Tag Archives: consumer research

Holiday Shipping Blues

shipping1The other day, I’m standing in my kitchen when I hear a loud THUD at my front door, almost like someone had kicked it. Followed by a single ring of the doorbell. I look out and see a US Mail carrier slouching away, talking on his phone. I pick up my package and scream at him, “That’s a $700 laptop! Maybe slam it to the ground a little softer?” His classic reply? “Aw man. My bad.”

Welcome to Holiday Shipping Blues!

Consumer Reports conducted a survey of 1,000 people regarding their thoughts on Holiday shipping. See if any of these findings sound familiar…

  • Biggest complaint is cost. UPS and FedEx can cost up to 5 times as much as regular mail.
  • More than half complain about valuable packages left at the door (or, in my case, slammed into the door!)
  • Related, about 40% of people have had the package stolen from the porch.
  • 55% complain about late delivery.

So, what to do? Pay the high cost to UPS and FedEx? Sacrifice your sanity and time by going to the Post Office? Use one of those USPS-contracted places where they don’t know what they’re doing half the time? You tell me!!

On a constructive note, here are some tips for getting your holiday packages to their destination in one piece, and on time! USPS… FedEx… UPS

Any shipping horror stories to share? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!

Black Friday 2014

blfridayOnce again, the Black Friday blog post – the Least-read Post of the Year!®

The Holiday shopping season begins! This year: “The National Retail Federation forecasts holiday sales will grow 4.1 percent to $616.9 billion — the biggest jump since 2011…retailers get 20 percent of their annual sales during the holiday shopping season.”  Associated Press

Scanning the news, it seems like business as usual. There are some notes of improvement, though. Instead of the old days, where the doors flew open and Death Race 2000 broke out to get to that one pile of Cabbage Patch kids, stores are spreading out the bargains throughout the store. Stores are hiring crowd control officers. The Early Bird Thursday shopping trend is easing things, as well, but a day later, some Black Friday shoppers are facing empty shelves.

As for the “open on Thursday” thing – what do YOU think? AP quotes a young adult shopper: “It’s ruining the spirit of Thanksgiving,” she said Thursday. “But … the best deals were today.”

So, what’s YOUR best bargain of the shopping season so far? Did you witness any craziness? Did you PERPETRATE any craziness? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and Happy Black Friday!

“Dangerous” Toys Named

Is it wrong that I still want one of these?
Is it wrong that I still want one of these?

Remember when all the cool toys were dangerous? I remember something called the Monster Maker. Sort of like the boy version of the EZ Bake Oven. You melted plastic in these aluminum forms to make little rubber monsters. Oh, and you also melted your fingertips. Good times.

Well, toys are a lot safer these days. There are a few, however, which are still iffy. So, some professional do-gooders called “World Against Toys Causing Harm, or W.A.T.C.H., issued the “10 Worst Toys” list to remind parents and consumers of the potential hazards in some toys as the holiday shopping season gets underway.” …NY Daily News

Some highlights:

  • Catapencil: a pencil with a miniature slingshot-style launcher on its end. Yes, you could put an eye out!
  • SWAT Electric Machine Gun: Looks too real
  • True Legends Orcs Battle Hammer: presents a risk for blunt impact injuries
  • Alphabet Zoo Rock and Stack Pull Toy: has a long string you might choke on
  • Air Storm Firetek Bow: Shoots projectiles up to 150 feet. Again, potential eye injury

And just so we don’t leave out the girls…

  • Lil’ Cutesies Best Friends Doll: parts break off, presenting a choking hazard.

You can read the rest and get all the details at the WATCH site.  My two cents? As always, there are legitimate concerns on the list, some that seem kind of a stretch, and some that are a little silly. What do you think? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!

Low Gas Prices = Happy Holidays?

gaspigDriving to and from work every day, you have probably noticed the price of gas coming down. Here in South Carolina, we enjoy some of the lowest prices in the US, but I still see the pattern. This past summer, prices were up around $3.40 (which made my drive to Ohio pretty dang expensive!) Today, it’s $2.62.

So, let’s just say gas is now 75 cents less per gallon. And, lets say that you – the American consumer who drives 65% of the economy – are saving about $300 a year now. What do you plan to do with that extra scratch? Marketwatch.com has a suggestion:

American’s spend about 4% of their income on gas for their cars. The drop in price for each tank pumps up the spending power of most consumers, already adding billions of dollars in unexpected spending power ahead of the holiday spending season.

So, have you noticed the gas prices going down? Has it put you in a better mood? In a mood to spend more for the holidays? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!

The Toy Business Has Seen Better Days

ID-100238505Hey parents! What’s the deal with the toy business? Lego is going strong, (that movie certainly helped!) but almost everybody else in the toy business is hurting. Mattel’s sales are down, so is Barbie, and Toys ‘R Us is doing some…interesting things to ramp up business.

Case in point (according to Time magazine): selling Breaking Bad action figures. Trust me, Breaking Bad is truly one of the best TV shows in the history of TV (the full series is streaming on Netflix.) But, toys based on drug dealers, complete with wads of cash and fake crystal meth? Not so sure about that. The retailer explains that the BB stuff is in their adult section, away from your Hello Kitty and your Iron Man…which makes me ask: Toys ‘R Us has an adult section?

The experts say that this is a sign of the times. The only toy-related things that sell anymore are video games (and Lego, of course). And Toys ‘R Us is partnering with Claire’s to sell earrings and nail polish to teen girls.

But I don’t have kids. So I’m asking… are toys dead? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!

Source

UPDATE: Toys ‘R Us bails on Breaking Bad?

