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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: consumer

consumer stories: 49 news summaries

1 - 20 of 49 Stories | 1 2 3 Next >>

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 Now Driving 
 Innovation 
 in India: 
 the Poor 

As developed economies slump, it markets directly to the lower class

Oct 20, 09 1:04 PM CDT
(Newser) - Indian engineers once did little but cater to Western companies, while consumers at home made do with hand-me-down products from the developed world. That is changing in a big way as foreign economies crater and the 1.1 billion consumers of the subcontinent reveal a taste for, well, consuming. And... More »

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India • consumer • outsourcing • innovation • market • poor • engineers • developing countries • rural area • product

(Newser) - A long history of sparse employment and hardships of all stripes has built a culture of frugality that leaves Maine perfectly suited to the current recession, the Boston Globe reports. “Everybody now is into shopping thrift shops, but in most of Maine, people never stopped,” a banker says.... More »

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consumer • foreclosure • New England • recession • Maine • economic downturn • thrift • frugality

 Crocs Scramble to Stay Afloat 

Company may go belly up as debt deadline looms

Jul 16, 09 4:03 AM CDT
(Newser) - The company that makes the once-ubiquitous, quirky Croc shoes is about to go belly up, experts fear. The Colorado firm lost $18.5 million last year, has a warehouse full of unwanted shoes and just weeks to pay off its debt. Blame it on the economy and fickle consumers. "... More »

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consumer • business • shoes • Crocs • Colorado • Boulder • Boulder, Colo. • clogs

Experts Fret as Americans Squirrel Away Income

Savings rate jumps over job, portfolio fears

May 9, 09 2:46 PM CDT
(Newser) - Even after the economy rebounds, the US will likely remain a nation of penny pinchers—and that has economists worried, the New York Times reports. Consumer spending accounts for 70% of the country’s GDP, but Americans, fretting over job security and losses in the housing and stock sectors, are... More »

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consumer • recession • consumer spending • GDP • savings • economy • thrift

Hasbro, Discovery Join
to Launch Kids Channel

Toy maker plans to use kids network to promote merchandise

May 1, 09 12:56 PM CDT
(Newser) - Hasbro and Discovery have struck a deal to revitalize the flagging Discovery Kids Network, the Los Angeles Times reports. Hasbro, manufacturer of Transformers and GI Joe, will buy a 50% stake in Discovery Kids for $300 million. The company plans to emphasize merchandise based on programming on the network, which... More »

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entertainment • consumer • merchandise • Transformers • Hasbro • watchdog • Discovery Channel • consumer advocacy

 Cobblers in Stitches 
 Thanks to Recession 

Dwindling trade gets boost as Americans pinch pennies

Feb 2, 09 9:01 AM CST
(Newser) - If this recession reaches Great Depression levels, there may not be enough cobblers to go around. There are only 7,000 of them left in the US—down from 120,000 in the 1920s—and their business is piling up faster than they can manage as strapped Americans repair shoes... More »

MORE ABOUT:
consumer • shoes • recession • consumption • weakening economy • cobbler • shoe repair • what recession?



 Newfound Thrift 
 Battering Economy 

Sharp rise in savings rate expected to lengthen recession

Jan 6, 09 1:51 AM CST
(Newser) - Americans worried about the recession are stashing away cash at the highest rate in decades—but economists fear that the thrift will prolong hard times, reports the Wall Street Journal. The national savings rate has rebounded from less than zero to levels expected to hit 5% or higher this year... More »

MORE ABOUT:
consumer • recession • US economy • spending • savings • economy

analysis

Credit Relief Flows Slowly—When It Flows at All

Consumer aid package won't budge pickier banks

Nov 27, 08 10:14 AM CST
(Newser) - With hundreds of billions of dollars pumping into the calcified credit markets, many struggling Americans are expecting to see some relief, but many will be disappointed, the New York Times reports. Banks continue to stiffen loan eligibility requirements even as strapped consumers face deteriorating credit scores, and whole categories of... More »

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consumer • Federal Reserve • home loans • mortgage backed securities • lending practices • bailout • banks • financial crisis

 As Deadbeats Soar, 
 Utilities Quick to Pull Plug 

As the economy worsens, electric companies get tough on delinquent bills

Nov 3, 08 6:51 AM CST
(Newser) - Utilities are growing increasingly aggressive about shutting off the juice even as more customers struggle to pay their bills in a sinking economy, reports the Wall Street Journal. The trend has regulators and consumer advocates worried companies have become too focused on their bottom lines, but utilities say they’re... More »

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utility companies • consumer • electricity • economy • utilities • financial crisis

 Is New iPhone Apple's Vista? 

