Tag Archives: shopping

Layaway Plans: Not Just For The Citizens Of 1992

Nina CarboneJune 14, 2009 //

I remember shopping in Kids ‘R Us (well, not exactly shopping, it was more trailing behind Mom while she picked out clothes and held them up to my and my sister’s little bodies for an instant size comparison) and wondering what those signs were for their “Layaway Plan.” Once upon another desperate time, layaway programs rose to popularity during the Great Depression and became a common form of payment for people who couldn’t afford to pay the dolla-dolla bills for stuff upfront. Now, for obvious reasons, layaway is making a big-time comeback. Unlike credit cards, programs charge no interest and require no credit history, but customers can’t take their items home until they’ve paid in full. Most plans charge a small fee, usually around $5, and require customers to pay within a limited time period. Intrigued? Stores like TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, Kmart and Burlington Coat Factory are offering the option to pay-to-buy—your credit card will thank you.

And online layaway programs are even more rad—you can pay-until-you-get-it on iPods, LCD Sharp TVs, GE refrigerators, almost anything at elayaway.com. Keep reading »

Note To Relationships Authors: Dating Is Nothing Like Shopping

Catherine StrawnMay 27, 2009 //

We’re sick of shopping metaphors being used to explain dating. Maybe it’s because we watched way too much “Sex and the City” back in the day and grew tired of the comparisons, but we don’t see how men are anything like purses, shoes, jewelry, or little black dresses. Author Janice Lieberman does just this in her new book, How to Shop for A Husband, in which the guy equivalent of the LBD is the PGHM, or “perfectly good husband material.” Barf. If finding a date were anything akin to scoring a mint-condition vintage bag on eBay, we’d have triumphed ages ago. [Today] Keep reading »

Shopping Guide: The Best Places To Blow Your Paycheck In LaLa Land

Leonora EpsteinMay 26, 2009 //

There’s no denying that in Hollywood, you are what you wear. In fact, everyone is so well styled that it’s often hard to tell the normals from the celebs (okay, that size two girl being followed by paparazzi? Yeah, she’s famous).

Yet, we gotta love LaLa land for its diverse and plentiful shopping areas. Hit up Beverly Hills for super luxe labels, Robertson for start gazing and fancy boutiques, or Melrose for funky thrift shops. Whether you’re looking for California-cool style or the latest celebrity trend, our list of Los Angeles shops will have you covered. Keep reading »

Saudi Arabia: Where The Recession Is A Real Slap in The Face

SimchaMay 11, 2009 //

Have you ever spent so much money you wanted slap yourself? Well, now you don’t have to! Thanks to a Saudi Arabian court, if a wife spends too much of her man’s dough, he can put her in her place for her. What a savings!

Many of the local men, and now the courts, have been hitting wives hard because of how they choose to use cash. Saudi Arabian women like Princess Adila bint Abdullah, deputy chairperson of the National Family Safety Program, as well as international human rights groups, have complained about the seemingly court-sanctioned spike in domestic violence justice. If you offer Judge Hamad Al-Razine a penny for his thoughts, he’ll tell you that women are the ones doing the shopping, “but nobody puts even a fraction of blame on them.” The judge argues that men are just reacting to the financial sitch and someone has got to knock some sense into these women, right? Keep reading »

America’s Malls In Crisis: Our Fave Mall Moments

Deborah SteinApril 19, 2009 //

Oh no! The country’s second-biggest mall operator is totally bankrupt! General Growth Properties, which manages more than 1,500 malls across the country, is $25 billion in debt. With vacancies at a 10-year high, many malls are being converted into offices or going dark. Is this the end of the mall as we know it? [NY Times]

What’s a teen girl to do without a place to buy shoes, cookies, and a bra—all at the same time? After the jump, a list of our favorite mall rights of passage we’re sad tomorrow’s kids will miss out on.
Keep reading »

When Not To Shop When You’re Trying To Spend Less

Catherine StrawnMarch 30, 2009 //

If you’re trying to be good about keeping a budget, the week before you get your period you might want to stay away from Madewell, or J.Crew, or Gilt Groupe, or whatever store makes you want to pull out your credit card. According to a study by professor Karen Pine of the University of Hertfordshire in England, women were more likely to make impulse buys or overspend during the later stages of their menstrual cycle. Pine told the BBC that women use shopping as way of regulating their intense emotions. Besides all of the hormonal changes in our brains, it’s possible that we spend more at this particular point in our cycle because we want to dress to impress when we’re fertile. Pine’s research found that most of the purchases made were for adornment, i.e., jewelry, makeup, and high heels. This explains why I absolutely had to buy a new nail polish after work on Friday. Yes, it was an impulse buy, but it was a damn good one. Essie E-Nuff is E-Nuff is the perfect color for now: a coral-y red that is nearly fluorescent (the product photo really doesn’t do it justice). [BBC] Keep reading »

QVC And HSN Are Awesome!

Annika HarrisFebruary 22, 2009 //

People often laugh at me when I tell them I shop on QVC and HSN, but little do they know, both of these shopping networks have awesome fashions, handbags, jewelry and makeup. Plus, you can pay in installments for some items, and they’ll ship the item before you’re even finished paying. Keep reading »

Last, Last-Minute Gifts That Don’t Seem So

DivineCaroline.comDecember 23, 2008 //

It’s Christmas Eve. Dinner is ready, the house is decorated, and the lights are aglow with holiday magic. You are about to relax in the recliner with some eggnog and watch “A Christmas Story” when you get a call from your brother. He has decided to bring his new girlfriend and he forgot to get her a present — would you mind? Or maybe you are heading out to a party and realize you forgot to get the host a gift. Maybe things have been so crazy, you forgot you have three nephews, not two. Whatever the reason, you need a gift, you need it now, and all that’s open is Walgreen’s, Bob’s Liquor, and Safeway. Take a deep breath, down the eggnog, and grab your keys. You’ve heard of last-minute gifts? Here are some last last-minute gifts that don’t seem so, well, last minute. Keep reading »

What A Craigslist Ad Teaches Us About Relationships

Wendy AtterberryDecember 15, 2008 //

Forget self-help books and magazine columns. For dating and relationship advice, I recommend Craigslist. Don’t believe me? Yesterday, I was perusing the New York City section of the site, hoping someone might be unloading a pair of Veronica slouch Frye boots in a size 7, preferably barely used, and hopefully well under the $328 they retail for, when I came across the following ad. The subject header: “Mens clothes, My ex’s xmas gifts he’ll never get, It’s a steal.”

Keep reading »

11 Tips For Scoring At Thrift Stores

Catherine StrawnDecember 10, 2008 //

Despite it being shopping season right now, none of us are buying as much we did last year — at least not from regular stores. While the retail industry is in its worst slump in 35 years, resale and thrift shops have reported increases in sales. I have definitely contributed to that rise; Besides a new winter coat (and underwear, of course), I haven’t bought any new new clothes since this summer. I even went to a super fancy wedding in a dress that cost $3! Below, find out how to work the Goodwill racks like a pro from three highly successful thrifters… Keep reading »

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