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Retail Site Revival To Put Pressure On Rivals
Competition among online retailers is heating up and one site hopes to stoke the fire by shipping orders for $1.95.
Enable Holdings, Inc. plans to launch RedTag.com on Friday and sell excess inventory at fixed prices. RedTag’s shipping charge will be cheaper, at $1.95, than competitor Overstock.com that ships items for $2.95.
"We're willing to take less for shipping because we think you'll buy five more items from us - as opposed to if we got as much as we could from you, shipping this product, you may never buy again," said Jeffrey D. Hoffman, Enable Holdings' CEO.
According to Scott Silverman, executive director of the National Retail Federation’s digital division, consumers have shifted to buying online after the recent surge in gas prices.
Although fuel prices have recently receded, Silverman believes the habits consumers have adopted are still in place. Cheap shipping could be another way to keep them spending money on the Internet.
Friday’s launch marks the revival of RedTag.com which originally failed in 2004. Enable Holdings purchased the domain from a major shareholder earlier this spring.
RedTag is selling items from retailers that have gone out of business, or from manufacturers that have produced too much product.
The company has much more flexibility in negotiating with manufacturers on prices, including shipping costs, because they sell excess goods.
Hoffman recognizes that high fuel prices are putting stress on those in the distribution chain. RedTag will likely lose money up front by shipping items for $1.95. Competition among online retailers is heating up and one site hopes to stoke the fire by shipping orders for $1.95. ... more -
Is it acceptable for Businesses to set purchasing minimums for credit cards?
Absolutely not. Have you ever gone into a "convenience" store with no cash to purchase something only to be told that you are not buying enough to put it on credit card? This has happened to me multiple times. You either have to buy some things you don't want or walk away empty handed. I have asked friends in the credit card industry about this they confirmed that you cannot put minimums or maximums on cardholders in good standing. This is a form of discrimination that is not only unacceptable; you can be fined for doing so.
According to the credit card industry, it is against credit card company regulations for a merchant to require a minimum amount for credit cards. I have pressed the issue on a few occasions since I had encountered this situation before. Here are what the regulations state according to the big three credit cards.
DISCOVER NETWORK
A. As per page four (4) of The "Merchant Operating Regulations," incorporated into the "Merchant Services Agreement" as Exhibit A, expressly prohibits the following merchant conduct:
3.0 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
3.6 Minimum/Maximum Dollar Limits and Other Limits
You may not require that any Card member make a minimum dollar purchase in order to use a Card and, other than when we have not authorized a Card member's transaction, you may not limit the maximum amount that a Card member may spend when using a Card.
3.7 Equal Treatment of Card Sales versus other Cards
You may not institute or adopt any practice that discriminates or provides unequal treatment for users of a Card versus any other card products that you accept.
MASTERCARD INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED
A. As per pages two-twenty one (2-21) through two-twenty two (2-22) of the "Merchant Rules Manual," the following MasterCard Rules are imposed on merchant conduct:
9.11 Honor MasterCard Cards
9.12 Prohibited Practices
9.12.3 Minimum/Maximum Transaction Amount Prohibited
A merchant must not require, or post signs indicating that it requires, a minimum or maximum transaction amount to accept a valid MasterCard card.
B. As per page two-nineteen (2-19) through two-twenty (2-20) of the "Merchant Rules Manual," any violation by a merchant of the aforementioned MasterCard Rules is addressed as follows:
9.5 Merchant Noncompliance
9.5.1 Specified Rules Violations
9.5.2 Assessments
If the Corporation's staff becomes aware of any merchant or any DSE in violation of section 9.15 of these rules, the Corporation may identify and advise the acquirer of such violation, and may impose an assessment for noncompliance of up to USD 100,000 per individual violation, with a maximum aggregate assessment of USD 500,000 for additional or continuing violations during any consecutive 12-month period.
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VISA U.S.A. INCORPORATED
A. As per page ten (10) of the "Rules for Visa Merchants: Card Acceptance and Chargeback Management Guidelines," the following Visa Rules are imposed on merchant conduct:
Dollar Minimums and Maximums - Always honor valid Visa cards, in your acceptance category, regardless of the dollar amount of the purchase. Imposing minimum or maximum purchase amounts is a violation.
