Tag Archives: consumer research

State(s) of Happiness, 2013

The darker green ye see, the happier ye be! Arrr!
The darker green ye see, the happier ye be! Arrr!

Well, the 2012 results have just been released, anyway. Today, we revisit and update a topic from June of last year.

Who are the happiest Americans? And how would be know? Well, you interview a BUNCH of people all across the United States – DAILY, for a WHOLE YEAR – and you draw some conclusions!

Gallup rated each state on the following: life evaluation, emotional health, physical health, work environment, healthy behaviors and basic access to services and amenities.  Drum roll please…

Happiest States 2012 (with 2011 score)

10 Massachusetts (14)…09 Iowa (16) …08 New Hampshire (9)…

07 Nebraska (8)… 06 Montana (10)…05 Vermont (12)…

04 Utah (5)…03 Minnesota (3)…02 Colorado (6)… 01 Hawaii (1)

Dropping out of top 10 from last year:  Kansas, Alaska and North Dakota

Unhappiest States 2012 (with 2011 score)

41 Oklahoma (39) …42 Indiana (38) …43 Louisiana (36)…

44 Ohio (46) …45 Alabama (45)…46 Arkansas(44) …

47 Tennessee (41) …48 Mississippi (48)…49 Kentucky (49)…

50 West Virginia (50)

Climbing out of the bottom 10 (yay…?) Delaware, Missouri, Florida and Nevada

So that’s the rundown. What do you think? Are you in a “happy” state? An “unhappy” state? Do you agree or disagree with this assessment? Let us know! Check out the whole report, and have a great weekend!

JC Penney Turns Over an Old Leaf

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At JC Penney, it’s “so long, Everyday Low Prices” and “welcome back, Big Saturday Sale!”

We last visited this topic back in May 2012 (see The Return of the Saturday Sale.) By that time, it had been decided that JCP’s experiment with ditching sales in favor of their “Fair and Square,” i.e. Everyday Low Prices, wasn’t exactly working out.

In fact, business is down 20%, a loss of $160 million. Of course, JCPenney’s CEO says, no, this is still the right idea. You just haven’t caught on yet. It’s YOUR fault, dummies! (I may have added that last bit.) …Me, MindFieldLive 5/18/12

Apparently, JCP boss Ron Johnson was determined not to panic, so he “let it ride” until they had lost a cool billion dollars.

Now, it’s Back to the Future, and JCPenney has thrown in the towel. That is, they are taking that towel and boosting its price by up to EIGHTY PERCENT…then immediately putting it on sale and slapping a “30% OFF” sticker on it!

A pair of Nike swimming trunks priced at $25, for example, has been raised to $45, according to data reviewed by The Post. A bikini top under the retailer’s Arizona label was hiked to $24 from $15, while an Arizona men’s polo shirt is now $14, up from $9, the data show. New York Post

So, it’s back to the way things once’ta was. The question is, will the customers return? I recall a lot of EMOTION surrounding the death of the Saturday sale… are you happy now? Will you go back to JCP or have you moved on? Let us know, and have a great weekend!

Cheap, Frugal or Both?

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Get it?
Get it?

It’s kind of a slow consumer news day, other than the persistent economic gloom. So I thought we would surf the web for money saving ideas! See if any of these make sense for you and your family. Follow the links to savings! or something…

As a counterpoint: 5 Household Items Worth the Splurge

Also, a question: has the downturn “educated” us to the point that we no longer need coupons?Read: Coupon clipping declines as shoppers get savvier

What do you think? Any good tips here? Do you have any to share from your personal experience? Let us know!

Fighting Fitness Myths

Yesterday my new, seemingly 14-year-old doctor said to me in a comforting tone (or so she thought,) “If being in shape were easy, then everybody would be in shape.”

Uh, thanks, Bones. Can we be done now?

Anyway, with news like we highlighted yesterday (“Get healthy or pay more for your employer’s health insurance,”) and with the continuing mystery of what our health care system is going to look like in the coming years…

Like this, I fear...
Like this, I fear…

…people are starting to see “getting in shape” as a sort of hedge against the unknown, instead of a goal in and of itself. Hey, health is health, but using the wrong motivation can lead to mistakes like using ancient, outdated diet advice (you know, more than 3 months old!)

So, the good housekeepers at Good Housekeeping have rounded up some dieting myths for us to ponder…

  1. Carbs bad. CARBS BAAAD!!! Carbs are fuel. While the white grains can be trouble, the browns are less so.
  2. Fresh fruits and veggies are always more nutritious than frozen. Unless you pull them out of the ground yourself, there’s no real difference.
  3. Egg cholesterol BAD! It’s not great, for sure. But you can probably still eat 1 or 2 a week. Or switch to egg whites, and have as much as you want.
  4. Skipping breakfast? Don’t do it, man!!
  5. It’s all in your GENES. Actually, they say that weight is 25% genes, 75% behavior.
  6. Creative combinations. I did this once. Something with cottage cheese and beet juice. You see, the CHEMISTRY of the foods in certain combinations means that your body reacts by burning more… yeah, it was all nonsense.

