The price of milk and the price of a simple bottle of water can tell you a lot about a grocery store’s pricing strategy. In a surprising twist of modern retail, there are a handful of regional grocery chains where you can consistently buy a full gallon of milk for less than the price of…
Saving money on groceries can feel like an impossible task. However, a few small, consistent changes to your shopping habits can add up to a significant amount of savings over the course of a month. These are not extreme couponing tricks. They are simple, practical hacks that anyone can use to lower their grocery bill…
Sodas are a staple in many American diets, offering a quick refreshment and a burst of sweetness. However, beneath the fizz and flavor lie ingredients that may pose significant health risks. From excessive sugars to controversial additives, certain sodas contain components linked to various health concerns. Understanding these harmful soda ingredients is crucial for making…
Dollar General is a go-to store for budget shoppers, but did you know there’s a way to score items for just one cent? Known as “penny items,” these ultra-discounted products are hidden treasures savvy shoppers hunt for every week. These items aren’t advertised, but with the right strategy, you can find them and pay just…
The door of the refrigerator is often a chaotic and crowded place. It is filled with a huge collection of half-used jars and bottles of condiments and sauces. We put most of these items in the fridge out of habit. We assume that the cold is the best place to keep them fresh. However, in…
Most grocery store loyalty programs are simple and public. You sign up for a card or an app, and you get access to the same weekly sales as everyone else. However, a few retailers operate a much more secretive and exclusive type of rewards program. These programs have hidden tiers, unpublished perks, and invitation-only benefits.…
The day of the week you do your grocery shopping can have a surprisingly big impact on the deals you find and the quality of the products you buy. While Tuesday is often a quiet and less crowded day to shop, it can also be one of the worst days of the week for your…
Most money-saving advice for the grocery store is pretty standard. We all know to make a list and to use coupons. However, the most dedicated frugal shoppers have a set of weird habits that go far beyond the basics. These unconventional strategies may look strange to the average shopper. However, they are a powerful and…
You have a favorite local restaurant that you have always found a little strange. The food is mediocre, and the place is always empty, yet it somehow manages to stay in business year after year. While it might just be a poorly run business, it could also be something much more sinister. Law enforcement officials…
The restaurant industry is a notoriously tough business. It is an environment of high stress, long hours, and often, very low pay. To protect their razor-thin profit margins, some restaurant owners and managers will resort to several unethical and sometimes illegal practices at the expense of their own staff. These dirty secrets of the industry…
A modern pharmacy like CVS or Walgreens is much more than just a place to get a prescription filled. These stores have evolved into a unique hybrid of a pharmacy, a convenience store, and a small-scale department store. This means that their aisles are filled with a surprisingly diverse and often strange collection of products…
We think of our kitchen pantry as a safe, stable place to store our food. However, this dark and quiet space can be home to several hidden dangers that go beyond a simple expired can of soup. From invisible chemical contaminants to tiny insect pests, your pantry can harbor a variety of surprising health risks.…
For decades, we were trained to believe that the brand name was a guarantee of quality. We now know that this is not always true. In many cases, a retailer’s store-brand, or private-label, product is just as good, if not better, than its more expensive, brand-name counterpart. In a series of blind taste tests and…
Some restaurant menu items are more than just food; they are an addiction. These are the craveable, iconic dishes that we think about for days. They are what keep us coming back to our favorite chains again and again. These recipes are often a carefully guarded secret. They are a perfect storm of salt,…
The restaurant landscape is in the middle of a major transformation. Traditional fast-food and casual dining chains are struggling. At the same time, a new generation of “fast-casual” brands is in the middle of an explosive growth phase. These brands offer a higher-quality product than fast food, but with the same speed and convenience. They…
In the competitive world of fast food, a good loyalty program can be a game-changer. No brand has mastered this better than Chick-fil-A. Their “Chick-fil-A One” rewards program is a masterclass in how to build a devoted and engaged customer base. The program goes beyond just offering simple discounts. It uses a sophisticated, tiered system…