Topic: Best Buy Co. Inc.
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Three best ways (and three worst ways) to finance holiday shopping
Consumers tend to rack up a lot of credit card debt during the fourth quarter, largely due to holiday expenses. This year, by one estimate, the average holiday shopper is on track to spend around $800. For many, that means financing, which remains a double-edged sword despite historically low interest rates and an array of new consumer protections. It can either save you a lot of money in interest and fees or trip you up with caveats buried in fine print that drastically inflate your expenses. Here are three of the best and three of the worst financing offers for holiday shoppers in 2012:
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What can be done to create jobs? Six leading ideas.
The job market has shown some very welcome signs of improvement lately, but it still has a long way to go before approaching something Americans would call normal. Here’s a look at some of the proposed solutions out there.
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Election 101: Tim Pawlenty as 'everyman's' candidate? Ten points about who he is.
The former governor declared his candidacy for president May 22, and is hoping his foes’ flaws are his ticket to victory.
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Data theft: Top 5 most expensive data breaches
Data theft is off to a troubling start this year, with two massive breaches occurring in March and April. Hackers' success in grabbing millions of records at Epsilon and Sony are just the latest example of increasingly sophisticated attempts to steal sensitive personal information. Here's a list of the five most expensive data theft cases in the United States:
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Epsilon security breach: 5 signs it's only the tip of the iceberg
This week millions of e-mail addresses were reported stolen from Epsilon, a firm that supplies e-mail marketing to BestBuy, Disney, and many others. Here are five more emerging targets for precision attacks:
All Content
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Are 'fiscal cliff' woes killing Christmas sales?
In last weekend before Christmas, traditionally a strong sales period, shoppers cite worries over taxes and so-so discounts as reasons to rein in spending. Experts warn of ho-hum holiday sales.
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Saving Money
Free Shipping Day is a bust. Here's why.Free Shipping Day sounds like a sweet deal, but many retailers have already been offering free shipping during the holidays. In fact, waiting for Free Shipping Day to finish your holiday shopping could mean you end up spending more.
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Stocks lower as Wall Street eyes Washington
Stocks closed down Thursday despite the fourth straight weekly drop in applications for unemployment benefits. Energy and technology stocks fell the most on Wall Street.
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Saving Money
Slow shopper? Avoid these stores.Finding great deals on gifts is important,but so is ensuring they arrive in tome for the holidays. If you procrastinate on your holiday shopping, steer clear of these retailers with shipping policies that will cut it close to Christmas.
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Three best ways (and three worst ways) to finance holiday shopping
Consumers tend to rack up a lot of credit card debt during the fourth quarter, largely due to holiday expenses. This year, by one estimate, the average holiday shopper is on track to spend around $800. For many, that means financing, which remains a double-edged sword despite historically low interest rates and an array of new consumer protections. It can either save you a lot of money in interest and fees or trip you up with caveats buried in fine print that drastically inflate your expenses. Here are three of the best and three of the worst financing offers for holiday shoppers in 2012:
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Saving Money
Black Friday snag? Online purchases canceled in droves.Snagged a great Black Friday deal? Not so fast. Many stores were forced to cancel online Black Friday orders because their systems oversold various items.
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Ultrabooks learn to twist, twirl, tilt – and compete
New Ultrabook convertibles take many forms, as manufactures try to figure out what people want.
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Cyber Monday: Work ethic is no match for shoppers' zeal for a deal (+video)
Black Friday just set a record for e-commerce in a single day: $1 billion. But deal-hungry digital shoppers, despite being back at work, were pushing the tally for Cyber Monday higher still.
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Cyber Monday: deals could lead to biggest online sales day (+video)
Cyber Monday deals are expected to rack up $1.5 billion in sales, up 20 percent from last year's Cyber Monday. Cyber Monday deals include deep discounts on televisions, major appliances, and jewelry.
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Black Friday: gridlock at the malls brightens prospects for retailers
Perfect weather and heavily promoted specials help give a big launch to a holiday season essential to retailers at a time when consumer confidence has been slipping.
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Decoder Wire
Black Friday politics: Do some stores lean Democratic or Republican?Black Friday is upon us, which means a break from politics, right? Nope. DC Decoder offers you a by-the-numbers look at how some top holiday retailers spend their money politically.
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Black Friday: Boutiques open at midnight? How ‘little guys’ try to compete.
Many small business owners are looking for their piece of the Black Friday retail pie. But experts say trying to match the big stores may not be the best policy, and warn shoppers to do their homework, too.
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Black Friday: Will the 'fiscal cliff' darken the mood in the malls?
Economists view Black Friday as a litmus test for consumer confidence, which is showing signs of weakening. Whether Washington can come to terms to avert the fiscal cliff – and tax hikes – is a wild card.
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On Black Friday, retailers take customization to the next level
To combat online shopping and a slow economy, more retailers are providing more convenient shipping options and providing layaway, price matching, and smart phone apps for shoppers.
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Amazon: great Black Friday deals, but what about sales tax?
Eight states now charge sales taxes on online transactions, including Amazon's. But the taxes won't slow down Amazon's ability to match prices of competitors.
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Stocks end flat after HP shocker, Fed warning
Dow drops less than 8 points despite Bernanke warming of 'fiscal cliff' dangers and HP disclosure that it will have to take an $8.8 billion charge for accounting 'improprieties' at a company it acquired last year.
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Saving Money
Black Friday 2012: the best electronics deals so farBlack Friday is the perfect time to save big on the latest and greatest electronics. Here are some of the best Black Friday deals on tablets, smart phones, cameras and MP3 players.
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Saving Money
Black Friday 2012: the best gaming and toy deals so farBlack Friday is a great time to get amazing deals on the best new video games and toys. Check out the lastest in gaming and toy deals for Black Friday 2012.
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Saving Money
Black Friday price-matching: Stores that have it, stores that don'tBlack Friday is a great time to take advantage of stores' price-matching policies. It's important to know exactly which retailers offers what, and equally important to know which merchants don't offer anything at all. Below are the price-matching policies for several retailers for Black Friday 2012.
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Saving Money
Black Friday 2012: the best TV deals so farBlack Friday is one of the best times of the year to buy a new TV, and retailers are rolling out the bargains in their Black Friday ads to mark the occasion Here are some of the best deals so far on HDTVs of every size.
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Stocks barely move as fiscal threat looms
Trading was light Monday as stocks closed without much change. Investors' anxiety about the approaching fiscal cliff held stocks in place.
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Horizons
At $249, new Google Chromebook aims to undercut Macs and PCs on priceGoogle has introduced a pair of new Samsung-manufactured Chromebooks, both of which run the Chrome OS. The 3G edition will retail for $329 and the Wi-Fi version for $249.
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Horizons
Lytro 'light field' cameras launch nationwide, adds new controlsThe Lytro 'light field' camera now allows users to toggle a range of manual settings, including shutter speed and ISO sensitivity.
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Stocks up despite Hewlett-Packard plunge
Stocks rose slightly Wednesday despite a drop in energy stocks and Hewlett-Packard's 13 percent drop in stock price.
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Horizons
Apple iPhone 5 delays? Blame the screen technology.Apple is having trouble immediately fulfilling pre-order demand for the iPhone 5. And according to a new report, that's thanks to the new 'in-cell' display technology.
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