ArchivesCategory: Tips

We talk a lot about the best time of year to buy certain things.  But recently a full-year survey was completed that narrowed down the best deals even further: its results showed the best days of the week to shop!  Over 1 million sale items on the internet were included in this study, and here's Continue Reading

by Doug Desjardins Fast-food restaurants, once thriving in a down economy, have hit hard times as sales have slowed for most chains in 2010. One of the casualties is combo chain Wendy’s-Arby’s. Wendy’s reported a 1.7 percent decline in same-restaurant sales in August while Arby’s registered a 7.4 percent decline. The decline in sales has Continue Reading

by Doug Desjardins While traditional retailers are experiencing a lukewarm recovery so far this year, online retailers continue to outpace their brick-and-mortar colleagues. According to a report from MasterCard Spend Pulse, online sales in August increased 7.2 percent, more than double the 3.3 percent gain registered by standard retailers. It marked the 13th consecutive monthly Continue Reading

by Doug Desjardins Helped by a late surge in back-to-school shopping, retailers closed out the summer on a high note with better-than-expected August sales. The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) said its index of 31 major retailers posted a 3.2-percent increase in sales for August, beating its initial forecast of 3 percent. Some of Continue Reading

by Doug Desjardins Continuing a trend that started with Memorial Day, more people will travel over the upcoming Labor Day weekend than last year, though most will be staying closer to home. According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), Labor-Day travel will jump 10 percent this year, with 34.4 million people traveling 50 miles or Continue Reading

by Doug Desjardins Though the economic recovery is still shaky at best, the days of inexpensive travel appear to be over as the industry starts to raise rates and leisure travel continues to increase. Hotel chains and airlines saw a good sign that the summer rebound in travel will continue into the fall when the Continue Reading

by Doug Desjardins It used to be that buying eco-friendly and organic products meant spending more money. But now that green products have gone mainstream, it’s easy to find all natural back-to-school products that are affordable. Students who want to make an eco-friendly statement this fall can find the most variety in apparel. Nearly every Continue Reading

by Doug Desjardins With its strong emphasis on apparel, back-to-school shopping is still a brick-and-mortar sales event. But online back-to-school shopping continues to grow thanks to new social-media promotions that offer free shipping and other perks for online shoppers. According to a survey from the NPD Group, 50 percent of consumers plan to do at Continue Reading

by Doug Desjardins Just a few years ago when the economy was humming along, retailers would start building their back-to-school displays the week after they tore down displays for Fourth of July. But the pace of consumer spending has slowed in more ways than one. Most retailers this year didn’t begin their back-to-school promotions until Continue Reading

by Doug Desjardins While back-to-school spending on kids' items is expected to increase more than 10 percent this year, parents and students will be keeping tighter purse strings on back-to-college spending. According to the National Retail Federation, (NRF), the average family will spend $618.12 this year on back-to-college spending compared to $616.13 in 2009, an Continue Reading