PlanetFeedback's ShopperCast

99 Bottles of Beer On the Wall

Here at ShopperCast East, we love to entertain!  Even on this dreary, rainy, January morning, we're dreaming about a summer BBQ.  Invite some friends and co-workers over, throw some hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken breasts on the grill and pop open a cold one. 

Sounds like we'd better think twice before going to stock up at Wal-Mart if we're thinking about bringing our teenager with it if we're buying beer.  Turns out, Wal-Mart has a policy that says that if one person in the group is underage, then no alcohol can be sold.  Brenda B. on PlanetFeedback ran into just this situation when her husband took his kids with him to purchase a few items as well as some beer.

We're not familiar with this Wal-Mart policy but can attest that liquor stores in Florida also have this policy.  We went as far as to ask the manager at our local Virginia ABC store if that was the case there.  (We'd rather not leave our child in the car or hanging about outside the liquor store.)  He said it was the parent's call as to what age it's inappropriate to bring a child into a liquor store. (We're still not leaving him in the car.)

We can think of all kinds of exceptions to Wal-Mart's policy - what if the child is an infant and the parents can't afford a baby-sitter but still want to get into a bottle of vino after they put baby to bed?  What about when Mom wants to pick up a six-pack when she gets her groceries?

However, it's entirely Wal-Mart's right to make this kind of policy - and its basis is that it needs to prevent sales to the underage.  There are some legal consequences to them for selling alcohol to minors.  Plus it's a good policy to make sure that only those who are of-age are purchasing beer and wine.  We question whether there should be exceptions made to this policy, but that's entirely up to Wal-Mart ~ no matter what we or Brenda B. think about it.  It's fine to voice your opinion, but the bottom line is that if you don't like the policy, don't shop there. 

Especially not for beer or wine and you have your kid with you.

So we guess that means we'll just have to pick up our BBQ libations at the grocery store.  Salud!

--Contributed by Deb

What Diet Should You Choose?

If you've been going to the gym lately, you've probably noticed how crowded it is.  Coincidence?  We think not.  Think you're the only person in your neighborhood whose decided their New Year's resolution (again) this year was to get in shape?  Nope- not even close.  But what if you haven't made it back to the gym yet, and you're still trying to decide the best way to get into shape.  How do you pick the right diet and fitness plan?  With so many choices, you might have thought it would be easier, but there are more ways to lose weight than there are stars on the American flag. 

One steadfast way to lose weight is by joining a gym.  But which gym should you join?  There's always old faithfuls- the Bally's and 24 Hour Fitnesses of the world.  Both weigh in some serious pros and cons.  First, what part of our soul do we have to sell to convince the trainers and gym reps we have no interest in their vitamins, health bars, and protein shakes?  Um, can someone say the chain gym's version of the product service plan?  Secondly, these gyms generally fill up quickly around the beginning of the year, as a result of corporate promotions.  But when the price tag usually hangs at around $20 a month, who can say no?

If working out in a public arena isn't your style, you can always opt for a support group like Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig.  While they don't come with personal trainers, coach to client ratios usually range around 15 to 1 and the group setting has proven to help members shed the pounds.  The downfall?  Feeling like you're in a Margaret Cho skit when your group leader actually says the words, "Nothing tastes as good, as feeling skinny feels."  Group memberships generally run around $10 a week, but do not include food.

And, for the new-age dieter who never needs to leave the house, we introduce, the online support group!  All joking aside, this is one of our favorites.  Online tracking tools like food diaries, weight calculators, even weight simulators that will morph any picture you upload and show you what you will look like at your goal weight have helped hundreds of people shed the unwanted pounds- sometimes for only around $10 a month. 

So whether you're ready to spend $10 a month or $10 a week, there's a diet plan out there that's right for you.  Just remember, nothing feels as good as loosing weight for the right price. 

Contributed by Alicia Butler

Look For The Pink Star

So are you one the ones who did it?  Did you make a New Year's resolution this year?  The most common ones we've heard about are the same as in previous years ~ people resolve to quit smoking, manage their money better, and lose weight.

