Fairfield-Echo.com

Sept. 18, 2008

Restaurateurs are in a classic squeeze play. Their food costs are going up, while customer traffic is down. That means that eating out is getting cheaper.

When the economy was booming, Clark warned you about specials -- those du jour "deals" that were really designed to make you pay more. But that's reversed now. One thing that remains the same is that you should never order something unless you know the price.

So as eating out gets cheaper, you may see early bird specials, early week specials and couponing. You'll also see complete meal deals because people are skipping costly beverages, desserts and appetizers. The complete meal deals will be cheaper compared to buying the items individually, but they're also designed to boost the bill.

Be wary of gift cards. Clark loves the ones where you get more than what you pay for, but don't let them gather dust. Use a gift card shortly after you buy it because it may turn to dust if a restaurant goes out of business.

One final word: Don't reduce what you tip. It's not the fault of your waiter or waitress that the economy is hurting.

Sept. 17, 2008

Businesses that follow the housing market -- such as furniture, appliance and mattress retailers -- are on the ropes as the market continues to reel. The Washington Post now reports that a regional mattress company called Mattress Discounters has filed for bankruptcy -- for the second time!

Clark recalls when Mattress Discounters first went bankrupt about 6 years ago. At that time, they were able to re-organize and got a second shot at life. Now they're looking to close some stores with the intention of re-organizing again for a third life!

The latest collapse of Mattress Discounters highlights an important point about buying furniture, mattresses or appliances. If you're going to pay a deposit up-front and take delivery later, you never want to pay by cash or check. Why? If the retailer collapses before delivering your goods, you'll be an unsecured creditor in a bankruptcy filing and you'll probably never see a penny of your deposit back.

You should only pay by credit card -- not a fake piece of trash Visa or MasterCard debit card -- so you can dispute the charge within 60 days if you don't get your merchandise. But beware, go one day over the 60-day limit and you'll lose your rights to dispute. Clark advises you start your dispute around the 55th day. You can always release the dispute if the goods show up.

In his TV work, Clark has done at least 10 stories standing in front of vacant furniture stores with the camera panning from empty wall to empty wall. It's always the same story: He interviews some poor soul who talks about how much money they lost on deposit. Don't be Clark's next interviewee; make sure you pay by credit card!

Sept. 16, 2008

Clark has a special warning as we approach the holiday season about avoiding having your money blown to smithereens on gift cards. ... More

Sept. 4, 2008

Clark recently discussed how he was furious over kangaroo court arbitrations in the corporate world. Many banks force customers into these joke arbitrations that are worthy of a banana republic. Of course, the financial institutions routinely select arbitrators that rule in their favor. ... More

Sept. 1, 2008

Clark is not into the organic food movement. Maybe that's because organic food prices are suffering from massive inflation -- even more so than non-organic grocery items. The New York Times found that while regular bread can be around $1.19, organic can be up to $3.19. Regular eggs may be $1.34-$1.50 versus $4.75-$6.39 for the organic version. Regular milk can be $1.99, while you may pay $3.99-$6.79 for organic milk. ... More