McDonald’s Lifts the Curtain

mcd Qs“I think it’s disgusting… does McDonald’s even sell real food?” Actual McDonald’s customers in an actual McDonald’s commercial that premiered yesterday.

Well, that’s bound to get your attention – and that’s the point. McDonald’s has begun a charm offensive designed to convince us that their food isn’t “pink slime,” but rather, actual food with nutritional value.

They say the campaign, entitled “Our Food. Your Questions.” has nothing to do with current business performance, though times have definitely been better for the mega-chain. These days, the dining-out bus is being driven by Millennials and, increasingly, that bus doesn’t stop at McDonald’s!

So McD is hitting Millennials where they live – on Facebook and Twitter. They invite you to visit them and ask any question you can think of about their food. And they even hired former Mythbuster Grant Imahara to make their case!

So, what would you like to ask McDonald’s? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!

Source, source, source, source

Maybe Red Bull DOESN’T Give You Wings?

635484393718544707-d-out-energy-drink-30The news this week is about energy drink Red Bull, which has been sued for false advertising. No, someone didn’t believe that Red Bull actually “gives you wings,” but, according to the lawsuit, they do give the impression that Red Bull delivers “increased performance, concentration and reaction speed.”

“Even though there is a lack of genuine scientific support for a claim that Red Bull branded energy drinks provide any more benefit to a consumer than a cup of coffee, the Red Bull defendants persistently and pervasively market their product as a superior source of ‘energy’ worthy of a premium price over a cup of coffee or other sources of caffeine,” the suit says. The Consumerist

As for Red Bull, they said “whatever,” and have offered up $13 million to be shared by anyone in the class action lawsuit who can prove they bought a Red Bull in the past ten years. You’re eligible for ten dollars or two free Red Bulls.

Lawsuits: They Give You Wings!

Are YOU a Red Bull fan? Are you happy or unhappy about this news? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!

Outlet Mall Savings Online!

Outlet Malls… it’s a love/hate relationship for me. OK, mostly a hate thing because I am not a good enough shopper to recognize a good deal. As far as I can tell, the name “Outlet” screams savings, but does not deliver. Plus, I had to drive two towns over to NOT save!

Well, now you can maybe almost save from the comfort of your own home, because (as ShopSmart.org puts it) you can find outlet savings on your computer!

What kinds of items are ripe for savings?

  • Footwear, apparel, bags and accessories
  • Marked-down, clearance, and overstocked everything
  • Designer clothing, shoes, accessories and home décor
  • Clearance, open-box and refurbished items
  • Discontinued and past-season products, furniture and housewares
  • Refurbished computers, printers, and peripherals; new systems ordered but not paid for; and scratched or dented products
  • Overstock, seconds and discontinued outdoor clothing and gear
  • Appliances, home items, apparel, and tools discontinued, customized, new but returned, new from liquidators, unboxed, used or scratched and dented.

 

Where will you find these savings? Well, you will have to visit the original article to find out!

Do you have a trusted online savings source? Tell us about it at the MindField Online Facebook page – and have a great weekend!

August Best Buys!

august-clipart-4Time for our monthly heads-up on the best deals! August shopping can be summed up in two ways: Back to School and End of Summer. These two notions that were a complete bummer for me as a kid. Seriously, I don’t know anyone who hated school more than I.

I’m pretty sure I have said this before but, as a kid, summer was like a long weekend. What was left of June after school let out was like Friday night. July was glorious, glorious Saturday. And August was Sunday, completely overshadowed by the dread of Going Back to School.

As an adult, although I don’t have kids, I get it. You are totally ready for school to start again. But it’s work – there’s so much to go out and buy! Fortunately, there are plenty of bargains to be had during the Dog Days. Here are some highlights, followed by some useful links:

  • Linens & Storage Containers
  • Office Furniture
  • Kids’ Clothing
  • School Supplies
  • Swimsuits
  • Air conditioners
  • Backpacks
  • Dehumidifiers
  • Outdoor furniture
  • Snow blowers
  • Swingsets
  • Flip-flops
  • iPods and mp3 players
  • Plants and flowers

Much more detail at the original articles…

RealSimple: 5 products on deep discount in August

LifeHacker: The Best Time to Buy Anything During the Year

Consumer Reports: The Best Time to Buy Things

Business Insider: The Best Time to Buy Everything

So, what bargains will you be snapping up this August? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!

Repair or Replace?

Expert service: the secret is the tongue!
Expert service: the secret is the tongue!

It happens every time you buy anything with moving parts: they ask if you would like to buy the service warranty. Now, I was brought up to believe “That’s how they GET you!” as in, it’s a scam to squeeze more of your money. It can’t be that simple, right? There has to be SOME value to it.

So, Consumer Reports took a look. The first myth they bust is the old paranoid notion that “They make things to fall apart, so you will buy a new one!” Actually, they say overall repair rates have remained the same for years, with some things like LCD TVs and Laptops actually dropping. (Not MY laptop, of course. I’d like to drop it off a bridge.)

Other than that, they don’t show much love for warranty. The chief statistic being: “People with contracts who were offered a free repair or replacement for their product didn’t save much money overall. The median cost for the contract or warranty was $136; the median cost for repairs was $152.” One benefit I CAN see, is that the day you buy the laptop, you may have that money. The day it breaks, you may not. On the other, OTHER hand, they already said that laptop repair rates have been cut in half in the past years. So, who knows?

How do you decide? It may help to know what the likely problems may be for various purchases, and how much they might cost to repair. The article lists refrigerators, ranges, clothes washers, vacuums and more. Really informative read, so check it out!

How about you? Have you ever purchased the service agreement? How did that work out? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!