Minimum Purchase
Visa merchants are not permitted to establish minimum transaction amounts, even on sale items. They also are not permitted to charge you a fee when you want to use your Visa card.
This may seem like a trite thing but at least now you know. It is not a pleasant process. Usually you are dealing with a clerk who has been given specific instructions by the owner not to take credit cards for small amounts. It is imposed for obvious economic reasons--credit card merchant acquiring banks/institutions typically employ a tiered pricing schedule which penalizes small transactions. However, we should not be penalized unfairly. So the next time, depending on your mood, you can either whip out some cash or punch the clerk in the mouth. Just kidding of course!!! Absolutely not. Have you ever gone into a "convenience" store with no cash to purchase something only to be told that you a... more -
Low income? No car? Need groceries? Expect to pay "ghetto tax"
Households located in poor neighborhoods pay more for the same items than people living in wealthy ones, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.
Author Debabrata Talukdar (Columbia University) examines the impact of what has been dubbed the "ghetto tax" on low-income individuals. His study found that the critical factor in how much a household spends on groceries is whether it has access to a car. "Arguably, as the bigger, more cost-efficient stores move out, the poor increasingly are likely to find themselves choosing between traveling farther to purchase nutritious, competitively priced groceries or paying inflated prices for low-quality, processed foods at corner stores," Talukdar writes.
According to the findings, those without access to cars—which are exclusively poor households, but include only 40 percent of poor households— pay higher prices for groceries than households with access to a car (whether wealthy or poor).
Lacking mobility means consumers buy from the nearest neighborhood store rather than larger regional or national grocery chains, which have lower prices.
The author believes the poor aren't being intentionally slighted. "Stores' pricing and location decisions in most instances are guided by competitive factors rather than any bias against the poor or their neighborhoods," Talukdar writes.
Given the extreme inequality in access to affordable groceries, the author has suggestions for a more equitable solution. "One suggestion would be to explore the possibility of encouraging 'co-operative stores,' which spreads the ownership among a relatively large group of stake-holders within the poor community while at the same time increasing its operational economies of scale. Another possibility might be to consider joint ownership or management of franchises of selective stores in the poorest neighborhoods by the corporate owners of big grocery chains and poor residents." Households located in poor neighborhoods pay more for the same items than people living in wealthy ones, according to a new study in t... more -
Medical Marijuana -Roseville California News
An Ancient Look at a New Medical Approach for Pain
Dr. Donna Schwontkowski interviews Dr. Phillip Denney, M.D.
Q: Dr. Denney, when did you first get interested in using marijuana for pain control?
A: I was a child of the 60s and a Viet Nam era vet. After serving in the military, I went to medical school and was amazed at all the scientific literature I found about cannabis. By the way, we call it “cannabis” because marijuana is a Mexican slang word.
Q: Did you have the opportunity to recommend cannabis when you first started practicing, 30 years ago?
A: No. Cannabis didn’t become legal in the state of California until 1996. I started seeing patients who wanted to use it around 1999. Since then, I’ve seen about 25,000 patients who have considered using cannabis because of their medical condition.
Q: Tell us a little about the history of this plant.
A: Cannabis was the most commonly used pharmaceutical agent in this country for 100 years, between 1840 and 1940. Then it was made illegal by back room political deals to protect corporate America’s interest in paper and cotton.
Q: Weren’t Americans using hemp for paper before those political dealings?
A: Yes. Cannabis was the most commonly used pharmaceutical agent for those 100 years and hemp was used for making paper, canvas and cloth. Cannabis is actually a superior fiber but it was very labor intensive until a machine was created in the 1920s to make the process easier. DuPont was worried that it would replace artificial fibers like nylon, polyester and rayon. They created a brilliant public relations campaign that made cannabis a villain. The government lied to the public to protect the corporate interests.
Q: In California, it’s legal to use cannabis if someone sees a licensed physician who agrees that their situation is one that constitutes legitimate use. Dr. Denney, why do you say that cannabis is safe?
A: Cannabis is an attractive medicine for those with pain because it is very well tolerated and there’s no such thing as a cannabis overdose. The herb doesn’t build up in the tissues, it’s not toxic to the liver and you can discontinue its use easily without problems. That’s not the case with opiates, oxycontin, valium, Zanax and muscle relaxants. Cannabis is not a magic drug that cures things. It just makes pain more tolerable.
