Sears (re)joins the layaway revival
Filed under: Budgets, Shopping, Recession
Where Layaway Reigns
Sears did away with layaway nearly twenty years ago (at least for most products except fine jewelry), but now is jumping back on the bandwagon as of Sunday. Except for major appliances and home electronics (like that flat-screen you can't afford), customers will be able to put money down on an item to retrieve later, for just a low fee but no interest.
Michael Dwyer, AP
K-Mart got back on the layaway bandwagon in mid-October, and has been touting its revival in ads that encourage shoppers to come and shop early for holiday wares.
Mark Humphrey, AP
Monroe Milstein, founder, CEO and president of Burlington Coat Factory, has long had a layaway program, which is 30 days for regular merchandise and 90 days for Baby Depot items. There is a $5.00 service fee.
Daniel Hulshizer, AP
TJ Maxx has also had a layaway program all along, which requires 10 percent down and pick-up with full payment within 30 days. No fee is specified on the company's Web site.
Elise Amendola, AP
Marshalls, owned by the same parent company as TJ Maxx, has a similar layaway policy.
Paul Sakuma, AP
The Web has also taken to layaway, as services like eLayaway.com offer the ability to use a third-party service for layaway-type purchases.
eLayaway.com
Wal-Mart used to have a robust layaway service, but did away with it in 2006 and has yet to revive it. Other retailers, like Circuit City and JC Penney, also discontinued their programs.
Paul Sakuma, AP
Target never got on the layaway bandwagon at all, and has made no indication that it plans to hop aboard anytime soon.
Tony Gutierrez, AP
Sears never fully left layaway completely -- it has been offering it for fine jewelry since 1989 -- but now it will be there for customers who want anything but home appliances and home electronics.
Why is Sears back in the layaway game? Have you seen the stock market ticker lately? As the economy sours and consumer dollars stay in their wallets, Sears is jumping on the return to layaway bandwagon with K-Mart, Burlington Coat Factory, Marshall's and TJ Maxx. Yet to return to layaway this holiday season: Toys 'R Us, Wal-Mart, Target and JC Penney.
WalletPop named layaway one of the most underrated things in America in a recent series, and also labeled it, "the new black."
Children may get clothes for Christmas
Filed under: Budgets, Kids and Money, Recession
Yes, Virginia, there is a recession.In what is shaping up to be a seriously grim holiday shopping season, retailers are projecting ("hoping" is a better word), that parents will buy "necessities," i.e. clothes, instead of electronic games and other high dollar purchases for their children this Christmas. This would be a great solution for Macy's but if the prediction comes true, there will be some unhappy kids this holiday season. Bottom line? You can't blame retailers for hoping that parents will just spend money differently.
A lot of us have thought for a long time that Christmas in America needed some adjusting. So here we are. But as a mother and a children's therapist, let me suggest that you don't buy young children clothes for Christmas. Teenagers may well want clothes but will be happier choosing it themselves (and you'll be a lot happier not standing in line for an exchange) - hence gift cards. For the 'tweens, it seems only fair to give them a head's up that this isn't going to be much of a year for electronics.
As for the little ones, there is so much to choose from in the classic toys. Consider a 64-pack of crayons and a stack of coloring books. Or for the slightly more advanced a good set of colored pencils or craypas, and an artist-quality drawing pad. Consider card games, Etch-a-Sketch, puzzles with their favorite animals, bags of small plastic animals -- ranches, farms -- and those big speckled cardboard blocks, Play-Doh. Bring back Mr. Potato Head.
Broke for the holidays: Church Fairs
Filed under: Shopping, Simplification
As the weather cools and the holidays approach, yard sale season ends but the church fair season is just around the corner."I often think of going," said a friend,"but I wonder whether what I'll find are crocheted doll toilet paper crafts and the like. Is it worth the effort?"
The answer is: it depends on who you're shopping for and what you like to give as gifts. Holiday fairs are a
longstanding tradition and some of the contributors have been making their specialties for fifty years. You'll find a wonderful variety of baked and canned goods. There will be knitted and crocheted items for adults and especially for children - mittens, hats, sweaters, dolls and doll clothes, blankets. Most fairs also sell wreaths, centerpieces and swags. You'll find handmade ornaments. Some churches have their own traditions - a wheel of cheddar and baskets of apples, a special table with items for children to buy often priced at 25 and 50 cents.
