PlanetFeedback's ShopperCast

It's That Time Of Year Again

Back-to-school shopping can set even the most budget-conscious family back a pretty penny.  Here are four basic guidelines for saving money as you stock up on back-to-school clothes and school supplies:

1.  Coupons.  When coupons are combined with in-store sales, the savings can be more than worth the time it takes to clip the coupons!  One local shopper featured on a news story on back-to-school shopping brought $13.14 worth of merchandise to the register.  She had $13 worth of coupons.  With tax, her total came to 94 cents.

2.  Hit every major store.  Hit Walgreen's, Target, Walmart, Kmart, OfficeMax/Office Depot, and buy ONLY the good sale items, referred to as "loss leaders."  The store's intention is to lure you in for 10 cent notebooks, and while you're there, you'll get the $30 backpack, the $5 pen and pencil box, etc., in an attempt to save time and gas.  But if you plan your route, you can make a circular route and hit every store, buying only the good deals and leaving the higher-priced items behind.

3.  Shop second hand.  Why buy new clothes for kids when they'll outgrow them in the next six to 12 months?  You can buy second-hand, quality, name-brand clothing for less than the cost of new clothing at the discount stores such as Target and Walmart.  If the clothing has worn and washed well to this point, it's likely to hold up well for your child in the coming months.

4.  Shop ahead in sizes.  Buy additional clothing in the next size, so as your child grows in the school year, you're prepared with clothing you bought at August and September prices.  One mom bought four outfits (four shirts, four pairs of pants) for her son, all for $20.

There's no need for back-to-school shopping to break your budget.  Many more tips can be found all over the internet.

~Contributed by Angela~

Credit Cards: There Really Is No Living--Or Vacationing--Without 'Em

So you decide to not have a credit card or you're unable to get one.  You get a debit card that you can use *like* a credit card, only there's no chance of going hog wild on a spending spree.  You go on a trip and use your debit card to check into the hotel.  Then this happens.  (Short story:  A hotel guest used her debit card to pay for her hotel room, and the hotel put a no-show's room charges on this woman's debit card, causing $700 in overdraft fees.)

The letter writer seems to have little recourse:  She has complained to her bank, but it doesn't sound like she's gotten any relief.  But while debit cards are marketed like credit cards (many come complete with a VISA Logo), they're not the same.  Debit cards don't necessarily have the same consumer protection features that credit cards provide.

If the letter writer had used a credit card, she could easily dispute the charges, and given the story she tells, it seems like she'd have a pretty easy case on her hands.  And even with a worst-case scenario in this situation, she'd be stuck with a $95 hotel room charge, and not have $700 in overdraft charges on her checking account.

Some debit cards DO have protections similar or even identical to that offered by credit cards, but we're stuck on the $700 fees aspect.  That just wouldn't happen with a credit card.

We're not putting any blame on the letter writer:  What happened to her could happen to anyone.  But it's making ONE ShopperCast Roving Reporter more willing to get a credit card.  Not many people can afford such a huge hit to their checking account, so a credit card sounds like the best solution when it comes to traveling or making a large purchase.

~Contributed by Angela~

Beauty For Less - Finally

Did you buy makeup, perfume or moisturizer from Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Filene's, Lord & Taylor, Neimen Marcus, Nordstrom, or Saks Fifth Avenue between May 1994 and July 2003?  If so, circle the month of January 2009 on your calendar.  You can even circle it in lipstick if you want. 

As a settlement in an anti-trust case, the retailers are going to be giving away, first come, first served, $25 in products from specified department stores.  The complete list of retailers and cosmetic manufactures can be found here.  They settled a class action lawsuit that alleged that these retailers conspired to fix prices at the manufacturers suggested price, rather than offering them at sales prices.

What do you have to do if you purchased from these retailers - since obviously most of us wouldn't have receipts going back quite that far.  We have pack rat tendencies but this is going beyond even our habits.  All you'll have to do is sign a form stating that you purchased one of the brands during the time period.

And voila! Replacement product.

--Contributed by Deb

Doing The Right Thing

Recently our family traveled to visit family on the West Coast.  Traveling now a days is hard enough especially traveling with children.  Many parents try to find ways to keep their children happy and entertained while traveling, to make the trip less stressful for all involved.  Our family was traveling and we could not go, so we made arrangements for our spouse to travel with two wonderful children (well usually). 

We have traveled JetBlue before and had wonderful experiences each time, because of this we decided to travel with them again.  The two best things about JetBlue are, they are reasonable with their airfare and they have DirecTV!  Bonus!  The kids can watch all of their favorite shows and we can watch what we want in real time.  This is a great sanity saver and makes the trip a little easier to bare for those of us that do not like to fly.

It turns out that as soon as they boarded the plane they were told that the DirecTV was not working and would not be available for the trip.  UGH!  Prepare for a bumpy ride.  As soon as we found out we were ready to go to PlanetFeedBack and fire off a letter of irritation about how one of the main reasons our family flies JetBLue is for the DirecTV and while it is not a deal breaker it is a disappointment.  Before we had a chance to fire up our computer and type that letter, we checked our email and there it was....a totally unsolicited, sincere apology for the malfunction, and a voucher for each ticketed passenger, for $15.  That is not alot of money, but the gesture of goodwill made us smile, and the fact that we did not have to ask or demand made it even sweeter!

--Contributed by Renee

They're Both GRRREAT!

The water Michael Phelps is in right now is a little hotter than the water in Beijing.  The 2008 8-time gold medaler has eschewed an appearance on the customary Wheaties box for a stint on Kellogg's Frosted Flakes and Corn Flakes, much to the displeasure of obesity opponents. 

