Last month, a business improvement group in Ardmore, PA issued $15,000 in local currency, which citizens bought at half the face value and which can be spent like real money in stores and restaurants in the downtown area. Strangely, despite the 50% savings promised only $2,900 of it has been spent so far, with thrift stores receiving more than any other type of business. The group is going to launch another money printing campaign in November to try to boost holiday sales, preferably of new things. [More]
discounts
iPhone 3GS Now $97 At Walmart … 4G Coming Soon?
By 5.25.10
Walmart has dropped the price of the iPhone 3GS to $97, which is $2 less than Apple charges for the older 3G model. The move has fueled speculation that Apple plans to announce the next-generation iPhone at its developers conference next month. They may as well. It’s not like anybody’s going to be surprised to see it.
FTD: How About $10 Off Those Late Mother's Day Flowers
By 5.11.10
Reader Greg is not thrilled with FTD’s offer of $10 off the flowers that were not delivered for Mother’s Day. Why? $10 doesn’t even cover the $18.99 in shipping and fees he was charged. [More]
Bicycle Blender Smoothie Cart Gives $1 Discount If You Pedal Yourself
By 5.10.10
A new smoothie cart across from the Museum of Natural History in New York City will be powered by bicycles, says the NY Post. If you pedal the blender yourself you can get $1 off. [More]
Shopper Successfully Haggles Macy's Clerk
By 4.14.10
You never know when an opportunity to haggle might present itself when you’re out shopping, as our reader Marty demonstrates. He was able to get a 10% discount on a blazer at Macy’s just by asking the clerk at the register. [More]
Don't Count On That Rebate From MSI
By 3.22.10
My advice on mail-in-rebates is to ignore them when you’re trying to decide on a purchase. They take too long to receive, during which time you’ve paid a higher amount on the product. Even worse, it’s easy for a company to deny a claim and refuse to cooperate with you, and it’s hard for consumers to get misbehaving companies to play fairly. [More]
Track Free And Cheap Games For Your iPhone Or Touch
By 3.15.10
There are several apps on the Apple app store that help consumers track sales and free offers from developers, but you have to launch them and check in regularly. The website App Spy offers an automated price tracker for games (just games, unfortunately) that will send you an email whenever a price threshhold is reached. If you tend to be an app junkie, it can help save you money by letting you get your fix on the cheap good stuff. [More]
DirecTV Raises Rates, Threatens To Bill You For Past Discounts If You Cancel
By 3.8.10
Reader Lane wants to know if other readers out there have experienced the following scenario from DirecTV. You think you are paying too much so you call to negotiate. They offer you a discount, then raise your rates. When you call to cancel, they threaten to bill you for the “discounts” you were getting. [More]
Man Spends $7K, One Year Battling Sonic Over $3.45 Overcharge, Resulting Arrest
By 2.15.10
Ray wanted his happy hour discount at a Sonic in Colorado, and wasn’t about to settle for paying more than double the $3.40 he thought he owed. Although his receipt read 4:11, meaning happy hour was over, Ray correctly insisted Sonic’s clock was fast. But the restaurant wouldn’t budge on the price and Ray ended up leaving in handcuffs, touching off a yearlong legal battle. [More]
How To File Your Taxes For Free
By 2.12.10
Generation X Finance tells you how to avoid paying to file your taxes, starting with the method that’s been passed down since the days of caveman accountants — do your taxes yourself with pen and paper. [More]
Why Aren't You Haggling Yet?
By 2.1.10
Michael S. Rosenwald saved $15 on a pair of shoes at Macy’s, $3 on a steak at Giant, $6 on a DVD set at Best Buy, and $100 off his next Verizon bill (plus a 10% discount on future bills) during one week spent haggling. In this Washington Post article, he describes how it felt to switch from the habit of paying full retail to looking at a price tag as a “suggestion,” in the words of one expert he met with. The executives Rosenwald spoke with repeatedly said that bargaining is not standard practice, but that didn’t stop employees and managers from making deals in order to close the sale. [More]
Beware Online Discounts That Vanish As You Check Out
By 2.1.10
Omie Ismail at LiveCheap warns online shoppers to look out for discounts that disappear before you finalize purchases. [More]
Whole Foods Finds Way To Make Overweight Folk Feel Even More Self-Conscious
By 1.26.10
Whole Foods is offering bigger discounts — from the current 20 percent to 30 percent — to employees with a low body mass index, as well as non-nicotine use, low cholesterol and blood pressure, Jezebel reports. [More]
Macy's To Open Bloomingdale's Outlet Stores This Summer
By 1.22.10
Macy’s wants in on the discount department store market, so starting this summer the company will open four outlet stores under the Bloomingdale’s brand in New Jersey, Florida, and Virginia, reports the Seattle Times. Apparently the real Bloomingdale’s sales haven’t been stellar in this economy, so Macy’s is hoping that a discount offshoot will bring in more budget-conscious shoppers. [More]
Pizza Hut's $10 Offer Doesn't Include Stuffed Crust
By 1.1.10
Alisha was disappointed to find out Pizza Hut’s “Any Pizza, Any Crust, Any Size, Any Topping” for $10″ deal isn’t quite as all-encompassing as it promises. [More]
Costco Bans Coca-Cola
By 11.17.09
A dispute over pricing has led Costco to stop selling a number of Coca-Cola brands, which means all Coke varieties as well as Sprite, Squirt, Dasani water, and Full Throttle energy drinks, reports the Associated Press.
Pet Store Takes Advantage Of Grocery Shrink Ray
By 11.16.09
Dan sent in this pic from a local pet store. It reads, “After January 1st, bag sizes will be decreased, and these new prices will stay the same. For the rest of 2009 you will save 12.5% on all big bags of Science Diet dog food!!” I like how they’re spinning the reduced packaging in a way that benefits them and the customer, while also making sure nobody is fooled come January 1st.
