TWITTER Week of July 4, 2022 (see last week)
Consumer World Original
There are some products that are known for key characteristics. Ivory soap will be 99-44/100ths percent pure. Tropicana orange juice will be "not from concentrate." Those characteristics are embedded in our minds. Now, Florida's Natural orange juice, also well known for being made just like Tropicana, has quietly changed its historic composition. Could you tell grabbing a carton at the store?
That is our Mouse Print* story this week.
A writer for CNET recently conducted a little experiment checking the prices of 38 common grocery items at a Stop & Shop supermarket as well as two online sellers. He wanted to see when you figured in all the fees and charges which was the least expensive way to buy groceries.
Companies use an arsenal of marketing tricks to convince customers they're scoring bargains, often duping them into spending more or paying right away without checking the competition. While many of these tactics have been used for decades, some of the methods are increasingly sophisticated. Here are 30 sneaky pricing and selling strategies to guard against. Be aware that some companies employ more than one.
[NOTE: See warning at the end.] QR codes are everywhere these days to easily take you to a website just by pointing your cellphone at them. Now scammers are using them to take you to malware-infected websites. How can you protect yourself? Two companies are providing apps to check for malware when scanning a QR code. Links to them are in the previous link. WARNING: Some stories have suggested that Kaspersky, mentioned in the Tom's Guide story, is controlled by the Russian government and therefore is a threat to your digital security with respect to data collection. Instead of that you can use the Sophos app or you can use these additional tips to help spot a QR scam.
Sensing abuses in the car sales business, the FTC is proposing national standards for how cars are sold. This includes advertising a "true offering price" that is all-inclusive except for taxes, government fees, and optional equipment. The goal is to ban bait and switch tactics and junk fees.
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