Sports fans in the market for a new TV set before the Super Bowl on Feb. 5 may be in luck: Electronics and retail experts say many current TV sales are some of the best ever -- even beating holiday-season deals.
1. "That item you just bought isn't really in stock." Chicago resident Andrew Schrage was thrilled to get the email from BestBuy.com confirming his order for a Black Friday door-buster -- a 42" Sharp 1080p LCD flat-screen TV for $199 instead ...
With wireless carriers jacking up rates, just as mobile apps grow hungrier for more data, it may be time for consumers to put their phones on a diet.
Senior consumer reporter and "Deal of Day" columnist Kelli B. Grant traveled booth to booth at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to find the best, the worst, and the most-hyped gadgets and gizmos. Read her dispatches at Pay ...
With only a handful of days left til Christmas, experts say last-minute shoppers may still find sales -- but on a smaller selection of items.
Donating to a charity online may be costlier than you think. While online donations account for only 7.6% of total charitable giving, according to Blackbaud's 2010 Online Giving Report, it is the fastest-growing segment, increasing 40% in ...
There may be just one Black Friday -- the day after Thanksgiving -- but retailers are offering deals pretty much every day this week. "It's become Black Friday Week," says Deborah Mitchell, executive director for the Center of Brand and ...
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If receipts could talk, what would they say about how you travel on the company dime? Business travelers are eating well, spending an average $39 per meal when dining alone, an analysis of corporate expense reports shows.
When class is out, most college-age students flock to the beach or schlep home to mom and dad. But 18-year-old Andy Nguyen jets around the world: London, Frankfurt, Bangkok, Tokyo, Ho Chi Minh City.
Our inboxes are now so flooded with sales pitches from various daily deal sites -- really, another discount on pole-dancing classes? -- that companies are having to experiment with new tactics to grab consumers' attention.
Smartphones have become the tool of choice for comparing prices and finding deals, and now the handsets themselves are increasingly a bargain.
Most parents can safely assume that if their kids are at large, they're also online. What they're doing in cyberspace is another matter. With sexting and cyber-bullying in the headlines, a new set of programs is promising to help ...
Retailers are betting that cheap e-readers will help them sell more e-books. That may be true, but readers also have many new options for free or very cheap e-books.
When Apple introduced its newest laptop last month, the company bragged about faster processors, dazzling graphics, new connectivity and a better camera. But all these improvements – to a series of computers that was already by most ...
The Bank of Japan on Monday injected cash into money markets to secure confidence in the financial system. In some editions Monday, the World Stock Markets article and a front-page What's News item incorrectly said the central bank ...
Long an afterthought of the wireless industry, prepaid cell phones may finally get a push into the mainstream from an unlikely catalyst: AT&T's planned acquisition of T-Mobile.
While some Americans are concerned about the strength of the dollar and others are watching the international currency markets, a growing number are preoccupied with new currencies like Smufberries, Monopoly Gold, and Farm Cash. These and ...
The newest iPad is thinner, faster and adds not one but two cameras. But as Apple CEO Steve Jobs extolled the device's newest features today, many consumers had only one real question: Should I buy one?
Consumers grumbled when cellphone companies first started requiring a data plan to go along with "voice minutes." But now that smartphone owners are more likely to use their phones for texting, email, taking photos, playing games ...
The Whirl of Money Investors who ignore the world's currency market do so at their peril, as the U.S. dollar deflates. Barron's offers a primer for foreign-exchange newbies.
You'd have to be living in a cave to have missed the big Tuesday news that the iPhone is finally coming to Verizon. But what the company didn't announce yesterday may turn out to be more important to subscribers: A change in the ...
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A Yen for Dollars The Bank of Japan unilaterally intervened in the currency markets to drive down the price of the yen, the first such action in more than six years. The central bank sold more than $23 billion worth of yen, after the U.S. ...
Note: This story was updated on Feb. 3, 2011 to reflect new plan pricing information and availability. The Verizon iPhone pre-orders for existing customers started Feb. 3.
New competition in mobile broadband — high-speed Internet access for laptops and other devices over a cellular network — could lead to better deals for consumers, provided they can figure out what they need.
There's good news for anyone sick of their current cell phone: Resale markets are hopping, and you can probably sell it for about what you paid – and maybe more! But there's also good news for anyone looking to buy a secondhand ...
New body-scanning machines have detected hidden weapons like ceramic knives and flagged illegal drugs. But they've also tested the patience—and vanity—of some passengers.
