On May 1st, the NFL is pulling its cable channel from Comcast’s cable line-up over a dispute about the cable company’s sports tier. As the deadline looms larger and larger, the company is taking their case to the people. David L. Cohen, an executive vice president of Comcast Corp, wrote the following opinion piece for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
pricing
Duane Reade May Want To Rethink The Instructions On Their Generic Sandwich Bags
By 4.4.09
Duane Reade wants you to compare their store brand sandwich bags to Ziploc’s bags, and you should, because Ziplcoc’s bags are $0.50 cheaper.
This Subway Sub To Salad Conversion Is Pretty Expensive
By 3.27.09
Reader Will sent us the above picture and asked why we thought it would cost so much more to substitute a plastic bowl for a piece of bread.
Kodak's Overpriced Photo Site Will Delete Your Photos If You Don't Spend Money
By 3.23.09
Kodak Gallery is a poor choice for online photo storage. As of this month, they’ve changed their storage policy so that now you must spend a minimum amount—$4.99 or $19.99, depending on whether you’re under or over 2GB of storage—every 12 months or your pics will be deleted. By comparison, Shutterfly has no minimum spending requirement and unlimited storage.
Are Chicagoans Rebelling Against The New Parking Meter Regime?
By 3.23.09
The evidence is purely anecdotal, but it seems that some unrest might be brewing in the City of Chicago. Now that the Mayor has leased the city’s parking meters to a company that jacked up the rates, people might be staying home rather than feed the meters — which now take as many as 28 quarters for 2 hours.
Airlines Having A "Worldwide Distress Sale"? Time For A Vacation?
By 3.18.09
You know, we hesitate to use the term “fire sale” to describe airline prices but there are apparently some insane deals to be had right now according to the San Francisco Chronicle
Are You Actually Paying More Than $3 A Minute To Use Your Cellphone?
By 3.9.09
The LA Times brings up an interesting point. You may think you are getting each cellphone minute for about $0.10… but are you really? Or are you paying for more minutes than you use?
Outcry Prompts Amazon To Stop Overcharging For Digital Edition
By 2.28.09
Kevin couldn’t understand why Amazon charged $29.95 for the digital version of Confessions of a Butcher when the paperback cost only $11.95. Amazon tried to gussy up the Kindle edition by offering what looked like a steep 45% discount, but the digital edition still cost $5 more than the print edition. Even the author’s wife chimed in to Amazon’s discussion forum to pan the discrepancy, adding, “what’s really ridiculous is that we sell more ebooks at $20 than we do new paperbacks for $11.95.”
Circuit City Liquidation Price VS Reality
By 2.27.09
Reader Kenneth stopped by his local post-apocalyptic Circuit City for an evening of bargain hunting. Was he successful, you ask? No, sadly Kenneth did not bag his limit of deals and return home happy. Instead, he found a $30 6′ USB cable.
Air Travel Is Getting Cheaper Because No One Is Flying
By 2.25.09
Prices are coming down as demand weakens, so if you were thinking of taking a flight — now might be a good time to start shopping for tickets.Southwest Airlines and AirTran have both announced fare cuts and the LA Times says that traffic is down 31% at LA/Ontario International Airport as ExpressJet, United Airlines, Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways have eliminated or slashed service. With that in mind, here are three shopping tools we like…
Rumor: T-Mobile Will Offer New 'Loyalty Plans' For Existing Customers In March
By 2.20.09
IntoMobile says that there’s a leaked screenshot going around that suggests new pricing due March 1st from T-Mobile. Among the new plans: $50/month for unlimited anytime minutes, and family plans starting at $90/month with additional lines at $40/month. There’s also a rumored $135 credit if you add a line and move a number over from another carrier. Is it true? We’ll know in about a week.
Dairy Queen's Recession Friendly Sweet Deal Menu Costs More
By 2.12.09
Starting next month, you might see TV spots advertising Dairy Queen‘s new “Sweet Deal” menu, which is supposed to be a value-priced alternative to their regular menu. They’re already rolling it out, and at least one item on the menu will actually cost you about 8% more than it used to.
Verizon's Internal Conflict is Astounding, Hilarious
By 2.11.09
Verizon just can’t seem to get their act together and decide how much their DSL service costs. Last month, we reported on a man who couldn’t get Verizon to commit to a price.
How A Sale Works At Target
By 2.9.09
Finally, an example of a business plan in which Phase 3 is definitely, “Profit!”
That Baby Outfit Macy Is Selling For $19.98? You Can Return It For $2.50
By 2.7.09
Benny wanted to return a baby gift worth $19.98, but Macy’s refused to offer more $2.50. Benny didn’t have a gift receipt so Macy’s understandably refused to give him more than the product’s lowest advertised price—but when Benny tracked the item down on the shelf, it was selling for $19.98. When he asked where the product was selling for $2.50, he was told: “its not, the managers put in the lowest selling price, thats Macy’s policy!”
Watch Out For Supermarket Price Spikes
By 2.2.09
A penny-pinching reader discovered that Giant Eagle—a supermarket chain that heavily promotes a savings club where you earn slight discounts on gas—has some jacked up soup prices, especially on their private label. Remember, if you’re not comparison shopping among local supermarkets, you can expect easy-to-miss price spikes like this one to wipe out any savings you thought you were getting.
Can I Make Best Buy Honor Their Advertised Sale Price?
By 1.30.09
Reader Sean tried to order a TV that was on sale at Best Buy, but for some reason his order didn’t go through. Now the TV isn’t on sale anymore and Best Buy is claiming to have no record of the transaction.
