Holiday spending during November and December will grow between 8.5 percent and 10.5 percent over 2020 to between $843.4 billion and $859 billion, according to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation. The NRF expects that online and other non-store sales will increase between 11 and 15 percent. Read more →
Most Americans will be celebrating Thanksgiving Thursday. Unlike last year, when covid-19 cases were high, more people will be gathering with friends and family. Last year, I ordered a duck dinner from an expensive French restaurant. I wasn’t going out much and was ordering all my groceries for pick up. Read more →
Unsafe toys, cooking fires, decorating, holiday trees, and candles lead to thousands of injuries and deaths each year. Take safety precautions to avoid potential dangers, and possible emergency room visits, associated with these common holiday items. Read more →
Goodman Manufacturing Co. is recalling about 298,300 evaporator coil drain pans installed with residential condensing gas furnaces in the United States and about 44,000 in Canada. The molded plastic drain pan can overheat, melt, and deform, posing a fire hazard. Read more →
Scammers use a number of tactics to steal during the holidays, ranging from online shopping scams, to scams involving the draining of gift cards, to package and shipping scams. Seventy-five percent of consumers have been targeted or experienced at least one form of fraud that can be tied to the holidays. Read more →
Black Friday is a time that super sale shoppers look forward to every year. It’s possible to get good deals, and even great deals, but you need to compare prices so you don’t get tricked. This is easier this year because Black Friday sales have already started and consumers can do research online. Read more →
Two federal rules are being proposed to address unsafe cords in both stock and custom window coverings. Current standards are voluntary. Consumers who rent and have no buying choice are especially at risk for exposure to unsafe window coverings, said the CPSC. Read more →
It’s a great occasion. President Joe Biden signed the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law today. People in the United States should be dancing in the streets. Nationally from 2003 to 2017, federal infrastructure spending dropped more than 20 percent. Read more →
Kubota is recalling about 48,875 utility vehicles. The floor mats on the recalled utility vehicles can warp or degrade and interfere with the throttle pedal, posing crash and injury hazards. Kubota has received one report of a loss of control that resulted in black eyes and minor bruising. Read more →
It’s that time of year again. Advertisements for Medicare Advantage plans are flooding my mailbox and email. I’m even getting phone calls about the plans. And, every time I turn on the TV, there’s another ad about Medicare Advantage, with infomercials to be tolerated, too. Read more →