Almost every night, stranded travelers can be found sleeping inside the terminals of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. "This is the new reality," said James Crites, DFW's executive vice president for operations. ...
For the speed of its march toward becoming the country’s largest public company, Apple has its gadget-happy consumers to thank -- particularly the devotees willing to stand in line for every new version of the iPhone or iPad. But those ...
You'd have to be living in a cave to have missed the big Tuesday news that the iPhone is finally coming to Verizon. But what the company didn't announce yesterday may turn out to be more important to subscribers: A change in the ...
Believe it or not, that old refrigerator in your garage is a veritable cash cow. Last year's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided $300 million for what amounts to a Cash for Clunkers program for household appliances. Trade in ...
CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- When students and their parents hit the shopping malls for their back-to-school needs this year, they should be armed with their lists -- and their mobile phones.
Before last week, buying one of two popular e-readers meant ordering it directly from the manufacturer. Now, consumers have a choice: Stick with the manufacturer or buy from a retailer.
The do-it-yourself world of booking trips today sometimes leaves business travelers and summer vacationers deluged with airline schedules, hotel and car-rental confirmations and restaurant-reservation details. Now, a flurry of services aim ...
To get through airport security in Toronto for a flight to the United States, you now have to go through eight different screening lines or ID checks. Most passengers either get a pat-down or have their carry-on bags unpacked on tables, ...
E-readers just keep getting cheaper. Competitive price cuts this summer have made the devices as affordable as an iPod nano or an entry-level Blu-ray player -- as cheap as $120.
Weary travelers are sometimes frustrated by long lines, battles for overhead bin space, steep penalties for changing reservations and fees for services that used to be free. Now airlines are offering some relief for those pains—if you pay ...
For travelers planning to hit the road this weekend, having a smartphone in hand can help with tasks as varied as finding the nearest clean bathroom, securing help for a flat tire and quelling the backseat cries of “Are we there yet?”
The market for more affordable smartphones is heating up. Consumers who haven’t yet purchased a smartphone tend to be scared off by the price of the phone or carriers’ requirement for a pricey data plan, says Michael Morgan, a mobile device ...
Buying most cellphones takes minutes, but getting one of the must-have new smartphone handsets is an endeavor that could last weeks. Apple iPhone 4, which sold out of pre-orders for its June 24 launch, currently has a three-week wait through ...
Few gadgets have engendered as much attention around their release as the iPad. Apple’s touchscreen tablet, which goes on sale at 9 a.m. Saturday at Apple Stores and most Best Buy stores, has won early praise from publications including The ...
Travelers stuck at the airport this summer can catch up on their favorite movies and TV shows, thanks to low-cost rentals popping up in terminals and other budget-friendly on-the-go options.
Consumers in search of TV bragging rights are checking out the first 3D-ready TVs. But while the technology is stoking interest, the pricetags are budget-busters and the content sparse for early adopters.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (MarketWatch) — It’s easy to blame others for your own faults and failings — especially if you’re a politician trying to woo voters.
Now is the time to book your summer travel. In years past, it often paid to wait and buy tickets close to your departure date as airlines slashed prices to fill empty seats. But this year, airlines may have the upper hand for the first time ...
Nothing works off a tryptophan hangover like a predawn stakeout at the shopping mall in the earliest hours of Black Friday. But those splashy door-busters – the limited-time-only, while-supplies-last, early-morning offers – may not be worth ...
If you're giving gift cards this holiday, there are a few websites where you can buy them at a discount. At PlasticJungle.com, you can find gift cards for up to 400 retailers, including Gap, Macy's and iTunes, with discounts of 3% ...
More Black Friday coverage: High hopes for retail’s Black Friday, , .
Alongside iPads, e-readers and Pillow Pets, this year’s letters to Santa have an unexpected entrant: the humble sweater. But although advertised sweater sales are plentiful — with prices sometimes as low as $20 — truly good deals are few ...
Before your next date, prepare your cellphone to serve as your wingman. Smartphone applications aim to help users with every stage of a relationship, from hunting for a date to wining and dining to breaking up. While some of the advisory ...

With most couples waiting to marry and three quarters of marriage partners living together first, many celebrants are paying at least part of their wedding bill.
It’s never too early to start talking dollars...and sense.
Your grocery bill is your biggest weekly household expense, so keeping a lid on it will go far to stretch your dollar.
Machan: Going gluten-free may be good for you -- as well as for these companies.
Small print has become a giant menace, costing consumers $250 billion a year. New ways to avoid the traps.
For the past five years, these funds have excelled. Can they do it for the next five?
A little light reading while you're on hold.