Comments on: Daily Links: Predatory Shopping Edition

By: JH

JH — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 19:27:35 +0000

I agree with what NoFreebieOnlineSpace space says about not depending solely on online backups, but I do recommend Mozy. It is my offsite personal backup of choice, and it works well. I recently upgraded to the $5/month option to get unlimited space and have shoved 80GB of personal photos and home videos up there. It’s not my only backup option, but it’s nice to know there is something offsite that gets automatically updated every night. Mozy plus a external USB drive for a 2nd backup makes a cheap but convenient & redundant backup system.

Also, the company behind Mozy is a subsidiary of EMC, which I think reduces the likelihood that Mozy will disappear overnight.

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By: E

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 21:06:34 +0000

Yeah, the Circuit City liquidation wasn’t. Linens n Things was much better. We got some stuff for about 10% of the original price. My husband is a bargain hunter so he made sure we got a screaming good deal.

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By: JC

JC — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:44:01 +0000

Just because things are on sale doesn’t mean they are a bargain.

I recently picked up a heavily discounted memory foam pillow from MACYS. But I’ve been wanting a new pillow for about 6-months and I’ve been shopping around online to figure out how much pillows cost.

But predatory shopping isn’t a bargain if you don’t even need (or have a plan to use) the stuff in the first place.

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By: retired

retired — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:58:28 +0000

A local furniture store was going out of business. I had not thought of going until the last day when my husband said he needs a new office chair. So off we went since he does not move well and we do not have our own scooter yet. I went in without him. They had one chair left not quite high enough in the back for him. the going out of business discount was 20% off the marked price, by this I mean the original price. This chair did not fit the bill so I did not consider even beginning the bargaining process. Now furniture has at least a 100% mark up. The person next to me told me they offered what would be 30% off and they turned it down. As I walked to the front of the store I heard many people complaining they are only taking the marked discounts. The store closed that evening with out a sale to me. But I noticed many sold tags and not many with a high discount. I suspect they will restructure the business and reopen the store in six months perhaps with another name.

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By: Mark Wolfinger

Mark Wolfinger — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:54:07 +0000

the not-so-funny humor in personal finance comes from bloggers who publish junk and who know less than nothing.

not referring to you, JD, but they are out there.

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By: DDFD at DivorcedDadFrugalDad

DDFD at DivorcedDadFrugalDad — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:34:33 +0000

It is important to know the cost and pricing of things– this is how you will recognize TRUE bargains . . .

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By: Holly

Holly — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:25:11 +0000

The term ‘predatory shopping’ makes me think of the companies that sell you a product that includes those deceitful hidden fees. An example…I purchased a free trial of a diet supplement online (just pay $3.95 s&h). Lo and behold, WHAM, a charge of $83.17 on my credit card. Believe me, I’m not an ill-advised consumer, there was nothing on the site and nothing on the package that I received that stated anything about the fact that I would be ‘automatically enrolled’ for a monthly shipment of this product (unless I called to cancel w/in 14 days). How can you cancel a membership that you didn’t know you had? I’m disputing it w/my cc, and I get to listen to my husband’s chiding! I truly believe that this is a big reason why none of us want to spend any more of our money…we’re all sick and tired of the gimmicks, promotions and sneaky BS. First, we lose all of our nest eggs and now companies are using marketing and tactics that are more aggressive than ever. We need to fight back!

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By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 04:57:59 +0000

On the This American Life “Scenes From a Recession” ep a few weeks back, it was confirmed that the first thing the Circuit City liquidators did was raise prices.

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By: Ann

Ann — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 04:22:24 +0000

Cable is not needed to enjoy a big screen telly. A PS3 and a massive collection of movies and games will do nicely.

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By: Michele

Michele — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 03:42:21 +0000

Love the comic strip. Too bad they cut back on their cable. Their big screen won’t be as useful to them without it.

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By: WheelDancer

WheelDancer — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 02:26:42 +0000

I have to agree with No Freebie Online Space and add another caution based on my long career in information systems; you don’t know what the security policies are or, even if you do, what breaches lurk behind the scenes. Think of all the occurrences of credit card numbers being ‘lost’ on some bank techies’ laptop that was stolen.

On a more cheerful note, thanks J. D. for the link to APR/APY over at Barganeering. It was exactly the explanation I was looking for.

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By: Tyler T

Tyler T — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 02:19:46 +0000

“Predatory shopping.” I like that phrase! When I heard today that Joe’s is filing Chapter 11 and will probably be liquidated, the first thing I thought was, “How much camping gear can I pillage?” But then I recalled how disappointed everyone seemed to be with the Circuit City liquidation – raising prices back up to MSRP and then marginally discounting back down to regular prices or just below. So, I will wait until the final days and see if anything I want is still left. By then, the deals should be great and my desire to swoop in and snatch up everything I’ve been holding out on should subside at least a little.

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By: the weakonomist

the weakonomist — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 01:55:08 +0000

The behavioral economist in me says Rhonda probably isn’t getting the good deals she thinks she is. There is nothing in the first and second rounds of liquidation sales that you can’t get online for cheaper. But by thinking she’s saving money on her purchase she feels better.

A bit cynical perhaps, but comparing “sales” to amazon is a hobby of mine.

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By: No Freebie Online Space

No Freebie Online Space — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 01:54:01 +0000

Fertheloveofpete, don’t be banking on online storage space for cd backups. What will you do if the site suddenly goes under – fiscal issues or their backups fail? No if you use the online site as a backup for your backup cds (in case of a major catastrophe like a hurricane or tornado) then the online site is a wise idea.

But never let the site be your primary source of backups.

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By: Studenomics

Studenomics — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 01:35:14 +0000

Lol I must admit I enjoyed the comic and to be honest I have been guilty of that as well. I will save money on going out and clothing and then turn around to go on vacation. I see that as the main benefit of frugality though; save money on one area so you can spend it on another that brings you greater joy.

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