There’s your top 5. For further explanations, as well as a list of Exercise myths, check out the original article. And have a great weekend!

Lose Weight Get Paid!

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scarebux

Or, just the opposite! Sometimes we need a little incentive to change our habits. In this instance, it’s cold hard cash!

Researchers followed 100 Mayo Clinic employees over the course of a year as they took educational classes on how to eat healthy and lose weight. They were broken up into several groups – some of which got financial incentives to shed the pounds and others that just got the classes.  CNN.com

What they found is that the people getting cash incentives lost around 9 pounds on average in the course of the year, vs. the info-only folks who lost 2.

Programs like this are not exactly new. “About 86% of large employers are already offering some kind of financial incentives to help employees reach their health goals,”  (CNN again.)

Here employees who lost received $20. BUT, if they gained, they owed $20. This is effective for two reasons. Reward is nice, but reward and penalty together are even more effective. Second, these types of programs can get really expensive. Losers helped pay the winners in this case, and helped keep the cost of the program lower for the company.

So, what are your thoughts? Have you done this at your  company? Did it work? Read the original piece, and let us know!

Don’t Buy These Foods?

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Wow, Google Image Search...that's the best you got?
Wow, Google Image Search…that’s the best you got?

I love lists like these because people take them so personally. “You’re wrong, stupid and ugly!”, etc.  Nevertheless, an article has been published citing the 27 Foods You Should Never Buy Again.

Looking down the list, these no-no foods seem to fall in a few categories:

  • Luxury items, where quality is high, but so is the price, and you could make them yourself for much less.
  • Healthy items, where price can be high, and where a negative element is often replaced by a different negative element with less bad press.
  • Convenience items that you can almost always make yourself for less, and are packed with preservatives.

So, let’s take a look at some highlights…

  • “Blueberry” items: Fad foods, yay! All it takes is for someone to say “Blueberries are BURSTING with anti-oxidants” and, suddenly, blueberries are in everything. Problem is, it’s usually just blueberry flavor with none of the supposed benefits!
  • Reduced fat peanut butter: A recurring theme: they take out a vital ingredient and claim you won’t notice the difference. Here, what they take out is fat. What they add so you won’t notice the difference is sugar.
  • Tomato-based pasta sauces: My favorite on the list. I abandoned the name brand jars of spaghetti sauce long ago in favor of Walmart’s “Italian style (basil, oregano & garlic) diced tomatoes” in the can.
  • Energy drinks: Just stick to coffee. If you nod off in the afternoon and Robert Goulet sneaks into your office and messes with your stuff, well, that’s entertaining, at least.
  • Gluten-free baked goods: Unless you are diagnosed with gluten intolerance or celiac disease, you are participating in another food fad. You are paying higher prices, eating ingredients that are bad in different ways, and getting no benefit.
  • Foods made of WOOD: You’ll have to read this for yourself. Keyword: cellulose.
  • ‘Gourmet’ frozen vegetables: Frozen peas? Cheapest thing you can buy. Frozen peas with 11 herbs and spices and a rich creamy saffron butter sauce? Not so much!
  • Premium frozen fruit bars: Come on! Ice tray, fruit juice, Saran wrap, and tooth picks. DONE!
  • Spice mixes: Dudes fall into this trap most often with grilling or barbecue “rubs.” Wise up, dudes!
  • Trail mix: Been making our own for years using raisins, peanuts and coconut shavings. Wouldn’t call it healthy, but it’s cheap!
  • ‘Snack’ or ‘lunch’ packs: Don’t forget to pack your lunch…full of salt and preservatives!!

And there are 16 more on the list, so check it out, give us your opinion, and have a great weekend!

So Long, Saturday Mail!

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saturday mail

So, the Post Office has announced that it will no longer deliver on Saturdays. Will you miss it? How will affect you? We will get to that. But first, the sarcasm.

First of all, I don’t hate the USPS. I can only report on what I experience day to day. I actually like my carrier a lot. She’s super-nice, and we even exchange Christmas gifts. No, it’s my local branch that I wish they would demolish and turn into a shabby little mini mart that sells cigarettes, scratch offs and night crawlers – basically, ANY other kind of establishment that would treat me like a customer and not a sworn enemy.

The service at my branch has driven me into the arms of the UPS store, where I pay more for actual service. Or, to the tax preparation place that is an authorized USPS dealer, where the people are super dumb but super friendly. Anything to avoid that den of slack called The Post Office.

