Tag Archives: referral program

Penny Auction? Bring a BUNCH of Pennies!

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Who wants an iPad for $19 and change? The answer is likely “Me me me me!!!” Well, that’s what “Penny Auction” websites like Beezid, Quibid and Bidfun advertise on TV during the late night Three’s Company reruns. But a new article at Yahoo News is offering that classic advice: if it seems too good to be true… But first, they explain how penny auction bidding works.

To sign up, you have to buy bid packs. The more you buy at a time, the lower per-bid price you pay. For example, you can buy a pack of 30 bids for $27 (that’s 90 cents per bid) all the way up to 1000 bids for $550 (55 cents per bid). Then you find an item you want to bid on, and start bidding. Each time you bid, it raises the price of the item by one cent and often resets a timer for another 10 seconds or so of open bidding. Bidding can be done manually, or you can set up auto-bidding, which will program the site to bid for you, usually at the last second.  Yahoo News

What’s the catch? The author lists several. First, to make a bid that raises the price by a penny, you are actually paying between 55 and 90 cents. Second, you get into a bidding war, make a bunch of bids, and end up not winning the item but still losing a bunch of money. Third, are you really saving? She provides an example where someone actually won an iPad for 83 cents, but used $300 in bids. That’s $301 total when, on that same day, you could buy the iPad on Amazon for $320.  Finally, just like those infomercials where they show you a dollar’s worth of crap, tell you it’s a $30 value and offer it to you for 10 bucks, it seems that some of these Penny Auctions are inflating the value to stir bidding excitement.

A final quote:

These sites bill themselves as “entertainment shopping.”  That’s like calling the craps table “entertainment banking.”   Yahoo News

But, as we say, that’s just one opinion. Have you used one of these bidding sites? What do you think? There’s more at the original article, so check it out. And have a great weekend!

(photo: quibidsreport.com)

The Mall of the Future!

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How will shopping change over the next 30 years?

The way Blake Nordstrom sees it, fashion has always been about change — “creating a reason for the customer to buy something new” — and the next three decades will bring more of it. The next 30 years of retailing will be all about the customer’s interests. And it will be up to merchants to keep up with or anticipate their every desire.”  USAToday.com

Yes, he’s that Nordstrom. We don’t have any of those around me, but I have always heard stories of their legendary customer service. Nice to see that they are thinking ahead.

Anyway, what does the future of shopping look like?  It’s all about technology:

  • Digital fitting rooms with parametric technology that simulates your body type and gives you a sense of look and fit.
  • 3-D printers that will allow you to make products in their own homes.
  • Smartphone technology that lets retailers dig into your personal data to figure out their tastes and potential interests.
  • Cash registers disappear as all transaction occur using cell phones.

The thing is, every one of these things exist right now, so it makes sense that somebody is going to find a way to use it for (your) fun and (their) profit.

But don’t expect stores filled with touch-screens and robots rather than hangers and sales associates. Though one day the ideal shopping experience might not involve human contact, Nordstrom says, “we’re not there yet.”   USAToday.com

What do you think? Do these sound like improvements to you? What changes would you like to see in retail? Let us know, and have a great weekend!

(photo: befitbefabulous.ca)

Stupidity Fees?

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Here is the typical drill. A consumer is completely surprised and shocked by some retailer’s stated policy, so she complains on Facebook. A big firestorm develops, and maybe they do a story on the local news that goes viral on YouTube. The embarrassed company relents, apologizes to the consumer and changes the policy.

Yeah, well, that didn’t happen this time.

An Irish family of 5 was on vacation in Spain. On the return trip, they arrive at the airport and go to the kiosk to print their boarding passes. They discover that the airline charges a 60 Euro ($76) printing fee PER BOARDING PASS. Four hundred dollars and one heart attack later, the mom is complaining on Facebook, has a million-billion Likes, and is demanding justice.

How does the airline CEO respond?

“We think she should pay 60 euros for being so stupid. She wasn’t able to print her boarding card at an Internet café? At the hotel? She couldn’t get to a fax machine so some friend at home could print them and fax them to her?”  NBCNews.com

His point? The terrible bad printing fee is a stated policy. If you didn’t read the fine print, then you should pay the Stupidity Fee.  This particular airline, Ryanair, is one of those low-cost outfits. And part of the low cost magic is crazy weird fees like this one, such as bag fees, exit row seat fees, and even potty fees.

So, is this right? If it’s in the fine print, can a company do whatever it wants? How closely do you read the fine print? Should you have to? Check out the original article to read about the pros and cons, and let us know your opinion.