Leaning toward Rubenesqe, we empathize with people who want to drop a few pounds.  Goodness knows that we could stand to lose a few ourselves.  (However that's not going to be the focus of our resolutions this year.)  So yay to the businesses that are out to help us diet without requiring us to sacrifice the yummy things we like to eat.

Like ice cream.

Let's hear it for Baskin-Robbins that's launching ice cream that's better for you (note that we didn't say it was "good" for you).  They're called BRight Choices.  Some are touted as low fat and light.  Others are no sugar added.  Calorie counts range from 80 to 140 calories per scoop. 

Light ice cream comes in vanilla and milk chocolate.  Raspberry chip (oh yummy) is coming in March.  Reduced fat, no sugar added comes in butter almond crunch and pineapple coconut.  And don't forget fat free frozen yogurt and sorbet. 

But how do they taste?  We don't know... but if you have a gym membership and can show proof of this membership on January 15th, you can get yourself a free scoop.  To see if you like it.  And if you see us in line with you, don't be afraid to say "hi"!

--Contributed by Deb

Sales Tax Holidays

See what happens when you turn your head from the prize for just even a nano-second?  People sneak stuff in on ya like proposals for national sales tax holidays.

On the surface, this sounds like an all American winner.  After all, who in the world wouldn't like a break from ever the ever present sales tax which reaches close to 9 percent in most areas of Washington State which happens to be the worldwide headquarters for Shoppercast.

But then you start scratching the surface a bit and you realize, like most government programs that sound real awful good, there are bound to be some hiccups.  Such as those states which don't have a sales tax like Oregon which basically provides a sales tax holiday every day to the hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians who live just across the state line who thereby escape Oregon's income tax as well as Washington's sales tax.  Those folks plus the good people of Oregon are bound to gather together en masse and cry, "where's mine?".  Or, more likely, their congressmen will do it instead, spurred on by dreams of the massive pandering which could result in anticipating such an outcry on the part of their constituents.

In other words, they won't be satisfied with the fact they get a break from the sales tax every day...they'll want to know how THEY can participate too.  So there'll likely be an extra thousand pages in the legislation which will create some sort of complicated formula those folks can apply to their federal taxes to get the same discount with maybe a little extra thrown in because we were so heartless in the first place in excluding them.

Yeah....the whole idea of a national sales tax holiday seems like a real winner, eh?

Auld Acquaintance be Forgot- and Old Spending Habbits!

It finally happened- the holidays are almost over!  Just when we thought we might be sick if we even glanced in the direction of another pumpkin pie, when we thought we might not actually make it through a crowd of angry lines waiting for Santa, and when it seemed we would be buried in a perpetual pile of fake snow- it happened- Christmas came and went!

Woohoo!  But what now?  Its a mere day before New Year's Eve, the very adult holiday that contrasts Christmas like Halloween pumpkins contrast the Easter Bunny!  We stay up until midnight, sing songs we can hardly pronounce the words to, and we make resolutions that will be forgotten long before Superbowl season.  But with the economy still steadily declining, it might not be a bad idea to make a few reasonable resolutions to help cut costs- without cutting the fun out of your life.

Entertainment
With hit high-budget movies like "Twilight" topping the box office, it leaves us wondering why we still need to shell-out $10.25 for our kids to see a movie-and that's before a $5.00 soda, $5.00 popcorn, and gobs and gobs of candy- priced manically high as well.  Entertainment books are a great way to find family savings.  They save money not only at restaurants, but include discount movie passes and vouchers for snacks at the theater too.  One of the most popular, simply named, The Entertainment Book offers vouchers for $6.00 movies as well as vouchers for up to $3.00 off your movie snacks!  Throw a can of coke in your bag (movie patrons are once again allowed to bring their own concessions into movie theaters) and your kids are ready to lust after teenage vampires for a mere $9.00.

Groceries
Not all of us are willing to live under $1.00 a day- but getting back to basics can help us do so.  Blog, Divine Caroline, has listed 20 of the healthiest foods that can cost us less than a buck.  Topping the list are oats, eggs, kale, and potatoes-wait-we can lump two resolutions into one?  Sure beats McDonald's dollar menu!