So anyway, how does this affect you (and by YOU I mean ME)?  That is spelled out in this USNews.com article that outlines some of the changes we can expect. For example:

  • Medicines by mail: Are considered Priority Mail, and will still arrive on Saturday.
  • Social Security/Welfare/Veterans/etc.: Today, most benefits come by direct deposit to your bank account, or EBT. If yours DON’T, you have until March 1 to make that happen! (visit godirect.org)
  • Bill-payers: You may have some cause for concern. Generally, the credit card companies give you 21 days before you are late. You might lose some days because of this. You might want to switch to electronic pay!
  • PO Box holders: No change. You see, while the carriers lose a day of pay, the hard(ly) working folks that work in (my) branch will still be cramming your PO Box with bills and junk mail. So…yay?

These changes are expected to save the USPS $2 billion each year. Ironically, the solution for some of the inconveniences seems to be “going electronic,” which is likely going to cost them even more business. I suspect this isn’t the last time we will be addressing this issue.

So, read the original article, and have a great weekend! Tomorrow, give your Saturday mail a hug, and appreciate the time you have left together!

Tough Love for Shopaholics

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5464704-yes-i-did-it-bought-what-i-wanted-shopaholic-woman-it-is-extremely-happy-and-laughing-and-the-guy-sm
(credit: 123rf.com)

It used to be that we just “spent too much, ” or that we couldn’t “stick to a budget.” Today, in a world where the list of  “-oholisms” seems to get longer every day, we are told that compulsive spending can be a sign of larger emotional issues.

Between 2 and 5 percent of Americans have some form of shopping addiction, which means they struggle to control their purchases. It can lead to debt, damaged relationships, and might even be related to depression.  US News Money

The bright side (I guess) of turning everything into a disease is that it draws attention to the problem. The eggheads study it, identify symptoms and suggest ways to deal with it. And it tells those affected that they aren’t alone. So here is a brief list of behaviors that might point to a compulsive shopping problem:

  • You lie about your purchases.
  • You don’t talk openly about your shopping habits.
  • Your shopping habits are hurting your relationships.
  • You usually shop alone.
  • You think of shopping as a hobby.
  • You shop to feel better about yourself.
  • You feel a rush of euphoria when making purchases.
  • Your shopping habits are interfering with your life.
  • You use credit cards to finance your purchases.
  • You don’t know where your money is going.

I guess, like anything else, one or two of these behaviors might not be a problem. Five or six may be a different story.

And don’t get me wrong – this can be serious. I may not agree with turning everything into a disease, but wrecking relationships and going bankrupt are real things – things that you, like, want to AVOID. So, check out the original article for more details, and see if you notice these behaviors in yourself or others. And have a great weekend!

Love, Debt and Gender

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love-my-debt
(photo credit: creditcards.com)

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, a reminder that tying the knot with someone means taking on his or her debts. And, according to a survey by CreditCards.com, how we feel about that seems to be a gender-specific thing.

About 70% of women would break it off if they found out their partner had lied about their ability to pay routine bills. That’s the same percentage of women who would stop seeing someone with a criminal history. 66% of women find secret credit card debt a relationship deal-killer, and 55% would cut it off if they found out a partner was heavily in debt.

For whatever reason, guys seem more…forgiving? Those same numbers for men are 50% (vs. 70), 50% (vs. 66) and 37% (vs. 55).

Other fun statistics?

  • 57% of women, and 48% of men, say that a partner with debt is a turnoff.
  • 57% of women, and 47% of men, think it’s OK to ask for their partner’s credit score before taking the plunge.  (ooh, sexy!)
  • 68% say that sharing money attitudes is important, BUT…
  • 73% say that money causes the most arguments.

Why the gender differences in attitude? Totally unscientific but, with the wage gap, I imagine women are more worried about their future security, and that of their kids. There’s also the depressing notion (and everybody knows someone who has said this) that “we can never begin OUR lives because half of his paycheck goes to the Ex!”

SO… girls, guys –what do you think? Do these things matter to you? Have you ever jumped in blindly and later regretted it? Or did you work through it? What did you learn? Read the article, and let us know!

The Best and Worst Super Bowl Ads of 2013

ball2
(credit: employmentandthelaw.com)

My Super Bowl viewing habits have changed over the years. First off, I am not the biggest Super Bowl fan. That old adage that there is about 12 minutes of play in a 4-hour presentation is the reason why. But the commercials used to help. Then, it got to the point where I would tape the game and then play it back and watch only the commercials. THEN, it became reading the Web the next day to hear about the Best ‘n’ Worst, and then looking them up online.

Progress is exhausting, yo!

Now, there’s a website where you can watch the ads BEFORE the game. It gives smarty-pants armchair critics (ahem!) the chance to form opinions early and lord them over their friends.

So check out website. And leave a note in the comments or over at the MindFieldOnline Facebook page.  Likes? Hates? Surprises? Any “Little Darth Vaders” in this year’s bunch?

Have a great weekend, and enjoy the game commercials!