Before McDonald’s big announcement on Tuesday that it would roll out all-day breakfast across the country starting next month, we wondered if the fast food giant would scrap its plans because of egg shortages caused by the recent avian flu outbreak and the high egg prices that have resulted from it. While we now know that the Golden Arches wasn’t put off by the possibility of dishing out more cash for eggs, its new venture could further aggravate the egg-supply issues plaguing other businesses. [More]
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Apple Is Having Trouble Getting Enough Screens For The iPhone 5
If you’re planning on getting and iPhone 5 when it launches in a few weeks, you might want to be proactive about pre-ordering, because Apple is allegedly having trouble getting enough screens. [More]
Air Travel Is Getting Cheaper Because No One Is Flying
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…
Gas Prices Have Fallen For 51 Straight Days
AAA says that gas prices have fallen for 51 straight days — and that the current average price is $2.31 per gallon. The current price is the lowest the nation has seen since February of 2007, and is 43.8% lower than the record high of $4.11 set during July of this year.
Video: Turning Illegally Logged Wood Into A Walmart Toilet Seat
It’s hard to think of an object that isn’t made of wood or packaged or encounters wood at some point in its journey through the economy. Any number of household items that you can buy at Walmart, like a toilet seat for instance, may very well be made from Russian wood.
Walmart Rations Rice
Following Costco’s lead, Walmart announced it is now rationing rice. Shoppers at Sam’s Club discount wholesale clubs will be limited to four bags of rice per customer. Wal-Mart “working with our suppliers to address this matter to ensure we are in stock, and we are asking for our members’ cooperation and patience.” It’s not as bad as it sounds, the bags are still 500 lbs each.
Costco: One Bag Of Rice Per Customer, Please
The bustling store in the heart of Silicon Valley usually sells four or five varieties of rice to a clientele largely of Asian immigrants, but only about half a pallet of Indian-grown Basmati rice was left in stock. A 20-pound bag was selling for $15.99.
The Freakonomics Of The Wii?
We don’t feel so bad that we don’t yet have a Wii, because Dubner over at Freakonomics doesn’t have one and he’s certainly wealthier and more popular than we are. He’s posted a letter from one Paul Kimmelman summarizing the baffling shortage of Wiis. It raises some interesting questions.
PS3: Are Consumers Put Off By The Price?
Prices on eBay have fallen as well. Whoops. Of course this doesn’t mean you can walk in to a store and actually buy a PS3, but it does mean you can’t gouge someone on eBay quite as easily.—MEGHANN MARCO