The elusive Zhu Zhu Pets faux hamsters showed up at major retailers on Sunday and disappeared from most shelves before the morning ended. Such is the life of the hot toy of the year -- following the likes of Furby and Tickle Me Elmo in the annals of toys whose scarcity was part of their allure. Read all about it here.

WalletPop Wire

Running away from the president is a recipe for Democratic failure

Bob Cesca Nov 11th 2009 @ 6:30PM EST Filed Under: Recession

The biggest problem with the Democratic Party and its prospects in next year's midterms might not be the economy or jobs or health care after all. The problem might be rank stupidity.

A new poll from Research 2000 indicates that Democratic turnout on Election Day was low because, quite simply, Democrats didn't run as Obama Democrats. Creigh Deeds, for example, ran for governor and was completely destroyed on election day by Republican Bob McDonnell -- a disciple of evangelist and leg-press titan Pat Robertson. It's also worth noting that McDonnell once wrote that a woman's place is in the kitchen, and he opposes contraception. This guy beat the Democratic candidate in an increasingly progressive state that went for President Obama in 2008.

How did this happen? No, it wasn't the economy, as we previously thought.

Continue reading Running away from the president is a recipe for Democratic failure

The crush stops here: Walmart to keep stores open 24-hours on Black Friday

Laura Heller Nov 11th 2009 @ 6:00PM EST Filed Under: Shopping, Black Friday

News crews everywhere must be very disappointed. In an effort to avoid the stampeding crowds on Black Friday, Walmart will keep most stores open for 24 hours, beginning Thanksgiving through the end of the following day.

Sales begin at 5 a.m. on Black Friday, but lining up and rushing the doors won't be part of this year's festivities.

Walmart is busily implementing safety precautions after last year, when a store employee was trampled to death in Valley Stream, N.Y. Walletpop has been providing some fun tips on how to handle Black Friday, but not getting killed is certainly top of that list. With bargain hunting at a fevered pitch, Black Friday safety is more important than ever.

Walmart hasn't yet identified which stores will be open for those Black Friday hours, but those normally open for 24 hours will not have any changes. The retailer announced it is developing a plan with safety experts in the sports and entertainment fields to develop better ways for shoppers to get into, and navigate the store, including around promotional displays.

Maybe this Black Friday will more closely resemble a shopping event than the running of the bulls.

More Veterans Day deals

Julia Scott Nov 11th 2009 @ 5:30PM EST Filed Under: Saving Money, Bargain Babe

I swear this is the last of the Veterans Day discounts! Not all of these are explicitly tied to the holiday, but the discounts are welcome nonetheless.

At Macys.com you can get free shipping on your purchase of $99 or more using code VETSDAY. There are special Veteran's Day sale items and you can also save an additional 25% off clearance prices.

Pacsun.com has jeans marked down by up to 50%. Pairs start at $24.50, and some pairs are an additional 30% off at checkout. Yowza!

Nordstrom's half-yearly sale for women and kids continues. My mom got two long-sleeve shirts and a mixed cashmere sweater for less than $100 last week. If something doesn't fit, you can always return it for free in the store. Get free shipping on orders of $100 or more with code HOLIDAY09.

Get 15% off at dELiA*s through Nov. 13 when you use code DXR15D at checkout.

Keep scrolling down to see other Veteran's Day discounts for food, museums, parks, and general retailers. Thanks SearchByInseam!

Sweet smelling deal: New Huggies coupon!

Julia Scott Nov 11th 2009 @ 5:15PM EST Filed Under: Bargain Babe

Get $1.50 off any package of Huggies diapers through Shortscuts.com. Don't delay as the site only allows a certain number of these coupons to be printed. The coupon expires Dec. 4, 2009.

There is also a coupon for $2 off a pack of Pulls Ups training pants. If you don't see these coupons on the above link they has probably been maxed out.

Buy enough diapers and you can make a diaper cake. Hmmm...tasty.

