Short but sweet sales. Today I received an email from The Body Shop announcing a sale this afternoon for members only for three hours. You can buy 3 items for $30 on everything in the store from 3 – 6 p.m. some exclusions. Check it out! In stores only! Read Full Story

    I made a special effort to buy a new hardcover book last weekend because I was able to get the book on sale, plus use a coupon and get an additional coupon good for a future purchase. In all I paid less than half the original price for the book with the discounts and have a coupon for 20% off of a future purchase good for a week or so. There are restrictions for the coupon such as no gift card purchases and ereaders aren’t included but brick and mortar book stores are trying to be more co... Read Full Story

Finding the perfect gift shouldn’t be the only challenge you face this shopping season. Every holiday season people are warned about pickpockets and parking lot thefts and robberies. This year since the economy is poor it is important to remind people of personal safety. Consider this… how many times have you seen people put their packages on the back seat of their vehicle and then go back into the store or mall? That seemingly innocuous event is just an invitation to thieves.     Afte... Read Full Story

If you are someone who has shied away from Coinstar because of the service charge that you must pay, here’s another reason to look at them especially with Christmas approaching. If you have more than $40 in change lying around you can get a $10 bonus if you put the $40 onto an e-certificate for more than a dozen retailers including Amazon, Eddie Bauer, Borders, Cabela’s J. C. Penny’s, CVS and more. The offer expires December 6 a few weeks before Christmas, but you can take advantage of the of... Read Full Story

If you are someone who has shied away from Coinstar because of the service charge that you must pay, here’s another reason to look at them especially with Christmas approaching. If you have more than $40 in change lying around you can get a $10 bonus if you put the $40 onto an e-certificate for more than a dozen retailers including Amazon, Eddie Bauer, Borders, Cabela’s J. C. Penny’s, CVS and more. The offer expires December 6 a few weeks before Christmas, but you can take advantage of the of... Read Full Story

The researchers found that shoplifting — or what’s euphemistically known as product “shrinkage” — jumped 5.9% in the past year at the more than 1,000 retail chains the group surveyed globally. In previous years, the increase hovered at 1.5% annually. Though the problem was documented across all regions, the steepest increases occurred in North America (8.1%), the Middle East (7.5%) and Europe (4.7%). In terms of total losses, retailers in North America topped the charts at ... Read Full Story

The researchers found that shoplifting — or what’s euphemistically known as product “shrinkage” — jumped 5.9% in the past year at the more than 1,000 retail chains the group surveyed globally. In previous years, the increase hovered at 1.5% annually. Though the problem was documented across all regions, the steepest increases occurred in North America (8.1%), the Middle East (7.5%) and Europe (4.7%). In terms of total losses, retailers in North America topped the charts at ... Read Full Story

Retailers aren’t as panicked about the upcoming holiday shopping season as they were last year.   With this scenario in mind, retail experts said their No. 1 tip for gift shoppers this year is grab what you want, when you see it.   “Merchants got burned badly last year when they were left with a lot of unsold merchandise after Christmas,” said George Whalin, retail expert and president and CEO of Retail Management Consultants.     There is a different feel about holiday sho... Read Full Story

Retailers aren’t as panicked about the upcoming holiday shopping season as they were last year.   With this scenario in mind, retail experts said their No. 1 tip for gift shoppers this year is grab what you want, when you see it.   “Merchants got burned badly last year when they were left with a lot of unsold merchandise after Christmas,” said George Whalin, retail expert and president and CEO of Retail Management Consultants.     There is a different feel about holiday sho... Read Full Story

    The unemployment rate has officially surpassed the 10% mark.  In actuality, the number is probably much higher considering the unemployment rate doesn’t include people who have been unemployed for a longer period of time and have just given up. There are people who are employed but not earing enough to make ends meet.     If 90% of the labor force is working and sectors such as construction, manufacturing and retail trade are losing the majority of jobs, where will the gains be made? Manu... Read Full Story