Cell Phones
Now is a great time to look at your cell phone plan and decide whether or not you really need all the features you are paying for.  Review your old bills and see how many minutes you use and how many text messages you send each month.  If you are using way less than what you are paying for, try downgrading to the next level.  Even if you end up going over by a few minutes, you may be saving more than you would by purchasing a larger package.  Know several people who use your carrier?  For around $7.00 a month you can subscribe to a mobile-to-mobile plan that may help you cut down on the amount of minutes you use and help you get down to the next tier plan.

Contributed by Alicia Butler

Sue You!

Well now that all the merriment and holiday-making is over, it's time to get back to real life.  And, unfortunately, for many couples and families, that means d-i-v-o-r-c-e.  People generally don't want to split with a spouse right before the holidays, so the marriage limps along through the end of December.  Statistically, a large percentage of couples of separate and/or file for divorce in January.  Our marriage did just that.

But who can afford a lawyer in this economy? 

Lawyers cost money.  Not only been there and done that, but it's also our livelihood.  Lawyers want retainers.  $1,000 right up front - and only if you're lucky.  Some attorney retainers are much higher than that.  And after that retainer is exhausted (as it invariably will) you will pay by the hour ~ sometimes up to $300 or $400 an hour.

Tough to pay this bill under the best of circumstances.  Add with holiday bills coming due and people worrying about whether they're going to  have a job in the New Year... yikes.

So more people are doing their divorces on they're own (and often at their own peril).  There are all sorts of legal pitfalls that await the unwary... especially if the other side is represented by counsel.  You could be waiving valuable rights that you don't even know you have. 

Our suggestion is a practical one.  If at all possible, ask about mediation. It's much cheaper and a mediator is a lawyer and can help the parties come to an amicable agreement on property division and child custody matters.  (Hint - amicable usual equals cheaper.)  Our other idea is to draft your documents yourself but, prior to filing, to hire an attorney (through referrals from friends or a referral agency) for a few hours to review them and to consult with to be sure you haven't overlooked anything major. 

Good luck.

--Contributed by Deb

A Green Christma$

So we got our newspaper the other day.... and it was filled with ads for post-holiday sales.  Already.  Whew.  Starting first thing on Friday morning. 

One guess this is to appeal to people who want to stock up on their holiday goodies for next year ~ if you're thinking about going with an artificial Christmas tree next year, maybe it's a good idea to get one after Christmas and stick in your attic.  It's going to be significantly cheaper now than it is next November.  Or maybe Santa didn't bring you your heart's desire, you can go out and grab it at a good price.

Retailers are reportedly very depressed with how this shopping season ended.  Tis the season for the savvy shopper.

Kohl's has an after Christmas clearance that's 60-70% off... supposedly.  We don't think this is 60-70% off what you'd pay TODAY for the same item.  But it's still going to get people in the door.  And if you got a Kohl's gift card from your honey this year, you can make your money go a lot farther by buying things at their after Christmas sale.  It's been so cold here in the East, we're marginally tempted to go buy a pair of fuzzy gloves.  Perhapas we'll order them online. 

What are we at ShopperCast East doing the day after Christmas?  As little as possible.  It's been a very busy season for us and we just now finished getting ready for THE BIG DAY tomorrow.  The tape has just been barely been stuck on our last gift.  And dinner is just ready to be started. 

Merry Christmas to all....!  We wish you all the blessings of the season.

--Contributed by Deb

Top 5 Consumer Products of 2008

As 2008 comes to a close, and the new year steadily approaches, we take a look back at the good, the better, and well, frankly, the best consumer products of the year.  What took off, and what should be left behind, in hopes it won't follow us into the year 2009?

Let's start with the obvious; the IPhone.  In the past ten years, Apple, creator of the Macintosh computer, blazed back into action, wooing not only graphic designers, and the technologically savvy, with first, the IPod, and the the IPhone.   The IPod soon became the best-selling MP3 player on the market, firing far past any competitor at ludicrous speed.  Then, in 2007, Apple released its most consumer-cool product yet, the IPhone.   Apple estimates they will have sold 45 million IPhones by 2009.

