Long Receipts Get Shoppers in a Twist

Large retailers join smaller niche stores to offer rebates for reusing

(NEWSER) - Target and CVS will reward customers for using reusable shopping bags, and the efforts could take a billion plastic bags out of circulation. Though some retailers—notably Wal-Mart—have been slow to hop on the eco bandwagon, initiatives at smaller chains such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe's have met with success. “Retailers who want to connect with this generation have to go green,” an expert tells USA Today. More»

A list of retail strategies to do good while you buy

(NEWSER) - Want to do some shopping and do some good—at the same time? Sandy Stonesifer, writing for Slate, offers some ways to buy for the betterment of humanity:

• Go for products that donate a portion of proceeds to charity—like Product (Red) iPods, which give to the Global Fund, and pink playing cards, which donate to breast cancer research.
• Web sites like Goodshop let you send a piece of your purchase price to charities.

They love fawning clerks and attention, study says

(NEWSER) - Shopaholics crave the self-esteem boost they get from interaction with retail staff far more than the actual goods they buy, new research shows. Psychiatrists believe the findings will lead to a new course of therapy, rather than the usual treatment of prescribing antidepressants, Deutsche Welle reports. The disorder affects up to 10% of Western consumers, researchers say, and can destroy lives. More»

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»

Millions of Americans buy their favorite person gifts on Feb. 14

(NEWSER) - Rather than going without that box of Godiva, about 8 million Americans are their own valentines, sending themselves gifts they're guaranteed to like, reports Reuters. Should you receive a valentine offering from a date, beau, or husband, disappointment may follow: There's a big difference between women's wishes and men's purchases. Men like to give lingerie, but only 2% of women want it. More»