Restaurant Rant

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Here’s a somewhat (very) lightweight after-holiday post. Top 10 consumer peeves about restaurants! Here are some of the ones that struck me. How many do you share?

Feed the kids! Everybody knows that hungry, cranky kids are a time bomb waiting to explode all over your good time. Something, anything, just get some food in them as soon as you sit down.

Plate timing: What’s the old rule? Knife and fork across the plate means I am done. Don’t yank it away too soon, and don’t leave it sit for the rest of the evening.

Attentive, not obnoxious: Ever try to have a conversation, and the server keeps interrupting? The tea is empty, so fill it. No need to ask EVERY time. Of course, the flip side to this is “Where is our waitress? Do you even remember what she looks like?”

Policy, schmolicy: Dumb stuff like they won’t seat you until the whole party has arrived. Or, there are only 3 tables being used, and they have to seat you right on top of each other. If it’s busy, or you are understaffed, I get it. Otherwise, you are just following rules for rules’ sake.

Can the commentary: “Wow! Looks like SOMEBODY was HUNGRY!” Seriously, just shut up.

There is a bunch more at the original article, as well as a friendly reminder that we, as the customer, also have some responsibilities. So check it out. Did they miss any?

Apple Slams Samsung

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Oh, Google Image Search. You never disappoint!

Apple vs. Samsung: it was the “patent trial of the century” and, last Friday, Apple won. Samsung has to fork over $1 billion, pending appeal.

The result is extremely complex and is, as of this writing, still being wrangled over in court. But the initial finding appears to be a whole lot of hurt for Samsung and a victory for Apple. The bigger question is, what does this mean for innovation and competition in the tech industry? TechHive.com

But the biggest question is, how does this affect ME? And, I guess, you too?

Some say it will force an industry with too many “me-too” copycats to dig deep and innovate in new and exciting ways, which would be good. Others say that many designers – often just one or two guys working in a garage – will be so afraid of lawsuits that they will choke up. And still others wonder how much change the consumer will accept. Specific example… what if you have to give up your Droid because it’s pinch-and-zoom function is too much like an iPhone?

Many people are seeing this situation as “Intellectual Property vs. Consumer Choice.”

What do you think?

Drought Brings Crops Down, Prices Up

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How colorfully depressing!

On TV, radio and the web, it’s the background noise we have been hearing all summer: the big Midwest drought. Living in South Carolina, where it rains every day at 4pm sharp, it seems like somebody else’s problem. But my grocery bill tends to disagree. The biggest factor? CORN.

Corn — a crop that has been decimated by drought — is used as feed for beef and poultry; is manufactured into ethanol, a gasoline additive; and is cooked into corn syrup, a sweetener in everything from cereals to ketchup. And, of course, that doesn’t count corn’s simple uses, whether to be eaten alone or made into anything from chips to tortillas.  CBS Money Watch

Before the planting season, they were talking about a record crop. Now they say it will be down 12% from last year. So how does this affect your wallet? And what can you do about it?

  • Buy meat now: Before long, it will be cheaper for farmers to slaughter their livestock that to feed them. When that happens, meat process will shoot up.
  • $kip proce$$ed food$: they have a lot of high-fructo$e corn $yrup.
  • Buy fruit: The weather that is killing vegetables is good for fruit, so prices are lower.
  • Substitute. Oatmeal instead of processed cereal, fish instead of beef, foods with simple sugar instead of fructose, etc.
  • Eat locally: If you happen to live in an unaffected area, the local stuff should be cheaper.

So, have you seen the difference in your grocery bill? Do you have any other saving tips? Let us know!

Back to $chool $pending

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Are we properly capturing the misery?

Are you feeling 15% richer now than last August? I hope so, because that’s how much more we are going to spend to send our kids back to school this fall.

This year, the average family with students from kindergarten to 12th grade is expected to spend $689 on back-to-school supplies, up from $604 last year, according to the National Retail Federation. Parents estimate they will spend an average of $246 on clothes, $218 on electronics, $129 on shoes and $95 on school supplies, such as notebooks, pencils and backpacks. Chicago Tribune

So, how do you avoid getting cleaned out at the register? Here are some tips…

Do your homework: make a list, plan your trip, and stick to it. Also, look around the house. Do you need to buy a pack of ten ink pens? Don’t you have 50 lying around the house? I know I do!

Save on supplies: Dollar store, baby! Of course, it’s not only dollars. Saving on headaches can be valuable too. Like, when the moms of XYZ Middle School prepare those grocery bags with precisely all  the supplies you kid will need? Costs more, but so easy!!