Could the time be right for $35 movie tickets
Filed under: Bargains, Shopping, Wealth, Recession
Most blogs are mocking this idea, thinking that this is just the wrong economic climate to start a business like this, and especially gloomy about the prospect that Gold Glass will be able to open 50 such deluxe locations eventually. But now might just be the right time to do something like this. The $35 entitles the ticketholder to an exclusive and relaxing escape -- there are only 40 seats in the theater and there are likely to be few children invited. While the popping of a cork of Dom Perignon champagne might be distracting, the duck tacos and blue cheese potato chips might be worth the extra price, considering mere popcorn costs a small fortune these days.
Most Expensive Food
Black watermelon | Description: 17-pound premium black Densuke watermelon | From: Japan
Cost: Most Densuke watermelons retail for $188 to $283, but this one fetched a record $6,100 at auction.
Tomoko A. Hosaka, AP
Burger | Description: Kobe beef, black truffles, foie gras, Gruyere cheese, topped with gold flakes and served with fries | From: The Wall Street Burger Shoppe in New York
Cost: $175
*Prices on this and the following items may have changed and some dishes may have been discontinued since first reported.
Brendan McDermid, Reuters
Champagne: Perrier-Jouet 2000 Belle Epoque, 750 mL | Description: Limited edition of 100 12-bottle sets, custom-flavored with the buyer's choice of liqueur | From: Pernod Ricard
Cost: $79,000; roughly $6,300 per bottle
Francois Guillot, Getty Images
Sandwich: The McDonald | Description: Wagyu beef, foie gras, truffle mayonnaise, brie, rocket, red pepper and mustard confit, and plum tomatoes on sourdough | From: Selfridges department store in London
Cost: $150
Scott Barbour, Getty Images
Cocktail: Martini on the Rock | Description: Martini with a diamond | From: Algonquin Hotel in New York
Cost: $10,000
Scott Gries, Getty Images
Liquor: Aztec Passion Limited Edition | Description: 4.4-pound gold and platinum bottle of tequila | From: Tequila Ley .925
Cost: $225,000
Sources: AP, Reuters
Susana Gonzalez, Getty Images
Candidate dolls - will there be a scarcity?
Filed under: Shopping
It's hard to know what anyone was thinking when they chose to manufacture an Obama doll that sings (to the tune of "O'Susannah no less) "The senator from Illinois gets down and funky." Alternatively, the Clinton doll sings, "My name is Hillary, first broad of history." It's safe to say that the messages were, "not approved by the candidates." It worked for awhile, at least in certain locations. The Obama doll quickly sold out in Illinois.
This is a scenario perfect for the collectible market which thrives on publicity and scarcity. The dolls have begun to show up on eBay and will certainly see some kind of appreciation.
The best doll of all, for my money (which I won't be spending) isn't one of the Walgreens dolls. Sarah Pallin was added to the Republican ticket too late to make the Walgreens cast. But there is a Sarah Palin doll and undoubtedly there will be more. This one is - appropriately - a restyled Barbie doll. The vice presidential candidate is depicted embracing a polar bear and wearing a Mattel black and white pinstripe business suit. Check it out on eBay.
If only the doll could wink.
The return of repairs!
Filed under: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Shopping, Recession
I used to be intimidated about bringing clothes to the seamstress at The Common Thread, a tailoring shop located in an upscale shopping/tourist enclave on the Upper Cape called Mashpee Commons. I ventured in last week with a pair Escada slacks ($8.00 new at a Hospice thrift shop) that needed to be hemmed. When I went to pick up the slacks, the proprietor explained that she was "running behind." Her tailoring business has been booming this fall. When I mentioned this to a friend, she said that she had also taken slacks in for alteration last week and that her seamstress had told her the same thing.
Imagine, Americans repairing, altering, reusing and recycling! Does the economy need to practically collapse around us before "Shop Until You Drop" ceases to be the new national anthem? Given a president whose response to 9/11 was, "Go to the mall," shopping has been patriotic.
After decades of being drunk on dollars, we might actually be sobering up. If the clothing repair business is strengthening, what could be next? Here's an idea: customers could start buying shoes that can be repaired.
