Shopping: Patriotic, or Soul-Killing?

Consumers cutting deals as economy slows

(NEWSER) - Many shoppers might consider haggling a buying technique better suited to a Moroccan carpet bazaar than their local mall, but the practice is picking up steam in the US in the midst of increasing economic woes, reports the Los Angeles Times. Cash-strapped consumers are trying to create bargains rather than hunt them down, and retailers stuck with unsold stock are giving sales staff more leeway to cut deals. More»

People actually like sales, coupons: Brad Tuttle

(NEWSER) - JCPenney’s new plan —stop offering huge markdowns on inflated, “fake prices” in order to offer “fair and square” pricing—sounds good in theory. Prices start at least 40% lower than they had been, with no need for customers to take advantage of sales or coupons to get the lowest price. But, though CEO Ron Johnson insists that “customers love the new JCP,” first quarter results show that sales are way down. “The consensus … seems to be that the JCPenney makeover is shaping up as a major flop,” writes Brad Tuttle in Time . More»

$100K on handbags ... and that's only 7 handbags

(NEWSER) - Jennifer Aniston ended up denying that she spends $8,000 per month on her health and beauty regimen, but she did spend $20,000 on lights for her mansion earlier this month. The Frisky rounds up 10 more insane celebrity shopping sprees:

• Kim Kardashian: In Paris, spent $100,000 on Hermes handbags. That's just seven bags, including one that cost $30,000.
• Victoria Beckham: In Milan, spent more than $1.5 million on bags, shoes, sunglasses, clothes, a Rolex for her hubby, and … five sofas.

...because every day will be a sale!

(NEWSER) - After attempting to woo bargain-hunters with 590 sales last year, JC Penney is officially doing away with them. But penny pinchers don't need to fret. The struggling chain's plan is to essentially make every day a sale by marking down all of its merchandise by 40% or more—permanently. "Every Day" pricing is the first big move by CEO/former Apple exec Ron Johnson, and it goes live Feb. 1. While the AP describes it as "simpler pricing," it's actually kind of involved. The store will launch a series of new tags: Red means it's an "Every Day" price, white signifies a "Month-Long Value," and blue indicates a "Best Price." More»

It didn't go well for David Sherman, 49

(NEWSER) - We don’t want to imply that there’s a right time to shoplift, but there’s definitely a wrong one, and that wrong one is on "Shop With a Cop" night. David Sherman, 49, tried to make off with a $79 DVD player from a Nebraska Walmart on Wednesday, apparently unaware that more than two dozen cops were in the store, WFIE 14 reports. More»