Restaurant Deals to Hate-Celebrate Valentine’s Day
The lovey-dovey holiday that falls on February 14 strikes many as pretentious and forced, or just as a bitter minder of a relationship gone wrong. Hence the rise of anti-Valentine’s events at...
View ArticleWith Auto Sales Slumping, Car Dealerships Will Wheel and Deal
After weeks of bad winter weather have turned car sales cold, the forecast calls for automakers to hike rebates and incentives to get the new car market moving again. Automakers are expecting 2014 to...
View ArticleAn Ultra-Cheap, Anti-Union Upstart Airline Could Transform Flying
Travelers have long desired low-cost flights connecting Europe and the U.S. One emerging European carrier is making this dream a reality—and a range of travel industry forces don’t like it one bit....
View ArticleChipotle’s ‘Farmed and Dangerous’: Entertainment or Marketing Propaganda?
Chipotle’s creation and sponsorship of a new online TV series could change how you eat—and maybe also how you perceive marketing and advertising. Chipotle, the burrito-selling fast-casual restaurant...
View ArticleRise of Ride Sharing Could Mean Pricier Auto Insurance for Everyone
That’s what forces pushing new regulations on sharing are suggesting anyway. Ride-sharing services see the situation quite differently, of course. Regulators aren’t quite sure what to do with so-called...
View ArticleThe Surprising Best Thing about Google Fiber Coming to Your Town
Sure, Internet speeds are faster, and the base-level Google Fiber service is cheaper than typical Internet providers. But what might truly set Google Fiber apart from the pack is that the customer...
View ArticleTarget Shoppers Shrug Off Massive Credit Card Data Breach
It’s understandable that many consumers were shocked and outraged to learn that the credit card info of tens of millions of Target customers was compromised in a data breach during the holiday shopping...
View ArticleCustom-Order ‘Mix-In’ Ice Cream Chains Realize They’re a Rip-off
Executives in charge of two sister ice cream chains did a funny thing: They did some price comparisons in the field, talked to consumers, and concluded their “value proposition was out of whack.”...
View ArticleHuh? America’s Best-Selling Car Isn’t Purchased By the Most Drivers
Toyota sold over 40,000 more Camrys in the U.S. than its nearest competitor, the Honda Accord. But Honda is making hay that the Accord was actually the car bought by more Americans last year. In 2013,...
View ArticleWalmart’s Big Push to Go Small—and Destroy Your Neighborhood Dollar Store
After months of subpar sales, the prototypical big-box retailer is embracing the idea that one size does not fit all. In the fourth quarter earnings report made public by Walmart last week, it was...
View ArticleThe Rise of Snobby Secondhand Fashion Retail
Don’t call them thrift stores. A new breed of secondhand fashion franchises is emerging, and it’s worlds away from the funky, dusty, cheap Goodwill. Secondhand stores are not known for being picky....
View ArticleDisney’s Early-Season Price Hike Almost Dares Visitors to Boycott Its Theme...
A year ago at this time, a one-day pass to Disney’s Magic Kingdom cost $89. Now, after two price hikes in less than 12 months, admission runs $99—$105 after taxes. That’s the new single-day admission...
View ArticleHey, We Want More $$$ Too! More Theme Parks Jack Up Ticket Prices
Within days of Disney jacking up admissions prices to its theme parks, Universal Studios has done the same. Disney and Universal Studios, the fiercest of competitors in the theme park space, are...
View ArticleFinally, Some ‘Best’ Places You Can Actually Afford
What good is it to hear about the world’s best hotel when one night there costs more than you make in a week? It’s not particularly difficult to find amazingly luxurious vacation lodging: Just go where...
View ArticleThe Out-of-Nowhere Hot-Selling Sports Jersey Phenomenon: A Recent Timeline
Everyone understands why the jerseys of all-time greats like Peyton Manning, LeBron James, and Derek Jeter top on the best-seller list. But in our age of the insta-hero, the masses can be driven to buy...
View ArticleWhat the World’s Richest 5 Could Buy
Bill Gates regains his title as “World’s Richest Person” in the new Forbes’ Billionaire list for 2014. Gates spends so much of his money on charity that for four years, he was not listed as the...
View ArticleBeef: It’s What’s No Longer Affordable for Dinner
To paraphrase a Paula Cole song, where have all the cows gone? At the start of 2014, U.S. ranchers had 87.99 million head of cattle, the lowest total since 1951. Long periods of drought in California...
View ArticleAfter Two Frigid Months for Auto Sales, Dealerships Are Desperate for Buyers
Week after week of cold and misery has kept car buyers away from auto dealerships in 2014. The weather should also be indirectly helping them get better prices on new-car purchases this spring....
View ArticleTravelers: It’s About Damn Time Airlines Toughened Up Baggage Policies
United is ratcheting up stricter carry-on baggage rule enforcement, and the result is that more passengers will be hit with fees. To which many travelers say: Wonderful! This week, word has quickly...
View ArticleSweet! The Smooth Rise of Non-Bitter Not-Quite-Beer Beverages
We’ve all heard about how quickly America’s craft beer market is growing. Two traditional beer alternatives—hard ciders and fruity malt alcoholic beverages like Bud Light Lime Straw-Ber-Rita—are...
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