../../../..//2009/01/02/new-york-city-doesnt-publicize/
New York City doesn’t publicize it in any way, but they offer a guaranteed reduction on parking ticket fines if you challenge the ticket in person, online, or via mail.[New York Times]
discounts
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.”
By 12.28.08
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Borders gave a reader a coupon for $5 off any purchase of $5 or more. As our reader notes, “is this the right tactic for a struggling company to take?”
Kohl's Marks Up Jewelry, Then Discounts It
By 12.26.08
A Maryland woman bought some jewelry on sale at the Kohl’s in Westminster, then discovered cheaper prices under the price tags.
Consumer 101: 3 Ways To Lower Your Out Of Control Cable, Internet And Phone Bills
By 11.13.08
How much to spend on cable, internet and telephone is something nobody had to worry about only a few generations ago. Today, the Pew Research Center says that after housing, cable and satellite TV service was most frequently cited as a regular household expense (78%), followed by cell phones (74%) and internet service (65%). By contrast, just four-in-ten adults (42%) say they make a car payment. If you’re looking for a way to cut the amount of money you spend on these “information age” expenses, we’ve got three of them to choose from.
Supermarket Chain Adds 10% At Register, But Only In Some Stores
By 10.10.08
The Nash Finch stores Avanza, Food Bonanza and Wholesale Food Outlets add the 10 percent charge to food at the register and specialize in serving Hispanics, according to store workers.
By 10.9.08
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Delta is selling airline tickets from New York City to Chicago for $79 each way. You must depart October 11th and return between October 13-14th. [TravelZoo via their Twitter feed]
"Funny" Economic-Meltdown-Themed Marketing Fails To Impress Consumers
By 10.6.08
The Wall Street Journal says that big discounts and hilarious bailout-themed marketing has failed impress consumers, and retailers are expecting sales to worsen before they get better. Restoration Hardware launched a “bailout” themed promotion offering $100 off purchases of $400 or more at the home furnishings chain, while Steve Madden posted signs depicting “a declining stock chart and implored shoppers to “Sell Stocks, Buy Shoes.”
By 9.19.08
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Throughout 2009, if you show up on your birthday to any Disney theme park in the U.S., you’ll get in free. Imagine how much money you can save on an awesome birthday, provided you go alone! [Orlando Sentinel] (Thanks to RL!)
Toys"R"Us: You Are Too Young For A Grandparent's Discount
By 9.13.08
“It’s discriminatory,” Peters said. “How do you put an age on a grandparent or a mother or a father, for that matter?”
By 8.25.08
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This Best Buy coupon for free Apple software for students isn’t a very good deal after all—you can get educational discounts at the Apple store, and through September 15th you can get a free iPod Touch or Nano with your computer purchase. Our advice: skip Best Buy and go directly through Apple. (Thanks to Matt and yasth!)
GM's 'Employee Pricing' Sales Mean Big Discounts On Cars Right Now
By 8.20.08
GM is desperate to boost its sales this month, so the company is offering some steep discounts under its “Employee Pricing” sale. The car blog KickingTires is covering the discounts and points out that “almost all of the prices are around 10% off, which is big in terms of car sales.” For example, you can save $9,000 on a Hummer H3. Of course, you’ll spend that much on gas for it in the first week, but there are other options as well, like Saturns, Chevys, and even the 2008 Corvette Z06 (which we mention separately because KickingTires says powerful sports cars are usually exempt from this sort of sale, but not this time).
Petsmart Tries To Sell You Something To Stop The Bleeding They Started
By 8.18.08
Reader Sara wants to share the experience she had with Petsmart’s dog grooming service. She says that after they accidentally cut her dog’s toenail too close they tried to sell her a product to stop the bleeding.
You Must Hurry, These TV Stands Will Go Fast
By 7.30.08
Walmart.com doesn’t just sell phantom coolers. They also have awesome deals like this priced-to-move TV stand. We guess when you already have low low prices, there’s not much room for extra discounts. (Thanks to Adam!)
Careful, That Red Lobster Coupon Could Cost You $7,500
By 7.25.08
How do you define a scam? Does your definition include anything where you have to put down money upfront in order to get discounts later? Maybe it should. Meet Stephen and Jean Liang of Kansas City, Missouri. They went to a presentation for a travel club, and ended up joining for $7,500– with the condition that they could cancel after 3 days. Before they left, they were offered a discount for Red Lobster. They thought it was a bonus for joining the club. It wasn’t.
Target Discontinues Coupon Due To Rampant Fraud
By 7.7.08
If you downloaded a web coupon that offered $5 off any $25 purchase at Target, you should know that you’ve been had. Someone altered a real coupon—removing the image and the word “toy,” in order to make it seem like it applied to any purchase. The original undoctored coupon, which was e-mailed to 85,000 Target customers, was for $5 off any $25 toy purchase, and Target is now pulling the coupon due to the rampant fraud.
Dell Reduces Instant Discount By $200 Somewhere Between Shopping Cart And Order Confirmation
By 5.30.08
Before we get to the typical bad-company shenanigans—in this case, Dell’s $599 discount mysteriously shrank to $400 between when he placed it in his shopping cart and when he reached the confirmation screen—we want to share this bit of ridiculousness. Dell’s CSR Vanessa gives us the scoop on Dell’s sophisticated order fulfillment system:
This Toys "R" Us Discount Is Of Dubious Value
By 4.10.08
Dylan writes:
I saw this today at the Toy”R”Us store in Elizabeth, New Jersey and though you folks would be interested. This Lego kit (the Exo Force Sentai Fortress Battle Set) has a sign that indicates its original price was $19.99 and that it is on sale for $69.98. The sign helpfully indicates that this is a savings of negative $49.
We’ve seen fifty-cent adjustments in the wrong direction, but fifty dollars? That’s pushing it.
