When you have shopping on the brain, it helps to have a song in your heart. Presented with the challenge of crafting a ditty about that crucial day after Thanksgiving--the busiest shopping day of the year--WalletPop columnist and award-winning songwriter Lou Carlozo set to work. The result is The Black Friday (Can't Get No Zhu Zhu Pet) Blues.

WalletPop Wire

    Personal checks poised to be a relic

    Geoff Williams Filed Under: , ,

    Is the personal check on its way out?

    The Dallas Morning News recently suggested that -- and, no, they aren't the first to suggest it, nor will they be the last -- but they point out that several stores lately have made it their policy to refuse personal paper checks: Diesel, True Religion, Ed Hardy and Lululemon Athletica, which are all clothing stores. And maybe there's something in the water, since the clothing giant Gap is also exploring the concept of no longer accepting personal checks.

    My WalletPop colleague Martha C. White has also written about Whole Foods no longer accepting checks in some stores, as part of a get-rid-of-checks experiment.

    Reckless lendings' fallout continues

    Barbara Bartlein Filed Under: , , , , , ,

    The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reports that a record number of loans -- one in seven -- is delinquent, up from one in 10 a year ago.

    Today's numbers also show that one in 22 families in the U.S. is in the process of losing their home, up from one in 34 a year ago. Based on these figures, we are now on track for 2.9 million foreclosure starts in this year alone.

    The lenders' trade association is quick to blame this worsening trend on higher unemployment levels. But that ignores the fact that reckless lending precipitated the economic crisis and prolongs it each day with every new foreclosure, which forces down surrounding property values.


    Travel with the flu during holidays and you could end up in quarantine

    Aaron Crowe Filed Under: ,

    crowdJust as swine flu activity is slowing, health officials are worried about another increase as people travel for Thanksgiving. And a few weeks after Thanksgiving, more people will be preparing to travel for Christmas, making now a good time to review government recommendations on travel during swine flu season.

    Nobody wants another travel scene like last spring in Mexico, when thousands of travelers canceled trips to Mexico after a swine flu outbreak there.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a whole list of interim guidelines for flight crews regarding the swine flu, and probably the best among them for travelers is that "People with symptoms of novel influenza A (H1N1) virus infection should not leave home or travel."

    Donald Trump enters the world of multi-level marketing

    Zac Bissonnette Filed Under:

    What happens when you combine one of the world's most ridiculed business personalities with one of the world's most ridiculed business models?

    The Trump Network, the new Donald Trump-branded multi-level marketing business that is "designed to make people healthier with customized vitamins and nutritional supplements, and to encourage individuals to become entrepreneurs and to take control of their financial well-being."

    In an e-mail, Trump told The Associated Press that The Trump Network is his "rescue and recovery program" for people who have been hit hard by the recession.


    College pays fired witch $40,000 to settle discrimination charge

    Zac Bissonnette Filed Under: ,

    A former University of Nebraska employee who claimed she was fired for being a witch has agreed to settle her case for $40,000.

    According to a letter from the unidentified woman's attorney reviewed by the Lincoln Journal Star, the plaintiff took a job in 2007 directing a youth program. But according to her complaint, an associate dean fired her after learning that she was a witch and that her religion was "Reclaiming Tradition of Witchcraft". She filed a complaint with the Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission, which found reasonable cause to suggest that religious discrimination was a factor.

    In a letter, the university said that the settlement was made "solely to compromise the claim ... without admitting the validity of plaintiff's contention or any allegations of wrongdoing by the defendants."


    Some free shipping offers about to expire

    Julia Scott Filed Under:

    Here's a round up of some of the best free shipping offers. Get free shipping...
    • from Avon with any $5 purchase when you use code GOBBLE. Expires TODAY Nov. 23.
    • from Borders when you ship it to any local store. No expiration date.
    • from Crocs with no minimum purchase using code CHOOSESHIP. Expires Dec. 31.
    • from J.Crew on orders of $150 or more using code HARVEST. Expires TODAY Nov. 23.
    • from Nike with no minimum using code GIFT. Expires Dec. 22.
    • from Snapfish when you spend $50 or more and use code HOLSAVE. Expires Nov. 30.
    And a few flat shipping deals:
    • get $.99 flat shipping at the eco-home goods store Gaiam with code AF99SHP. Expires Dec. 9.
    • get $3 flat shipping from Bath & Body Works with code 3DOLLARSHIP. Expires Nov. 25.
    Find more free shipping offers from FreeShipping.org.

    Black Friday 2009: The ads are in, and here's where to find them

    Beth Pinsker Filed Under:

    black friday dealsThe ads are in! While this info is gathered in a lot of places, we thought you might like a handy list of where you can find the actual circulars from your favorite stores. So peruse away!

    Scam busters turn the tables on those running the Nigerian scam

    Marc Acito Filed Under: , , , ,

    AcitoBeloved One,

    I have the Courage to Crave Indulgence for this most opportune business venture...

    Look familiar? A day doesn't go by day that I don't receive an e-mail from people with names like Dr. Fortunate Goodpence or Mrs. Pius Motubo soliciting my aid in recovering millions from banks in Nigeria, if only I just sent a little money to get started. Which means I greet each morning with the same thought: who still falls for this crap?

    Modern advance-fee scams, commonly called 419 scams after the number of the Nigerian Criminal Code, have been around for over twenty-five years, but exploded with the growth of the internet. So you'd think we'd all be wise to them, yet the latest statistics available show that worldwide losses to these kind of scams topped $4.3 billion in 2007 - and those were just the ones reported. Because, let's face it, losing money due to greed and a sense of colonial superiority to Africans is super embarrassing.

    $3 in free MP3's from Amazon

    Julia Scott Filed Under:

    How's this for a pre-Black Friday deal? Get $3 to buy MP3 downloads from Amazon -- which means you could get three or more free songs. Rad!

    Expires Monday, Nov. 30 at 11:59 PM PST.

    You can use the free $3 credit toward one album or multiple songs, as long as you use it before Nov. 30. Top-selling singles are $1.29, others cost less.

    Amazon has more than 500 albums for just $5, including Kelly Clarkson's "All I Ever Wanted," Johnny Cash's "The Best of the Sun Years," and the Beastie Boy's "Paul's Boutique." With the discount, that means an entire album is just $2!

    Caveats: one per customer. Good for U.S. customers only. You must have an Amazon account to get the deal.

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