The shoe repair industry plummeted in the 1960's, with a 40% drop in stores, and has continued to decline leading into the 21st century. If shoe repair sees a resurgence, it will provide jobs for former prisoners who have learned the craft while doing time.
Seven easy ways to save $100 a week
Filed under: Budgets, Recession
treet for awhile, with few financial concerns until the recent downturns, then Famoosh Torabi's article, "7 Easy Ways to Save $100 a week" is well worth reading. I'll forward it along to my older son, who is just out of college and could be holding onto a lot more of his paycheck. He's pretty much heard it all before from me, but then he's somewhat "mother-deaf."For the rest of us, not new to watching our dollars, I'd be interested to hear whether any of the seven ideas are new to you. Torabi's suggestions include limiting visits to the ATM, drinking at home instead of in restaurants or bars, self-manicures and pedicures, using the library.
Maybe I'm cranky today. I've been "cutting back" for a long time. So I don't agree when Torabi suggests that when using your debit card at whole Foods, you can get cash back without paying a fee. What's wrong with that suggestion? If you're trying to cut costs, you probably won't be doing a lot of your shopping at Whole Foods -- except perhaps for its store brand.
Scholastic FINALLY cuts Bratz books from its school book clubs
Filed under: Sex Sells, Kids and Money, School
For parents and children alike, the name Scholastic is a household word. It means books and book clubs, book fairs, summer reading. It is - and certainly intends to be - a widely trusted name in children's publishing. According to the New York Times today, Scholastic will "no longer include chapter books based on the overtly sexy Bratz dolls in any of its school book clubs or fairs this year."Scholastic books and brochures arrive mainly through the public schools. This leads many parents to expect that these books are good - or at least okay - reading for their children. We would like to think that a children's publisher, particularly Scholastic, would be committed not only to its sales numbers but also to its customers. Think again.
Scholastic pulled flyers for book fair titles like "L'il Bratz: Dancin' Divas" and "L'il Bratz: Catwalk Cuties" only after an eighteen-month fight by Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. Judy Newman, president of Scholastic Book Clubs, met with a representative from the Campaign earlier this year and said, "I can't be directed by anyone's special interest. That would almost be censorship."
As a writer, mother, children's therapist and constant reader, I consider myself at least reasonably well-informed on the topic of children's books.
Actually, you can afford a decorator!
Filed under: Budgets, Home, Shopping
In this time of tightened spending and heightened anxiety, coming home to a feeling of peace is more important than ever. Harmony at home depends mostly, of course, on who you live with and how you live together, but the rooms you live in and how you feel in them also matter.I never thought that I would work with a decorator. A social worker, I married a man who had once lived in a tree house and we had two children together. Decorating for me has always been about flea markets and yard sales. It isn't something I'm complaining about -- it's actually a passion. Unfortunately, being financially "limited" isn't the only problem for me when it comes to home decor. I have an additional problem. I am among those missing the decorating gene.
On Saturday, I worked with Rachelle Goodfriend, of Goodfriend Design Group, who was recently featured in San Francisco magazine . A designer, who also happens to be a psychotherapist, Rachelle gave me a glimpse of just what a decorator has to offer even if you're working on a small budget.
Raining cats and dogs: A different kind of children's birthday party
Filed under: Entrepreneurship, Extracurriculars, Kids and Money, Charity
The children who came to Adelaide's 6th birthday party didn't bring her any presents. It's a party that she'll never forget.What the children who joined her, and her 3-year-old brother Calvin, brought to the party were cans of dog and cat food, old tennis balls, blankets, flea collars, and pig's ears. That's because in lieu of presents for herself, Addie Gardiner asked her guests to bring donations for the cats and dogs of the town where she and her family spend their summers, Falmouth, MA. The children filled three 30 gallon bins with their gifts.
The idea came from a magazine article that their mother Patti Gardiner had read. It was about a child who had a party for the benefit of her furry friends. Patti, recently retired from a 23-year career with Delta Airlines (and hence had a bit of time for creativity) suggested the idea to Addie. Three year old Calvin's birthday is close to his sister's, he liked the idea too ,and so a joint birthday party to benefit the dogs and cats of Falmouth was born.
