You might have ripped the wrapping paper off a shiny new GPS unit earlier this week, but should you keep it? A well-meaning loved one might have bought you a new one this week, but that doesn’t mean that they chose the best one for your needs or that you should keep it. How do you know whether the unit you have is the best for you? If only there were an entity out there that tested different models side-by-side and published the results…Oh, right, that would be our elder sister publication, Consumer Reports! [More]
gifts
Kmart Overcharged Me For Layaway Order, Then Their Servers Ate It
By 12.19.12
Caroline’s Kmart layaway order was wrong. After she placed the order online, the contract came back $92 more than it was supposed to be. Well, okay, no problem: she could just call up Kmart and straighten it out. That’s why stores have a huge customer service staff. Except for how she called up Kmart and they told her to direct her problems to her local store. For an online layaway order. She’s been struggling with Kmart for a month now. The staff at her local store have been extremely helpful, but that doesn’t solve her core problem: she’s been overcharged for an order that still hasn’t shipped after being paid in full. [More]
Remember That The Gift You Packed Might Not Make It Through Airport Security With The Wrapping Intact
By 12.18.12
With Christmas a week away, we figured it was time to remind everyone who plans on traveling with gifts in their bags that the TSA might have to undo your handiwork at the airport. [More]
7 Roadblocks To Returning Gifts
By 12.18.12
Sure, right now is the season of gift-giving. But soon enough, we’ll change gears and consumers will be lined up to return some of the things they’ve been given. So there are some things you should be aware of before Dec. 26. [More]
NJ Lottery: Gambling Addiction Is Not A Merry Holiday Gift For Your Child
By 12.10.12
Sure, you can’t take your favorite 10-year-old niece with you to your favorite casino to feed electronic quarters into a dazzling slot machine until her eyes glaze over and she enters a gambling-induced trance. That’s generally illegal. What’s perfectly legal, though, is buying her a nice pile of instant lottery tickets to play. You have to be 18 years old to buy scratchers, but not to play them. Which is why the New Jersey State Lottery and the state Council on Compulsive Gambling put out a statement this week warning that giving lottery tickets to kids might just win them a lifetime of gambling addiction. [More]
My Mom Ordered One iPad And Best Buy Sent Five
By 12.5.12 — Updated: 12.8.12
Alexa’s boyfriend got an iPad for Christmas from his mother. Well, that’s not quite true. His mother ordered one iPad, and had it shipped to him. What arrived on their doorstep was a very large and heavy box that was big enough to hold five iPads. Because it did. [More]
6 Holiday Gifts You’d Be Better Off Buying Some Other Time Of The Year
By 11.12.12
We’ve told you before that while there are plenty of sales on Black Friday, it is rarely the best day to get the lowest price on quality goods. But a new report claims that you’d be better off buying some common gift items outside of the holiday months. [More]
Why Didn’t Roku Explain That A Warranty Replacement Is Really An Exchange?
By 10.17.12
A. got a Roku as a gift, and thought that it would keep working for a while. No… not really. It didn’t work from the start. He called tech support, who authorized an exchange for a working unit. What they failed to do was explain that “exchange” meant that they needed the old one back. His girlfriend tossed it out in the interim. No broken Roku? No replacement Roku. [More]
Shari's Berries Replaces Order Even Though I Screwed Up
By 9.10.12
A friend of his mother was very kind to Paul’s mom, and he wanted to do something nice for her. He ordered a beautiful and delicious strawberry “rose” bouquet after getting the friend’s address from his mom. She gave him the wrong address, though, and someone four doors down decided to keep some free berries. When he learned about this, Paul went to place a new order. This was his mistake after all. Instead, when he contacted Shari’s berries to ask who signed for the mis-delivered package, they sent out a replacement order to the correct address. For free. [More]
The Perfect Mother's Day Gift: Condoms And Lube
By 4.30.12
We’d like to think that this display is the work of a Big Lots employee with a wicked sense of humor. “Celebrate the woman who gave you life,” it seems to say, “by making sure she doesn’t create any more of it.” [More]
Forget The Florist, Make Your Own V-Day Bouquet
By 2.10.12
If you’ve got plans to get a loved one flowers for Valentine’s Day, there are more options than picking up something from the display rack at the front of the grocery store or a high-priced arrangement that florists are peddling. You can save money and add a personal touch by making your own bouquet. [More]
What To Do With All Those Gifts You Hate
By 12.28.11
The blur of the past couple weeks may have littered your home with useless trinkets others gave you in exchange for the equally useless stuff you gave them. If you had wanted any of these things you would have bought them yourself, but you’re stuck with them until you manage to simplify and declutter. [More]
Guaranteed Christmas Delivery At Zales Leads To Panicked Boyfriend
By 12.23.11
Maybe Derek shouldn’t have waited until last week to order a bracelet for his girlfriend as a Christmas gift, or maybe he should have gone to a brick-and-mortar Zales store to buy it. But he didn’t, and their site guaranteed delivery by Christmas if he ordered at that point. It turns out that “guaranteed Christmas delivery” actually means “we might get around to shipping it by the 22nd.” [More]
The Point Of A Monogrammed Bathrobe Is That Someone Has To Monogram It
By 12.23.11
The point of ordering a monogrammed bathrobe for someone as a gift is that you want to give a monogrammed bathrobe as a gift. Jennifer planned to give such a gift this Christmas, and ordered the robe from Brookstone at the beginning of the month. It arrived without the monogram, and thus without the point. The best Brookstone has been able to offer her is a $20 gift card. She is not pleased. [More]
6 Weird Things You Probably Don't Have On Your Holiday Wish List
By 12.15.11
We’re not here to judge, but there are a few things floating around out there on the Internet that you probably won’t have on your wish list. But just in case you are searching for the perfect pre-need cremation package or perhaps an all-in-one ukulele band, this list is for you. [More]
Gifts That Will End Up Costing The Recipient More Money
By 12.13.11
Everyone loves getting free stuff. But not everyone is a fan of getting free stuff that requires them to then spend money just to use it. [More]
Most Americans Giving Black Friday The Cold Shoulder
By 11.10.11
Despite all the hype and hoopla and multi-page spreads, most Americans are planning on doing absolutely no shopping at all on Black Friday, according to a new survey. [More]
Vermont Teddy Bear Gets Guy Dumped On Valentine's
By 2.14.11
Vermont Teddy Bear are supposed to be harbingers of love and snuggling. But for reader Erik, who emailed us his story in response to our request for tales of romance, love and heartbreak centered around a specific product, sending one of those stuffed bears only served to herald his doom. Here’s his story of how a Vermont Teddy Bear got him dumped on Valentine’s. [More]