Q: It sounds like God created a plant for pain control that outdoes any drug that the pharmaceutical industry created. The cannabis that you’re referring to is high quality cannabis, not what’s sold on the street?
A: Yes.
Q: What do you usually find with patients who try the cannabis?
A: What’s common is that someone is on 60 Vicodin pills a day when they first arrive for a medical consult. After using 1/4 oz. cannabis per week, they don’t need the vicodin anymore. It doesn’t happen every time but it happens enough for practitioners like myself to take note of it. This benefits the patients because once anyone can cut back significantly on the drugs that they’re taking, it improves their quality of life.
Q: The risk could be eliminated totally from consuming the cannabis in other ways then?
A: Yes. There are the infamous cannabis brownies and some people put it in peanut butter. Some people vaporize it through a vaporizer. The active ingredients vaporize and there’s zero smoke. It’s more of an elegant way to use it.
Q: Dr. Denney, what’s your prediction about the status of cannabis use in America? It’s legal here in California but what about other states?
A: I predict that this political foolishness will resolve once cannabis medications are available in the pharmacy. In Canada, people can get cannabis in the pharmacy. When it happens here, it will allow the government to save face and leave us alone. FDA approval will give them a way to say that they were not against it; they were just against growing it in your back yard. They still will have the opportunity to arrest you if you grow it in your back yard. An Ancient Look at a New Medical Approach for Pain Dr. Donna Schwontkowski interviews Dr. Phillip Denney, M.D. ... more -
Family Lover: Slip Into Something More Organic
Hemp Hemp Hooray!
Although some still confuse hemp with its well-known cousin, marijuana, this ancient plant is enjoying popularity as an eco-alternative to conventional fabrics. Growing hemp is kinder to the planet than growing cotton, as this resilient, adaptable plant requires little water or chemical additives.
Hemp fibre has some unique and interesting characteristics, which makes it a suitable replacement for conventional fabrics. Historically, hemp was used to make rope and sails, items that made use of the plant's impressive tensile strength. Today, clothing companies like Of The Earth (oftheearth.com) and Hemptown (hemptown.com) promote hemp's wicking properties and its resistance to bacteria and mould. Hikers and outdoor enthusiasts appreciate hemp's insulating properties. Like wool, this fibre breathes well in hot weather, insulates in cool weather, and retains heat when wet. The wicking properties of hemp make it a great first layer for any outdoor enthusiast.
The Future of Fibre
As hemp and organic cotton become more available, manufacturers are experimenting with creative blends using these fibres. In their 2004 collection, Of the Earth introduced an ingenious T-shirt fabric that blended soy with organic cotton and Lycra, resulting in a hard-wearing but delicate fabric that is silky-soft against the skin.
Clean Clothes, manufacturers of Maggie's Organics (organicclothes.com), has been making simple, basic, wearable pieces since 1992. Recently, the company moved organics into the future by launching their first natural performance sock. Blending Coolmax, a patented wicking fabric with organic cotton, Maggie's sport socks ensure that both your feet and conscience are kept happy.
So take the next step towards an organic lifestyle by simply changing your clothes. You can make a great difference with simple, conscious choices.
Gillian Flower is an environmental products specialist with Grassroots Environmental Products in Toronto. As a student at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, she plans to bring an awareness of environmental issues to her future practice as a naturopathic doctor. She is a regular contributor to alive magazine. Visit http://www.alive.com for related articles. Hemp Hemp Hooray! ... more -
The Food Irradiation Plot
There's a new plot underway to sterilize your food and destroy the nutritional value of fresh produce. The players in this plot are the usual suspects: The USDA (which backed the "raw" almond sterilization rules now in effect in California) and the American Chemical Society -- a pro-chemical group that represents the interests of industrial chemical manufacturers. The latest push comes from USDA researchers who conducted a study to see which method more effectively killed bacteria on leafy green vegetables like spinach.
