Month: August 2022

Gas prices are rising. Inflation is squeezing us all. And yet there are still things you need to buy. The prices of items on shelves can be shocking these days, but there are ways to ensure that you’re getting the best deals.

That’s where price-comparison apps come in. You can use them whether you’re shopping in a store or online, especially during big sales such as Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday. A quick search can make sure you’ve found the best bargain on that item you really want or need, and maybe even an additional coupon code. The apps are also useful if you’re just bargain hunting, as many of them show you the latest deals and flyers from stores.

There are some things to know before you use a price comparison app:

  • Make sure you’re looking at the same product across stores. Find the exact name and model

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Price fluctuations as a result of algorithms have been found to increase feelings of customer betrayal.

Steven Puetzer/Getty Images


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Steven Puetzer/Getty Images

Price fluctuations as a result of algorithms have been found to increase feelings of customer betrayal.

Steven Puetzer/Getty Images

If you’ve shopped online recently, you may have had this experience: You find an item, add it to your cart, and then when you get around to paying, the price has increased.

You can thank pricing algorithms.

These are computer programs that look at factors such as supply, demand and the prices competitors are charging, and then adjust the price in real time. Now, there are calls for greater regulation at a time when these tactics are expected to become more common.

“A key thing about the algorithm is that given different inputs, like, say, time of day or weather or how many customers might

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AB2026, the additional bill, seeks to reduce the amount of single-use plastic packaging and filler material that online retailers commonly use while shipping their products. The bill was approved by the state Assembly in May and is being considered by the Senate’s appropriations committee, where it faces a crucial deadline in less than two weeks.

Senators are weighing AB2026 after the Legislature already endorsed a much broader plastic-reduction measure, SB54, that was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in late June. SB54 gives manufacturers 10 years to make sure that plastic packaging and food ware items can be recycled, composted or reused. They also have to cut back the amount of plastic they generate to begin with.

But State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, said Saturday that AB2026 is still needed so California can specifically address the issue of plastic waste from online retail.

“Now we have a

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CNN
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Shopify

(SHOP) will lay off approximately 10% of its global staff after making the “wrong” bet on how long the pandemic-fueled surge in online shopping would continue, the CEO of the Canadian e-commerce company announced Tuesday.

The cuts span divisions including recruiting, support and sales, according to CEO Tobi Lutke in a memo to staff, and will take effect by end of day Tuesday. Shopify reported having about 10,000 employees as of the end of 2021.

Shopify, an e-commerce platform that helps businesses sell products online and in retail stores, saw demand for its services “skyrocket” in the early days of the pandemic as “almost all retail shifted online because of shelter-in-place orders,” Lutke said in the memo.

“Before the pandemic, e-commerce growth had been steady and predictable. Was this surge to be a temporary effect or a new normal?” Lutke said.

The company decided to expand rapidly,

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The mantra of 2022 should really be: No one knows anything.

It’s stunning how little we understand about how the pandemic has changed our lives and our country. It’s not clear whether the US economy is hot or not, or if big cities like New York will be forever scarred. We aren’t sure if women’s careers have been permanently impaired or if our mental health will be OK.

The future of our online shopping habits is another unknown.

The government disclosed recently that America’s e-commerce boom during the pandemic was even bigger that it was previously believed. But in 2021, that trend started to backslide a bit. Physical stores beat e-commerce last year, and they continue to do so this year. The trajectory of internet buying has flipped from bananas to bananas confusing.

Now, corporate executives, retail analysts and economists are trying to figure out how quickly we might move

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