Analyst says continued tech, customer-service turbulence could do real damage

Jul 28, 08 1:21 PM CDT
(Newser) - It’s still exceedingly tough to get a new 3G iPhone due to limited supply, and myriad technical problems persist in registering and operating the eagerly awaited gadget. Apple has apologized for the lines, and the bugs in its new syncing software, but one analyst tells USA Today that the... More »

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Microsoft • consumer • Apple • Microsoft Vista • consumer electronics • iPhone 3G • Apple Store

Shopping in US Looks Like the 1970s: Analyst

Automotive industry, discounters predict permanent shift

Jul 20, 08 8:01 PM CDT
(Newser) - Retailers and marketers are closely watching American shopping trends, knowing that recession habits can linger for years, the AP reports. Studies show that 63% of Americans have cut down spending by coupon-cutting, biking to work, and buying store brands. They're also buying smaller cars and shopping at discounters. "We... More »

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consumer • Toyota • consumer goods • consumer products • consumer spending • auto industry • Wal-Mart

 Ads Tap Into That
 'Mad-as-Hell'
 Feeling 

Companies use consumer rage to sell

Jun 26, 08 5:14 AM CDT
(Newser) - Advertisers are feeling our pain. So they're tapping into consumer rage over rising prices by saying "we understand," and using that to sell products and services. Take a Southwest ad that asks what the competitors have been smoking. "Apparently, your rolled-up $20s," it quips. A legion... More »

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advertising • Jackson Hewitt • consumer • Eastman Kodak • Harley Davidson • Southwest Airlines • trend • Versus cable

 Consumers Rattled by
 'Green Overload' 

Too much information overwhelming even the best intentions

Jun 15, 08 8:30 AM CDT
(Newser) - Inundated with reports on how best to save the environment, many consumers are left confused and suffering from an information overload the New York Times dubs “green noise.” Many eco-facts are contradictory and options are puzzling (is it better, for example, to get a used car, or a... More »

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climate change • environment • consumer • advertising campaign

 Study: Drug Ads
 Misleading.
 No, Really. 

Big pharma uses tricks, distractions to veil harmful side-effects

May 18, 08 12:18 PM CDT
(Newser) - Drug ads are multiplying on TV, and manufacturers are starting to advertise medical equipment used in invasive procedures, so now might be a good time to wonder what the spots are telling us. Not as much as they should, Time reports. An independent researcher has found drug companies are... More »

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FDA • advertising • consumer • drug companies • prescription drugs • side effects • TV advertising

 Haggling Makes a Comeback 

Consumers cutting deals as economy slows

Apr 15, 08 7:05 AM CDT
(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... More »

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shopping • consumer • negotiation • retail sales • retail shopping • retailing • shoppers

Apple Has Top Brand, World Consumers Say

But survey says Microsoft, USA need to revamp marketing

Mar 31, 08 10:45 AM CDT
(Newser) - Apple is the world's "most inspiring brand," as well as the one most consumers say they can't live without, according to a new survey on brand impact. Meanwhile, Reuters reports that Microsoft was the brand buyers thought most in need of an overhaul—with the United States as... More »

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Microsoft • brands • consumer • marketing • Apple • USA

MARKETS

Dow Tanks on Consumer Woes

Index nosedives after more bad news about spending

Jan 11, 08 3:25 PM CST
(Newser) - The Dow plunged 246.79 points to 12,606.30 today as investors, worried about consumer spending, fled retailers and credit-card issuers. Analysts are concerned the mortgage crisis has finally hit pocketbooks, hurting credit, jobs, and public confidence, the Wall Street Journal reports.The Nasdaq slid 48.58 to close... More »

MORE ABOUT:
McDonald's • consumer • Dow Jones • American Express • Nasdaq • Capital One • Tiffany • MasterCard • Discover • S&P 500

Weak Dollar Draws Foreign Shoppers

International travelers arrive with fat wallets, empty suitcases

Nov 30, 07 9:46 AM CST
(Newser) - Foreigners are taking advantage of the weak US dollar to do their holiday shopping in the States, Time reports in a look at a double-edged trend. Even as American shoppers find the cost of imported goods soaring, international visitors are arriving in droves, and "they're mentioning the exchange rate... More »

MORE ABOUT:
consumer • exchange rate • currency exchange • US dollar

Timing Is All

Tips on the right
time to do everything from buying veggies
to picking up prescriptions

Oct 13, 07 10:37 AM CDT
(Newser) - ABC News offers these tips on the best time to:
  • Work out: The afternoon, when you’ve eaten and muscles are warmed up.
  • Get groceries: Tuesdays and Fridays, when produce is freshest.
  • Pick up a prescription: Play it safe and pick your pills up in the second
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
consumer • exercise • time • chores

Swipe at Your Own Risk

Retailers often don't protect data, and it's going to cost them $25,000 fines

Oct 7, 07 5:27 PM CDT
(Newser) - Think your credit card bill is high? Some businesses may soon have to pay Visa $25,000  for not protecting your credit-card data. Merchants are required to meet standards to keep computer systems safe from hackers. But only 44% of the 327 largest merchants have validated their compliance, reports the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
consumer • credit card • hackers

1 - 20 of 49 Stories | 1 2 3 Next >>


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