Valerie got married about a year and a half ago. While planning the wedding, she had a registry on Amazon.com, but no longer had a use for it after the wedding. About a month ago, suddenly, mysteriously, she started receiving Brides Magazine. She received three issues in a span of three weeks. Not planning another wedding anytime soon, she has no need for a subscription, and called to cancel. What followed was a voyage into the mysterious intersection of magazines and third-party subscription vendors, since nobody can tell Valerie where the subscription really originated.
Retail Services
Walmart Rips Off Girl Scout Cookies
By 8.6.09
Walmart is selling cheap knockoffs of Girl Scout signature Thin Mint and Tagalongs cookies, says a former Cookie Mom and blogger CV Harquail. She writes, “It’s not discriminating against women, strong-arming suppliers, polluting neighborhoods or racing to the bottom of the China Price. No, this time, it’s closer to home, and in my case, really close to home. This time … Walmart is knocking off the Girl Scouts.”
By 8.5.09
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Later this month, Sony will start selling a $199 ebook reader through Walmart and other retailers ($100 less than the Kindle). They’re also dropping the price of new releases to $9.99, which is what Amazon sells ebook licenses for. [Consumer Reports]
Bank Of America Spurs Late Fee With Error, Piles On Additional Charges
By 8.5.09
Reader R Turner has a cautionary tale about Bank of America. He says a BofA error led to a late charge on his credit card account, then without his authorization the bank took out a cash advance to cover the payment.
Morning Deals
By 8.5.09
- ShopEcko: [Apparel] ShopEcko Limited Edition Star Wars Hoodies on Clearance! Starting at $24.99
- Think Geek : [Gifts] $10 Off $30 Purchase w/ Coupon HACKSURVEY09
- Tanga: [Magazines] 1-Year Subscription to Motor Trend Magazine for $3
Morning Deals
By 8.4.09
- Buy.com : [Console Accessory] Xbox 360 Wireless Controller for $31.69 w/ Free shipping
- Michaels : [Arts and Crafts] 50% Off One Regular Priced Item (In-Store Printable)
- Rock Star Games : [Game] Get One Of Three Free Rockstar Classic PC Games (email required)
- Verizon : [Movies] Free 3D Glasses w/ Free shipping (Note: these are magenta/green glasses. See here for more details.)
Mom Drags Kid Through Verizon Store On Leash
By 8.3.09
Dear kid of abusive mom: yes, this is what it feels like for us when we deal with cell phone retailers, too. At least your mom was arrested. Video below.
Morning Deals
By 8.3.09
- Office Max : [Office] 1¢ Sharpie Markers w/ Printable Coupon
- Dell Home: Cell Phone] Nokia E63 Cell Phone (Unlocked, Quad-Band GSM, 3G) $149.99 Free Shipping
- Dell Home: [HDTV] Vizio VO320E 32 inch LCD HDTV (720p) $359.00 Free Shipping
Help Friends Conserve Cell Minutes By Changing Your Voicemail Greeting
By 8.2.09
David Pogue’s continuing crusade against useless voicemail instructions knocked loose an excellent suggestion for anyone willing to re-record their voicemail greeting. Too often the standard voicemail greeting is: “Hi, you’ve reached so-and-so. Leave a message, and I’ll get back to you.” Why not make it more useful, something like: “Hi, you’ve reached so-and-so. Please press star (or whichever command applies to your carrier) to leave a message.”
Walmart To Rate Product Sustainability
By 8.1.09
Walmart is developing a universal rating system to help consumers determine which products are truly sustainable. The rating system would scrutinize a product’s entire life-cycle by focusing on broad factors, rather than the usual marketing gibberish that extolls isolated virtues. So why is Walmart, of all companies, deciding which products are environmentally sound?
Kindle Deletions: Amazon Ate Student's Homework
By 7.31.09
I was never much for writing in books in school, though I did use Post-Its frequently. Which is a precursor to leaving digital notes in a Kindle edition of the book. A Michigan high school student is one of the parties in a class action suit against Amazon because in deleting the unauthorized MobileReference edition of 1984, the company effectively ate his homework.
By 7.31.09
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Shopping tip: If a strange man asks you to try on some shoes “for his wife,” say “NO.” [Mail-Tribune]
NY AG: Banks Paid Bonuses That Were Substantially Greater Than The Banks' Net Income
By 7.31.09
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s report on the bonus structures of the banking industry is out and — oh my— it’s damning. The AG says that 3 banks, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and JP. Morgan Chase, paid out bonuses that ” were substantially greater than the banks’ net income.”
More Stores Accepting Food Stamps Now That 39 Million People Use Them
By 7.31.09
We’re going to have to start offering tips for shopping with food stamps now that a record number of consumers —and stores— are using them.
How Do You Tell Your Kid That The Sales Clerk Is A Big Phoney?
By 7.31.09
There’s a great post over on WiseBread by someone called the Frugal Duchess, about how her 10-year-old kid was schmoozed a little too successfully by a sales clerk at a tween clothing store in the mall.
Morning Deals
By 7.31.09
- Jack in the Box: [Food] Two Free Tacos Tuesday, August 4th, with coupon (Thanks to Daniel & John!)
- Gogo Inflight: [Airplane Wi-Fi] Free Wi-Fi access on flights using Gogo Inflight Internet with code 159flt3161 (Thanks to Sydneybound2000!)
- Forplay: [Sexy Ladyclothes] 40% Off through Saturday with coupon code VLB48 (excludes costumes, sadly)
- Amazon: [Robot Servant] $200 Off Roomba 550 Vacuum-Cleaning Robot via today’s Gold Box Deal
