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Consumer Spending

Could Online-Sales Tax Moves Hurt Private Retailers' Already-Thin Margins?

Mary Ellen Biery | Posted 05.21.2013 | Small Business
Mary Ellen Biery

Privately held retailers are operating with relatively thin profit margins nearly four years after the end of the recession, according to recent data from Sageworks, a financial information company.

Oh Where, Oh Where Should My Gay Dollars Go?

Joshua Estrin | Posted 05.14.2013 | Gay Voices
Joshua Estrin

When it comes to brand loyalty, the LGBT community has historically shown that we have no issue with demonstrating our pride in what we like and letting our wallets do the talking.

The Top 5 Lessons Learned in Our First Year

Ryan Caldbeck | Posted 04.25.2013 | Small Business
Ryan Caldbeck

In the course of its first year any startup will confront issues it had not anticipated. Decisions will be made that are wrong. Every new business is different, and every one will encounter its own unique problems. Here are the lessons we learned from our mistakes at CircleUp in our first year.

Pessimism On Economy Continues To Grow

AP | TOM RAUM and JENNIFER AGIESTA | Posted 04.19.2013 | Business

WASHINGTON — For the third year in a row, the nation's economic recovery has hit a springtime soft spot. Reflecting that weakness, only 1 in 4 A...

Re-Evaluation

Alexia Amvrazi | Posted 04.15.2013 | Healthy Living
Alexia Amvrazi

I love to shop, and still sometimes harbor the secret wish that I am magically bequeathed with a gold card I can spend indefinitely and infinitely on without that ever becoming any sort of karmic shackle, but my approach to spending has changed considerably over the last year.

The Sustainability Generation

Steven Cohen | Posted 04.15.2013 | Green
Steven Cohen

The issue of environment and sustainability has already moved from the fringe of political awareness and our policy agenda to its center. In the next decade, this will only increase as the sustainability generation comes of age.

Using Your Power as a Consumer

Dedrick Muhammad | Posted 04.05.2013 | Black Voices
Dedrick Muhammad

Give thought to how the decision you make with your money could be the impetus to change that can have perhaps a much longer lasting impact.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's... an "It" Bag

Edward M. Epstein | Posted 03.27.2013 | Arts
Edward M. Epstein

I've never actually seen a Hermès Birkin bag. Most of what I know about these accessories, which I'm told go for as much as $150,000 each, is based on Mark Khaisman's colored packing tape mock-ups, now on view at Philadelphia's Pentimenti gallery.

Caroline Fairchild

Bad News For Casual Restaurants

HuffingtonPost.com | Caroline Fairchild | Posted 03.21.2013 | Business

Far fewer Americans dined out last month as many adjusted to smaller paychecks, according to new data released from a closely watched index of restaur...

Here's One Thing Americans Refuse To Cut Back On

Posted 03.13.2013 | Business

Americans may be cutting back on extras, but they’re still racing to buy guns. Feeling pinched by the end of the payroll tax cut, high gas prices...

Keep Your Eye on the Middle Class

Michael Farr | Posted 03.12.2013 | Business
Michael Farr

These imperatives do not appear to be materializing as a result of aggressive monetary policy. Even so, Bernanke & Co. charge relentlessly ahead on their chosen course. We can only hope they know what they are doing.

Better Times?

Norris J. Chumley, Ph.D. | Posted 05.04.2013 | Religion
Norris J. Chumley, Ph.D.

We've now gone through a few years of economic hardships, and we are making it through. Yes, times are hard for most of us; harder than we've ever known or experienced. It's true it is not over, but there is hope and we're going to be all right. Trust me. Trust God.

Income Posts Largest Drop In 2 Decades

Reuters | Posted 05.01.2013 | Business

WASHINGTON, March 1 (Reuters) - U.S. consumer spending rose in January as Americans spent more on services, with savings providing a cushion after i...

The Most Common Mistakes When Discussing Price

Ian Altman | Posted 04.29.2013 | Business
Ian Altman

The salesperson said, "We will only discuss price in person." Their unwillingness to share any pricing information raised a red flag. Was their pricing so offensive that they could not share it? Did they not have consistent pricing? Did they not price their meats by the pound?

How to Build a Sustainable Economy; Not Another Bubble

John Friedman | Posted 04.27.2013 | Impact
John Friedman

As a society we are the more than willing victims who love the adrenalin rush that comes with watching the Dow rise, or our home assessments go up, or our portfolios expand but then turn around and blame our predators when we get caught.

Washington Idiocy Pinches Consumers

The Huffington Post | Mark Gongloff | Posted 02.22.2013 | Business

Science has determined that people need to know 7.5 things per day, on average, about the world of business. You can't argue with science. Lucky for y...

One Extremely Simple Way To Cut Back Your Spending

The Huffington Post | Catherine New | Posted 02.20.2013 | Business

You have too many bank accounts. That is, if you're trying to cut back on spending and save money. According to new consumer behavior research, the...

Jillian Berman

Looming Economic Danger

HuffingtonPost.com | Jillian Berman | Posted 02.13.2013 | Business

During his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama painted a picture of a nation finally on the mend from the anxiety-provoking economic wo...

Consumers, Why So Unhappy?

Harlan Green | Posted 04.07.2013 | Business
Harlan Green

It shouldn't be a secret by now: Consumers are unhappy. And it's not because we are too busy paying down our debts. It's really because no one in Washington has been focusing on job creation.

The Massive Number Of People Who Will Get Engaged On V-Day

Posted 02.04.2013 | Weddings

Valentine's Day may be a commercial holiday, but at the end of the day, many couples agree that it's nice to take one day to celebrate your love. Case...

The American Economy: What Obama Needs to Tell the People

Sanjay Sanghoee | Posted 04.03.2013 | Business
Sanjay Sanghoee

Once again, it is up to President Obama to take the lead and make the American public aware of all this. Our nation is in a hopeful but tricky place right now and which way we go will depend as much on our confidence in ourselves as in any statistics.

Facebook's Brilliant New Strategy: Gift Cards

AP | Posted 04.02.2013 | Technology

NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook's newest e-commerce idea: A gift card users can buy for each other that can be spent at retailers and restaurants including...

Why Consumers are Bummed Out

Robert Reich | Posted 04.01.2013 | Business
Robert Reich

The stock market is bullish. The housing market seems to have rebounded a bit. So why are consumers so glum? Because they're deeply worried about their jobs and their incomes -- as they have every right to be.

Americans Down Over Tax Hike

AP | MARTIN CRUTSINGER | Posted 03.31.2013 | Business

WASHINGTON — An increase in Social Security taxes is leaving Americans with less take-home pay – and a more negative outlook for the U.S. ...

Seek a Balance Between Consuming and Creating

Robert Pagliarini | Posted 03.30.2013 | Business
Robert Pagliarini

That bloated sensation you feel isn't just from the excess eggnog and stuffing you ate over the holidays. It's far worse. It's actually the end, not the beginning, of each January that's the most important time of the year.