Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

29 Nov 2010 10:53

tags

Biz: Massmart deal: Wal-Mart looks to buy way into South African market

  • 51% the amount of Massmart Wal-Mart wants to make its own
  • $2.3B the amount they’re willing to pay for the South African chain
  • no the unions aren’t quite on board with this decision as of yet source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Nov 2010 00:47

tags

Biz: Cyber Monday set for traffic increase similar to Black Friday’s

  • 107
    million     number of people expected to shop online today, Cyber Monday
  • 96.5
    million     number of people that shopped online last Cyber Monday source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Nov 2010 11:49

tags

Biz: Stop everything you’re doing and read this cyber scammer article

  • I’ve exploited this opportunity because it works. No matter where they post their negative comments, it helps my return on investment. So I decided, why not use that negativity to my advantage?
  • DecorMyEyes.com owner Vitaly Borker • Explaining how he’s used the negative feedback on his eyeglass-selling site to his advantage. Borker basically has learned that by not caring about what people are saying about his business, good or bad, he can ensure that he gets prime SEO-friendly real-estate on Google. Clarabelle Rodriguez, one of his buyers who was harassed by Borker’s people for weeks after complaining about her purchase and canceling the payment on her credit card, fought back. And now the New York Times has a lengthy article about DoctorMyEyes, which should ensure that you never shop with them, ever. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Nov 2010 23:28

tags

Biz: Black Friday final tally: More hype, more people, slightly more sales

  • 2.2% the increase in Black Friday foot traffic
  • $10.7B the total sales tallied on Black Friday
  • 0.3% the increase in sales from last year source
  • » How it compares: It’s roughly the same increase in sales as last year, but then again, retail stores have been offering sales for weeks before Black Friday, which may have cannibalized the overall effect of the day. On the plus side, at least that collapsed Salvation Army building in Colorado didn’t fall on anyone.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Nov 2010 13:10

tags

Biz, World: Angry Irish people take to streets to protest tough austerity plan

  • We’ve seen this song and dance before. First in Greece, then Belgium, then France, then in Britain, but it’s still not any more frustrating to watch – especially in Ireland’s case. The Irish had a solid decade of economic growth, only to see the economy go into freefall and be forced to take upon tons of bailout money in the span of about two years. So that’s why these people are protesting in Dublin today. They’re angry because of the insane cuts they’ll be forced to swallow – the worst of any European nation so far. (Photo by Marcus Swan) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Nov 2010 11:43

tags

Biz: General Motors officially crosses the “biggest IPO ever” mark

  • $23.1
    billion     the size of GM’s IPO, officially the biggest global IPO on record
  • $49.5
    billion     the amount they owe the government for their bailout source
  • » What’s needed next? If the government hopes to break even on its huge investment in GM, the stock needs to hit around $50 a share. It’s currently at $33.80, but if, say, the Chevy Volt is a huge success on the market, it could definitely hit that mark.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Nov 2010 21:53

tags

Biz: A sampling of when certain stores are opening up for Black Friday

  • 10 p.m. the time Toys “R” Us opens tonight for Black Friday (earliest)
  • 12 a.m. the time Wal-Mart opens for Black Friday (still pretty early)
  • 3 a.m. the time Kohl’s opens for Black Friday (too late; nobody cares) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

23 Nov 2010 09:12

tags

Biz: U.S. economy growing, but not fast enough to spur job growth

  • 2.5% the amount the U.S. economy grew in the third quarter (that’s pretty good, actually)
  • 1.7% the amount the economy grew in the prior quarter (we improved; that’s even better!)
  • 3.5% the rate of growth that’s economists say we need to cut the unemployment rate (that’s bad) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Nov 2010 10:45

tags

Biz: Wal-Mart to price match on Black Friday, basically encourage riots

  • Ah, our favorite time of the year. Black Friday. In case you’re looking for deals on stuff, you may want to consider the unincorporated wastelands that will be Wal-Mart stores on Friday. See, if one store is offering a really good deal on an item that Wal-Mart has, it will match the deal. Which, on top of their free shipping offer online, basically ensures that you will go nowhere else this holiday season to buy your Christmas presents. Merry Christmas, other retailers. You’re going out of business, and Wal-Mart’s going to buy your corpse. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Nov 2010 11:30

tags

Biz: In this post, we give the L.A. Times crap for having too many ads

  • We rip on the L.A. Times a lot for the massive amount of advertising it runs on its front page, on the front page of its Web site, and other places. One place we haven’t run them over the coals over is the article pages that often get linked on Google News. Above the ad is another 728×90 ad. So, in other words, you have FOUR ads above the fold. FOUR. And here’s a article about the dangers of buying precious metals from certain firms. And it’s surrounded by ads … that encourage you to buy precious metals. Whoever is on the staff of the ad side of the L.A. Times needs to do some serious thinking about the kind of precedent the heavy advertising creates for their paper. Because, we’ll tell you now – it’s not a good one. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
<< newer 
top tags
older >>