepest Drop In History!
By 11.19.08
The Consumer Price Index, which measures how much Americans spend on consumer goods like groceries, clothing, entertainment and other goods and services, fell by 1 percent in October compared with prices in the previous month, says the NYT. “It was the steepest single-month drop in the 61-year history of the pricing survey.”
United Adds $800 In Fees To $560 Trip, Loses Customer For Life
By 11.14.08
And let’s not forget the exorbitant booking fee for using miles for one of our tickets. The actual FLIGHT was only $280 round trip per ticket, but with the booking fee TO USE THE MILES TO PURCHASE A TICKET, we wound up paying over $500.
"Everything Here Is $1.00… Except This.. And This… And This…"
By 11.3.08
Reader Summer B. says that dollar stores are raising their prices. She visited a dollar store in PA where everything was a dollar… except this… and this… oh, and this…
Firewood Is The New Hotness. Literally.
By 10.14.08
Heating oil prices got you down? Thinking of burning some wood to stay warm this winter? You’re not the only one. In fact, Consumer Reports says that firewood prices are through the roof this fall. It’s gotten so bad that people are actually stealing wood.
Find Out Where Your Money Goes When You Buy Gas
By 10.7.08
Want to know where your fifties go when you fill up your car with gas? GOOD’s latest chart breaks down the assorted costs, and compares them with other places around the globe. You can grab a free printed copy at any Starbucks, or go here to check it out in bright RGB goodness.
Is Walmart Price-Gouging Hurricane Victims?
By 9.20.08
A Walmart insider tells us that the price of cellphone chargers nearly doubled on orders from Walmart HQ in the wake of Hurricane Ike. Before the hurricane, chargers cost from $10-$15, but afterwards, they rose to a uniform $19.
America's 10 Most Stressful Cities
By 9.18.08
Forbes magazine has put together a list of America’s most stressful cities and as a product of Chicago, the winner of the dubious distinction of being America’s most stressful city, I have this to say: “Yeah, so? Shut up and let me eat my hot dog in peace for once, goddamn it. No, I’m not yelling. Why are you always saying that I’m yelling? It’s not like you never yell! Pass the sport peppers before this gets ugly.”
For The Best Prices, Buy TVs Online
By 9.13.08
Call it the welcome side of Christmas Creep; manufacturers are discounting LCD and plasma TVs ahead of the traditional year-end holiday sale cluster mess, but you won’t find the best deals in retail stores.
Guitar Center Adds $100 Premium To iPods
By 9.11.08
Update: Guitar Center has fixed the pricing error and offered refunds.
Quick, get out your throw-away cash and head to Guitar Center! Their website sells the iPod Classic and both sizes of the iPod Touch for $100 more than what you’ll find pretty much everywhere else. (We guess there’s extra rock-n-roll in them.) You know what makes us crazy? We bet people still buy them.
99 Cents Only Stores Raise Prices To 99.99¢, Narrowly Avoid Having To Buy New Signs
By 9.10.08
99 Cents Only, the L.A.-based chain of not-quite-a-dollar stores, has come up with a novel approach to the growing losses it faces as the economy worsens: they’re raising their top-priced items to 99.99 cents.
Get Ready For An Onslaught Of Food Advertising
By 9.8.08
Foodmakers are planning to bombard you with advertising to keep you from ditching their carefully groomed brands for some blechy cheapo generics. Pay no attention as they try to re-brand their products as cheap and affordable. Here’s a small preview of what to expect…
Whole Foods Seeks To Define Its Prices As Bargains
By 8.11.08
As the economy sours, premium stores like Whole Foods are struggling to keep customers, reports the New York Times. To remain competitive, the pricey natural grocery store is offering guided tours to customers who want to cut costs but can’t stand to set foot in Winn Dixie.
FCC Approves Sirius-XM Merger
By 7.26.08
Space. The final frontier. These are the voyages of Sirius-XM. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new anti-consumer practices. To seek out new revenue streams and crowd out new competitors. To boldly safeguard the dangerous monopoly granted last night by the FCC.