Subway wants your breakfast business

Tom Barlow Nov 11th 2009 @ 5:00PM EST Filed Under: Food

In our homeland of the obese, the lunch and dinner business is saturated, so fast food retailers are looking to the breakfast market to make better use of their retail locations.

I wonder, however, about the prospects of Subway as it attempts to grow its share of that market. Where are the ads, I wonder, for $5 foot-long omelets?

Breakfast is a fickle market. Wendy's, the third largest burger chain in the country, recently crapped out in its second foray into this market.

Subway, according to Advertising Age, is jousting with already established breakfast retailers such as McDonald's, and others attempting to redefine themselves with wider a.m. menu selections (Dunkin' Donuts.)

Continue reading Subway wants your breakfast business

Joel Osteen serves up recession-themed positive thinking

Zac Bissonnette Nov 11th 2009 @ 4:30PM EST Filed Under: Recession

Pastor Joel Osteen's 2004 book "Your Best Life Now" has sold more than 4 million copies -- buoyed in part by one uplifting and irresistible message: Positive thinking and faith will lead to material success and happiness. Now he's back with a new book and a new message for a new era: patience.

Back in 2005, he told BusinessWeek that "God's dream is that we be successful in our careers, and that we be able to send our kids to college. I don't mean that everyone is going to be rich, and I preach a lot on blooming where you're planted. But I don't have the mindset that money is a bad thing. . . I think we should have a mindset that God wants us to prosper in our relationships, our health, and our finances. God's desire is that we excel."

But there's just been just one problem: for all the talk of the prosperity gospel and God's tendency to impart material gain on those who have faith in him, no evidence has emerged that suggests that people who believe in God were less likely to lose their jobs, their homes or their retirement funds to the financial meltdown.

Continue reading Joel Osteen serves up recession-themed positive thinking

No more Starbucks - we can't afford it

Barbara Bartlein Nov 11th 2009 @ 4:00PM EST Filed Under: Budgets, Debt, Health, Wealth

Every morning my husband and I drive through Starbucks and get a latte. Great way to start the day. I can sip a Venti most of the morning.

After looking at our budget, however, we found it was time to evaluate this little habit. Our daily stop was costing close to $8 per day or almost $250 per month. When the economy was great and my business was booming, I rarely gave the money a thought. In fact, I thought I "deserved" this little luxury because I worked so hard.

Continue reading No more Starbucks - we can't afford it

Madoff memorabilia hits auction block: Start your own financial scandals collection

Zac Bissonnette Nov 11th 2009 @ 3:45PM EST Filed Under: Shopping, Investing, Bankruptcy

Bernie Madoff's collection of jewelry, sports memorabilia, furs, and even duck decoys is set to hit the auction block in a U.S. Marshalls-sponsored sale that will raise money to back his victims.

Gaston & Sheehan Auctioneers is handling the sale, which will be at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers at 811 7th Avenue at 52nd Street in New York City.

You can view the 65-page catalog online (PDF file) and, if you just can't live without at least one the several lots of Madoff's Wayne Gretzky cards, fill out the absentee bidding form here. Among the lots to be sold:

A blue satin with orange trim New York Mets jacket with Madoff's name embroidered on the back (Estimate: $500-$720)
Three Boogie Boards with "Madoff" written on them in marker (estimated to bring $80 as a lot)
A 1960 Hofstra University ring with Madoff's initials (Estimate: $300)

Continue reading Madoff memorabilia hits auction block: Start your own financial scandals collection

Best Buy sprints into fitness business

Madhusmita Bora Nov 11th 2009 @ 3:30PM EST Filed Under: Shopping

Along with cameras, laptops and plasma screen televisions, electronics retailer Best Buy Co. will now sell elliptical, stationary bikes and personal health solutions gadgets like pedometers, Bluetooth-enabled weight scales and blood pressure monitors.

The company sprinted into the health and fitness market today by unveiling exercise products in 40 stores in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Mexico and Texas.

Apart from fitness equipment, the selection at these stores include more than 30 feet of technology devices organized by popular activities such as running, walking, swimming, and yoga.

Continue reading Best Buy sprints into fitness business

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