To conduct the study, they bathed the spinach in a solution contaminated with bacteria. Then, they tried to remove the bacteria using three methods: Washing, chemical spraying and irradiation. Not surprisingly, only the irradiation killed nearly 100 percent of the bacterial colonies. That's because radiation sterilizes both the bacteria and the vegetable leaves, effectively killing the plant and destroying much of its nutritional value while it kills the bacteria.
The USDA claims this is a huge success. By using radiation on all fresh produce, they claim, the number of food-borne illness outbreaks that happen each year could be substantially reduced. It all makes sense until you realize that by destroying the nutritional value of all fresh produce sold in the United States, an irradiation policy would greatly increase the number of people killed by infections and chronic diseases that are prevented by the natural medicines found in fresh produce! There's a new plot underway to sterilize your food and destroy the nutritional value of fresh produce. The players in this plot a... more -
Activists demand Russia ban GM foods
The growth in genetically modified foods has not yet seen large-scale public debate in Russia but a number of people do feel strongly about the issue. Thus, a group of youth activists in the northern city of Murmansk is demanding a ban on GM products.
Consumers have the right to know what they are putting in their bodies and feeding to their children. The growth in genetically modified foods has not yet seen large-scale public debate in Russia but a number of people do feel strongly ... more -
Time-Warner customers will have to pay for bandwidth
"This Thursday, new cable Internet customers in Beaumont, Texas will no longer have unmetered Internet bandwidth - they’re guinea pigs in a new pricing scheme being pushed by Time-Warner that will give users between 5 and 40 gigabytes in total monthly data usage (uploads and downloads combined). Data usage over that amount will be billed at $1 per gigabyte. Competitor Comcast is also considering metered bandwidth.
"The goal is to limit average data usage, allowing Time-Warner to get more customers into their existing fiber infrastructure. Since there is little or no competition for Internet connectivity, they don’t have to worry so much about losing customers."
Ah, the joy of cable and internet monopolies. "This Thursday, new cable Internet customers in Beaumont, Texas will no longer have unmetered Internet bandwidth - they’re guinea... more -
U.S. To Propose Sweeping New Powers for Fed
President George W. Bush's administration will propose sweeping new oversight powers for the Federal Reserve in a bid to avoid calamities like the current subprime crisis, The New York Times reported Saturday.
Citing a summary of the plan provided by the administration, the newspaper said the Fed will gain the power to investigate any activities of financial institutions that threaten US economic stability, gather information and combat risks to the financial system as a whole.
The plan will be proposed on Monday, the paper said.
The Securities and Exchange Commission would lose some of its authority and is likely to be combined with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission that regulates trade in gas, oil and other goods, the report said.
The report came as new statistics showed US consumer spending stalled in February despite rising incomes as Americans boosted savings amid recession fears.
A Commerce Department report showed a meager 0.1 rise in spending, the driver of growth in the world's biggest economy. The figure was the weakest since September 2006 and matched analysts' consensus forecast.
The proposal is due to be unveiled by the Treasury Department.
It is part of a sweeping blueprint to overhaul the nation's financial regulatory agencies, which many experts say failed to recognize rampant excesses in mortgage lending until after they set off what is now seen as the worst financial crisis in decades.
end.
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I don't know, this sounds kind of "new world orderish" to me. What do you think? Are they now using the mortgage meltdown to accumulate and shift more power? Oh, and the title quoted for Bush in the beginning of this is not my writing. I am quoting the article. Bush never was and never will be my president. President George W. Bush's administration will propose sweeping new oversight powers for the Federal Reserve in a bid to avoid ca... more -
Consumers To Pay Holiday Debt Faster
It looks like most American's are actually planning on paying of their holiday debt in a timely manner this year. In fact, three out of four are planning on paying their debt within the first three months of 2008.
The survey also finds that more than half of consumers are turning to cash or their debit cards for their holiday spending.
How are you paying for all of your holiday goodies this year? It looks like most American's are actually planning on paying of their holiday debt in a timely manner this year. In fact, three... more -
Energizer "D" Battery Exposed
the Energizer company is deceiving consumers by packaging what is effectively an "AA" battery in a "D" size and shape, then marking up the price 400%, hoodwinking consumers into paying four times as much money for a battery that has extremely poor performance (by design). the Energizer company is deceiving consumers by packaging what is effectively an "AA" battery in a "D" size and sh... more
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