Every year its something different.  In the 1980's it was Cabbage Patch Kids.  A few years ago, the XBox.  This year, the product parents are lining up for, is the Nintendo Wii.  Nintendo, very similarly to Apple, has reclaimed its power-house status as the producer of the hottest new toy on the market- only this one is for kids and adults.  Nintendo reinvented their image and the way kids play video games by creating the first console that parents can feel good about sitting their children in front of- simply because players use their own bodies to manipulate the characters on the screen, thus taking away the idea that video games will melt your kids' minds and turn them into obese couch potatoes.

It seems like eons ago if we wanted to watch a DVD we would have to trek all the way to the local video store, or heaven forbid- even Blockbuster to rent the latest Paulie Shore movie.  Thankfully, Netflix saved us from DVD mogul, Blockbuster, late fees, and even the need to leave our apartments.   Now, with over 20 million customers, Netflix delivers hundreds of titles all over the world creating the planet's largest online DVD database.

Now that we can watch movies online, and order them through the internet, it only seems reasonable we should be able to watch TV online, too.  After Hulu.com was launched this year, hundreds of viewers were able to log on and watch dozens of television programs at the drop of a hat.

And, if we should ever decide to leave the house, Kayak.com has offered us not only discount airfare, but a search engine that will find the best us price online.  Cheap airfare and no customer service representatives to deal with?  Sign us up!

-Contributed by Alicia M. Butler

The Home Stretch

If you haven't finished (or started) your holiday shopping, we're down to three days to go.  It has been a tough holiday season for retailers.  The International Council of Shopping Centers is predicting the worst shopping season since 1969.  Ouch.  That's longer than some of us have been alive.

Thus some retailers are getting creative.  More than a dozen Macy's will stay open 24 hours a day between now and Christmas... we guess to lure customers who don't have anything better to do at 3:30 a.m. than to go in and buy a cashmere sweater. 

Other stores are slashing prices.  40% off gold earrings, again at Macy's.  40% off items at the Disney Store.  All in an effort to get you to hit the malls.

But what if malls aren't your thing?  Online retailers are more than happy to help you out with last minute deals and free shipping offers.  Some of the bargains we found: 

Old Navy is offering online shoppers up to 60 percent off;

Online jeweler BlueNile.com is sending "Daily Gem" e-mails to customers alerting them to new specials each day;

Shoe store Zappos.com, clothing retailer J.Crew and others are blasting e-mails to shoppers about free shipping, including free two-day service at bag retailer Timbuk2;

BlueFly.com, is cutting its fee for expedited shipping.

Some are even guaranteeing delivery on Christmas Eve as long as you order by December 23.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

--Contributed by Deb

Music To Our Ears

The RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) has changed its tune; much to the relief of a whole bunch of music loving consumers.

They've decided to quit suing their customers.  This long reviled practice involved tracking down folks who illegally downloaded music and threatening them with a lawsuit if they didnt stop the practice and give them a chunk of money for their transgressions.  Those who didnt comply promptly found themselves in front of a judge, defending themselves against piracy charges.

This has caused a huge outcry on the part of just about everyone outside the RIAA.  The primary source of outrage stems from the concept of suing your own customers for conduct which may or may not be beneficial to the RIAA.  Still, despite all clamor, the RIAA tended to prevail in these cases and those who found themselves on the receiving end of a RIAA lawsuit justifiably quaked in their boots.

Now, there's been a change of heart.  For reasons unknown to anyone except for the inner circle, the RIAA will no longer sue folks for supposed music piracy.  Instead, they will work with ISPs to have them attempt to police the illegal downloading through methods which aren't quite yet clear.  It sounds like the worst that can happen to a pirater is to get dumped by their ISP.

So, there may still be consequences to downloading music without paying for it however it's nice to see the big hammer put away in favor of a small ballpeen.