Tapping into popular sentiment, Alex Schaefer’s painting of a Chase bank on fire just sold on eBay for $25,200. Part of what drove up the price was online buzz after police questioned him while he was painting it, asking him if he planned to do what the painting depicted. [More]
Retail Services
Report: GameStop To Get Into The Tablet Business Next Year
By 9.13.11
Tablet computers can be many things to many different consumers: An easy way to surf the Web, a portable digital-video player, a color e-book reader, or maybe a lightweight, laptop stand-in. But would you buy a tablet just to play video games? And would you buy one from perennial Worst Company In America contestant GameStop? [More]
Combining Two Best Buy Protection Plans Works Exactly As Well As You Think It Will
By 9.13.11
Of all the perils we’ve discussed since breaking the news last December of Best Buy’s Buy Back program, we hadn’t thought about what would happen when one combines Buy Back with the electronics retailer’s notoriously sketchy Black Tie Protection program. [More]
More Towns To Withdraw Millions From Chase Over Mortgage Mod Practices
By 9.13.11
We know the story. Chase and other banks got billions in bailouts that they were encouraged, but not required, to use to help people modify their mortgages. Instead they sat on it and smiled like cheshire cats. Now a movement has sprung up to punish Chase for its intransigence by withdrawing money from their accounts. On the individual account level, that’s not much. But in New York state, entire towns are getting in on the act. [More]
Man Arrested At Walmart For Sampling Raw Meat From Packages
By 9.13.11
A man in Pennsylvania was arrested yesterday after he allegedly chose to forgo the traditional route of shoplifting food from Walmart and instead decided to just chow down on some raw meat right there in the store. [More]
With Only $37,000 Left On Mortgage, House Gets Foreclosed
By 9.12.11
They only had $37,000 left to go on their mortgage they’d been paying off for 25 years, but now a California family’s house is going into foreclosure. [More]
Bank Of America Confirms 30,000 Jobs To Be Cut In Coming Years
By 9.12.11
Only a few days after a report that Bank of America could be looking to axe upward of 40,000 employees in the next few years, the bank has released a statement today that gives the actual number of positions to be eliminated as 30,000. [More]
Avoid Spending Big Bucks On Expensive Textbooks
By 9.12.11
Many students are familiar with the frustrating ritual at the end of any college term — selling back those costly textbooks, only to be handed back a fraction of the cash you originally paid. The “Textbook Rebellion” campaign is all about lowering that initial high price. [More]
Signs Of Hard Times: Abandoned Pets, Backyard Gardens
By 9.12.11
When you want a good idea of how the economy is shambling along, checking out what consumers are doing provides a lot of insight. What we’re spending (or not spending) money on and other lifestyle trends speak as much as stocks and budget numbers. [More]
Gas Prices Rose Almost 6 Cents A Gallon In Last Two Weeks
By 9.12.11
Gas prices are expected to rise during holiday weekends, but this year’s Labor Day price bump reportedly turned into a ramp. In the past two weeks ending Friday, the national average regular gas price crept up 5.76 cents to $3.667 per gallon. The increase echoes the rise in the cost of crude oil, and an ethanol price rise also was a factor. [More]
How To Eat Cheaply And Healthily
By 9.9.11
It’s easy enough to spend as little money as possible on food. A diet consisting of ramen and dollar menu items will accomplish that feat. Higher-quality food that’s actually good for you tends to cost more, but with some creativity and effort you can spend little while maintaining a healthy diet. [More]
It Would Be Nice If My Lane Bryant Jeans Lasted Longer Than 2 Months
By 9.9.11
Andrea is very fond of Right Fit jeans from Lane Bryant. She likes them so much that she wears them until they literally wear out,then goes and buys another pair. Only that’s a more expensive plan than it was a few years ago, because Andrea has noticed the quality of the pants that she buys deteriorating over time. She reached a breaking point recently when her jeans, too, reached a breaking point–wearing out this week after being purchased in July. $50 is a lot to pay for pants that only last two months. [More]
Bank Of America Could Cut Upward Of 40,000 Jobs
By 9.9.11
Remember Bank of America’s recent estimate that it would have to eliminate at least 3,500 jobs? Well, it looks like that number may have been just the tip of a very large iceberg. [More]
Target Won't Take Sealed, Unused Blood Glucose Meter Back
By 9.9.11
There are two important lessons that we can take away from M’s e-mail about trying to return an unopened, unused blood glucose meter to Target. First: never, ever, ever purchase a gift for someone at Target without also giving them the receipt. Consider laminating it, then stapling it to the recipient’s forehead. Second: when you receive a marketing call, think critically about who could have sold your name, or whether the entire call might be a scam. [More]
Walmart Bringing Back Layaway For Holiday Shopping Season
By 9.8.11
Five years after Walmart stopped offering customers the option to put most purchases on layaway, the nation’s largest retailer has decided to bring it back for brief run during the 2011 holiday shopping season. Of course, this being Walmart, the holiday shopping season begins in October. [More]
Amazon Makes Deal With California To Delay Collecting Sales Tax For One Year
By 9.8.11
The battle between Amazon and the state of California over whether or not the e-tailer should be compelled to collect sales taxes may be drawing to a close after the two parties appear to have come to a tentative agreement that would have the online megastore collecting taxes, but not for another year. [More]
5 Appointments To Deliver Sears Dishwasher, Still No Dishwasher
By 9.8.11
When Wesley’s dishwasher died, he found himself in a sad and typical modern predicament: it was easier and more cost effective to go and buy a new dishwasher when his broke. So he ordered one from the Sears Outlet. This turned out to be a bad idea, at least if he wanted a dishwasher actually delivered to his house. If you enjoy waiting around for installers to never show up, perhaps Sears is your store. [More]
Despite Gadget Infestation, Residential Power Use Is Expected To Decline
By 9.8.11
You’d think the bombardment of HDTVs, cell phones, computers and video game consoles would make residential power usage skyrocket, but all-around power efficiency should cause it to plateau. Government-subsidized home energy savings programs and power-savvy consumers are among the reasons power usage is expect to decline over the next decade. [More]
