If you’re not already shopping online, Amazon is trying to make sure that you do so with them this year, by extending their free shipping deadline by one day to Dec. 19. It’s not exactly the equivalent of heading out to find gifts Christmas Eve, but for online shopping, the clock is definitely ticking. [More]
Retail Services
More Shoppers "Renting" Electronics From Retailers
By 12.13.11
A new study shows that a growing number of electronics purchases — up to one in five — are being returned to retailers, and that a large majority of the items returned as defective are in fact perfectly fine. [More]
Industry Fails To Produce Hot Toy; Parents Sigh In Relief
By 12.13.11
Every year the evil sorcerers who run the toy industry seem to manage to conjure a must-have toy during the holidays that’s in short supply — think Zhu Zhu Pets or Tickle Me Elmo. Since there’s no such toy this year, there appears to be no Hunger Games-style competition in which parents are forced to out-scheme and maul one another to bring home the preordained prize. [More]
Shoplifter Stabs Walmart Security Employee In Parking Lot
By 12.12.11
Something odd must be in the water at a Walmart in Georgia. At the very same store where syringes were turning up in clothing, an employee was stabbed over the weekend after confronting an accused shoplifter in the parking lot. [More]
Treat Yourself: Holiday Self-Gifting Is The New Way To Go
By 12.12.11
Don’t want to make excuses as to why you’re not wearing that sweater your Aunt Dolores gave you for Christmas? Avoid that whole mess with one simple idea — skip gift exchanges and just give yourself what you want for the holidays. [More]
Norway Is Running Out Of Butter Amidst High-Fat Dieting Fad
By 12.12.11
Fat-happy Norwegians seem to have eaten themselves into a corner, and that corner is bereft of butter. A popular fat-rich fad diet sweeping the country is turning into a butter shortage that could affect Christmastime baking. [More]
Presents For Your Kids That Are Really For You
By 12.12.11
If you buy your kids presents that you don’t feel the need to steal back for yourself, you’re doing it wrong. Clever toy manufacturers make their products just as enjoyable for parents, so avoid all the fluff and look for the good stuff. [More]
Price Comparison Apps That Help You Save On The Go
By 12.12.11
Your smartphone certainly costs enough in monthly service plans and data fees, so you can make it earn its keep by using price comparison apps when you’re shopping. Mobile apps help you pit retailers against one another to help you save money on your purchases. [More]
Tresemme Customers Are Really Mad About Not Getting Free Samples
By 12.9.11
Oh my. Tresemme, purveyors of shampoo, conditioner and other hair-related items, has a lot of dedicated customers — or at least, a lot of customers who really wanted free samples and are now foaming at the mouth in anger over not getting them. [More]
Before You Buy Anything, Answer These Questions
By 12.9.11
You’ll be surprised at what you’ll end up with when you’re zoned out and shopping on autopilot. The key to keeping meaningless, useless purchases off your ledger is to be more mindful when you’ve got money to burn. [More]
Walmart Announces It's Probing Itself Overseas In Bribery Investigation
By 12.9.11
We’ve got to at least give Walmart credit for being unafraid to admit they’re getting frisky with themselves. More specifically, they announced in a securities filing that they’ve launched an internal probe into whether employees were bribing foreign officials overseas. [More]
Ambush Locally-Owned Businesses With Support Via Cash Mob
By 12.9.11
Are you looking for a way to support locally-owned businesses that also includes the element of surprise, meeting new people, and alcohol? If so, consider putting together a cash mob for your city. No, not a flash mob: a cash mob. They’re groups of people, organized online, who pledge to spend at least $20 at a locally-owned business that gives back to the community. [More]
You Can Probably Find A Dollar Store Faster Than A Drugstore
By 12.9.11
Need something quick? You might be able to dash out and find a dollar store faster than you can spot a chain drugstore location. A new study says drugstores are being outpaced in numbers by the total amount of dollar stores in the U.S. [More]
Use Local Stores As Amazon Showrooms, Get Amazon Discount
By 12.9.11
Consumerist readers and editors alike often joke that electronics retail stores are real-life showrooms for Amazon and Newegg, but tomorrow (December 10) Amazon is offering up to $15 in discounts to customers who do just that. And help them spy on local brick-and-mortar retailers while they’re at it. [More]
Consumer Reports Index Shows The Holiday Retail Season Began With A Bang
By 12.8.11
It’s been a holly jolly season so for this year for retailers, as the Consumer Reports Index for December shows we were in the mood to spend last month and are on pace to keep it up this month as well. [More]
Android Users Will Also Be Able To Take Faux-Vintage Photos With Instagram
By 12.8.11
Good news, Android users who have been just dying to take as many cool, faux-vintage retro-ish pics on your smartphones — soon Instagram won’t just be for iPhones anymore. Developers are working on a version of the photo app for the Android platform. [More]
Instead Of Buying These Gifts, Opt For More Useful Alternatives
By 12.8.11
Sometimes people want things for the wrong reasons, setting their sights on items while failing to realize alternatives that will fill their needs just as well, if not better. The problem often pops up in gift-giving, when givers seek to impress recipients with flashy, well-known products, disregarding their usefulness. [More]
Buying Laptop From Costco Extends Your Warranty And Your Aggravation
By 12.8.11
Last year, Tom bought a Sony laptop from Costco. Part of the reason why he chose Costco to purchase a computer was the warehouse club’s famed extension of manufacturers’ warranties: more warranty protection on a portable computer can’t be a bad thing. Except when it is. In Tom’s case, having another company involved just means that he can always get a very nice person on the phone at Costco who isn’t able to help him at all. [More]