They believe that Phelps is sending the wrong message by lending his likeness to a product (Frosted Flakes) that's little more than junk food.  Couple that with the fact that Phelps has also been named as a McDonald's Ambassador and there's a recipe for angst.

As much as we appreciate their sentiments, we believe all this drama is misplaced.  Let's think for a moment what Michael Phelps has shown - that hard work and training pay off.  And that every little boy and girl who dreams of Olympic gold can succeed as long as he/she never quits.  That will get kids into the pool and will fill their heads with podium dreams.  Isn't this message just as important in the long run as the choice of whether a child consumes Frosted Flakes for breakfast?

True, Wheaties has more fiber, fewer calories and much less sugar than Frosted Flakes and, nutrition-wise, is a better breakfast choice, but it's not like Phelps is suggesting a breakfast of coffee and a cigarette.  Frosted Flakes have zero fat and a reasonable amount of important vitamins, such as iron.  Yes, we're looking at a box of 'em right now.  More importantly, the part of the box kids usually read (the back) advise kids to "eat right.  work hard.  earn your stripes."  Great message, Kellogg's! 

Frankly, we doubt whether one bowl of cereal per day is going to cause that much of an uptick in childhood obesity.  Besides, Frosted Flakes simply TASTE better. 

We'll eat them whether there's a tiger on the box or Michael Phelps.

--Contributed by Deb

Congratulations!

We heard some fun news today:  The nation's largest greeting card company, Hallmark, is adding four new wedding-related congratulatory cards for gay couples.  Other, smaller companies had taken care of this niche market, but Hallmark, being a nationwide chain store and having a presence in perhaps every "traditional" greeting card store, lends a little mainstream credibility to what some mislabel as a "trend."

While we haven't had the same experience as some industry insiders who complain about wedding cards having too much "bride and groom" emphasis (there are plenty of plain "Congratulations on Getting Married!" type cards, with no gender references), we imagine plenty of people will jump at the chance to buy specialty cards in honor of a gay loved one's nuptials.

We're cynical (and realistic) enough to understand that money is driving this decision more so than public opinion, but we'll take it.  The more acceptance, the better.  We'll be extra happy when gay marriage becomes so widely accepted, greeting card companies add "Happy Gay Wedding!" cards to the 99 cent collection.

~Contributed by Angela~

The Wolf in Good Samaritan's Clothing

In a recent local news story, the not-usually-newsworthy stolen purse has a twist:  Thieves stole a woman's purse at a crowded bar/restaurant, with her cell phone inside.  She tried calling her own phone, with no results.

Hours later, the thieves called her friend's cell phone, told her the purse had been turned in to the bar and she could get it in the morning.  The woman was relieved and continued with her evening.  The next morning, when she called the restaurant, they had no clue what she was talking about.

The thieves apparently were attempting to buy some time and get more use out of her credit cards and/or cell phone.

We don't think that everyone would automatically cancel bank cards, cell phone service, etc., if they were expecting to get everything back "in an hour" or "tomorrow morning."  This is a wake-up call for many, a reminder for others, to remain vigilant with one's data.

~Contributed by Angela~

The Great Debate

It's official...what's old is new.  Miller is bringin' back the oldies for its newest ad campaign that starts up in September.  Or perhaps "starts up" is the wrong expression- since we've seen it before.

Miller Lite - Is it less filling or does it taste great?

Iconic and simple.  The magazine Advertising Age ranked this group of commercials as the 8th best advertising campaign ever.  Anyone else out there remember the Dick Butkus/Bubba Smith commercial?  Some commercials really do just stick in your memory.

With Miller Lite relaunching these ads, we can't help but wonder what commercial campaigns could be successfully brought back for a repeat performance. Reese's - you've got chocolate in my peanut butter; you've got peanut butter on my chocolate.   Or Wendy's - Where's the Beef?

We guess it's true - the good never truly go away.

--Contributed by Deb

Green Dot

What is a Green Dot?  In this day and age there are many people who believe that you have to have a credit card.  Indeed, it may prove challenging (but not necessarily impossible) to rent a car, or reserve a hotel room without a credit card.  So what are people with no or less than stellar credit supposed to do if they cannot get or do not want a credit card?

There are some alternatives available.  One such alternative is the Green Dot card.  This is a service that basically works alot like one of those bank cards with the Visa/Master Card logo.  You load money onto the card or you can have your paycheck directly deposited or loaded to this card.  So it is not exactly a credit card, and it is not a bank card either.  It is a way to have access to your cash without having to carry your cash with you all the time.

But, alas, as with anything there are various fees associated with this card.  The website has a breakdown of what those fees are.  It does not appear that your name appears on the card so it may be hard to use it for things that require the name on the card to match the mailing address, etc.  As with all services ShopperCast encourages you to do your due diligence before proceeding with any service that can potentially separate you from your money.

--Contributed by Renee

Librarians Get Creative

On a recent "All Things Considered," a weekly radio program on National Public Radio, we heard the most charming story about a small-town library offering something in addition to book and DVD rentals:  novelty cake pans!  (Apparently, Sponge Bob is quite popular.)

A subsequent follow-up revealed something even cooler:  that same library also loans out puppets.  Puppets!

Apparently, a local senior citizen donated all of her assorted specialty cake pans to the library in hopes of sharing them with others.  Then someone donated puppets (which are even more popular than the cake pans).  This got us thinking... how many moms (and dads) have hovered over something special for their child's birthday, hesitant to plunk down $20 on something she'll get to use once, twice if she's lucky?

We think there are parents who would splurge and buy specialty children's items if they knew they could donate the items after their primary use, so other kids (and adults) would get to enjoy them as well.  So long as a library has storage space and a willingness to expand beyond books, we think this idea could take off in communities everywhere.  And if it brings more people into their local libraries, even better.

~Contributed by Angela~