Clothing: This is going to depend on the kid, but what’s wrong with Good will? My sister had 2 boys, and bought ALL their clothes there because they just didn’t care. So, get some kids like that!

Wait on the season: By the time your kid needs each season’s wardrobe, those clothes will be on clearance. So, chill!

Online shopping: Online back to school shopping has increased 400% in the past few years, and now 40% of parents are doing it.

Compare prices: Prices for the exact same items are truly all over the place. Spend some time online and figure it out.

Computers and electronics: A good time to whip out that student ID, for extra savings.

So, that’s the 411 on back to school savings. There’s much more info at the original article, so check it out!  What do you think? Did we leave anything out? Got any tips to share?

 

11 Dumb Things Our Teens are Up To

Actually, one of the less dangerous things on the list!

A while back we did a post about Salvia and bath salts, two things kids have managed to turn into drugs. Now, another article has come along with a bunch more terrifying things today’s bored kids are getting up to.

The latest teen trends make the underage drinking games of yesterday look like child’s play. Here’s an inside peek at some of the dangerous things teenagers are doing today … and that they will never tell you about.  ParentSociety.com

Here is the brief boildown…

11) Planking (see picture): Lots of injuries, at least one death.

10) Vodka Eyeballing: Pretty much what it sounds like. Could cause retinal scarring or blindness.

09) The Choking Game: Cutting off oxygen to the brain, then a rush of breath, causing a brief high.

08) Vodka Gummy Bears: Again, just what it sounds like.

07) Smoking Smarties: Seriously? Like smoking bath salts, I guess, but sweeter!

06) Alcohol Tampons: Yep. And it’s not just girls.

05) Distilling Purel into alcohol: They say to switch to the foamy kind.

04) Car Surfing (see picture): Thanks, Teen Wolf!

Jedi-level car surfing

03) Purple Drink: Sprite, Jolly Ranchers and codeine cough syrup. Yum!

02) ChatRoulette.com: Internet video chat room. Easy to access, anonymous and with barely any filtering or rules.

01) Bath Salts: Our old friend is still number 1!

What do these things have in common, other than making parents wet themselves in terror?  They are all about two clicks away on the internet. Which is not an argument for web censorship, but a suggestion that we all get familiar with our kids’ web habits. Food for thought!

Survey: Olympic Athletes are Smart with Money

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When it comes to money matters, the stereotypical image of the Dumb Jock does not apply to today’s Olympic athletes.

…Olympians aren’t just fitter than the rest of us—they’re more financially savvy, too. That’s according to official Team USA sponsor TD Ameritrade, which surveyed 254 Olympic athletes. Most of them said that they thought their athletic training contributed to their financial discipline.  USNews.com

For example, suppose they win big at the Games, and get a sweeet Nike or Kellogg’s deal or something. How would they handle their money?

  • 40% save or invest
  • 33% pay down debt
  • 20% charity or share with friends or family
  • 03% would blow it all on hats

An interesting angle, as seen in the quote above, is the Discipline. We have all said, “If I ever come into money, I am going to start making better decisions!” But these jocks are already making good choices. 70% are “consciously saving for the future,” and over half make regular automated deposits to a savings account.

So, I guess the question is, “Where can I get ME some of that discipline!?”  What do you think? Let us know! And enjoy the Games!

Putting Teeth into Consumer Protection

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Have you heard of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau? The CFPB is just getting off the ground and, last week, made a bit of news with its big judgment against Capital One when…

…it ordered Capital One to return $140 million to $150 million to customers over “misleading and deceptive” marketing of credit card add-ons such as credit monitoring and payment protection services.  Fox Business News

Now, I will admit, I think of myself as a “small government” guy. You tell me that they have just established a whole new Federal agency, and I get suspicious. In general, though, the CFPB is getting some good press – even from FOX News, if you can believe it.

Here’s a list of CFPB’s early achievements, according to one consumer guru:

  • Regulating consumer credit bureaus such as Experian to ensure they keep accurate records and correct errors in a timely manner.
  • Expanding consumer protection rules to cover remittance transfers, which millions of Americans use to send money to relatives overseas.
  • Setting up a streamlined consumer complaints process accessible online or over the phone and putting those complaints into a searchable public database.
  • Creating a user-friendly and attractive website focused on serving consumers rather than the institutions that the CFPB regulates.
So, what do you think? Read the article, and let us know. Is the CFPB a good thing, or more government meddling…or both?