There will be no pre-dawn Black Friday shopping rampages inside the Victor, NY Walmart. Backed by a wave of local outcry, the town had denied the superstore’s request to open from 11pm to 7am on Nov 25-26th. [More]
local
Homegrown Currencies Are Popular Right Now, But Do They Work?
By 7.20.10
Remember the Downtown Dollars that Ardmore, PA sold to its citizens this year? Sara Lepro at American Banker looked at that and other “homegrown currency” experiments happening across the country, which are intended to stimulate the local economy and take advantage of “a growing ‘localism’ movement.” [More]
Well, This Ad Was In Poor Taste
By 4.7.10
It seems a jewelry store is experiencing some backlash on Facebook for a print ad that they say they did not approve. Here’s the ad and their statement. [More]
Credit Unions Ask Customers To Leave
By 3.16.10
Credit unions might be attractive alternatives to big commercial banks, but they’re not crisis-proof. OregonLive says about a fifth of the nation’s credit unions are having financial troubles right now. To get in better financial health, they’re introducing fees for services that have long been free, and even asking members to move their deposits to other institutions. [More]
Neighborhoods Propose Printing Their Own Currency To Encourage Local Shopping
By 12.4.08
Two neighborhoods in Milwaukee are considering printing their own currency, which could be bought with U.S. dollars, but would be only accepted at local businesses, in order to encourage people to shop at home instead of Walmart.
Home Depot Caught Refusing To Issue "Rain Checks"
By 5.23.07
A Home Depot store has been fined $1500 for refusing to issue rain checks for items that were advertised on sale, but were not available for purchase. Many communities have regulations that state that if an item is advertised as being on sale without mentioning a specific limited quantity, the retailer has a legal obligation to issue a rain check that will allow the customer to purchase the item later for the sale price.
HOWTO: Buy a Side of Beef
By 12.13.06
Get Rich Slowly has some instructions on how to buy a side of beef—which is a good way to support local ranchers, save money and get a superior quality product. Growing up, our parents always purchased meat this way. Often several couples or families will pool money to purchase a single animal. One of the advantages (aside from cost) is the time savings involved in never having to shop for beef. There’s always something in the fridge. From the post:
