The recent holiday season showed some hope for a resurgence in the retail sector, but it appears consumers are back in the doldrums and not willing to spend their way out of the recession, according to the February Consumer Reports Index.
Consumers ended 2009 more optimistic than they have been in the past six months as the January Consumer Reports Index shows Sentiment, Stress and Trouble Tracker levels improving.
After putting 48 machines to the test, Consumer Reports Health lists 14 recommended treadmills and ellipticals for a home workout, including five Best Buy choices which combine performance and value.
Americans feel far worse about their financial situation than they have in the past seven months and continue to be pounded by financial woes driven by increased credit card, healthcare and personal loan issues, according to the Consumer Reports Index September '09 Report.
Survey of 21,000 readers reveals six stay-thin strategies; Tips for healthful meals on a budget
With money concerns looming, more than two-thirds (69%) of Americans are changing their family's holiday gift-giving traditions this year, according to Consumer Reports latest Holiday Shopping Poll. Among the changes, 37 percent of families are setting a spending limit for gifts, 14 percent are making homemade gifts, and 6 percent are not exchanging gifts at all.
'Tis the season to tighten the belt on holiday spending for many Americans this year. Over three-quarters (76%) of Americans plan to cut back on spending on traditional holiday expenses such as gifts, travel, entertaining, decorations, charitable giving, holiday cards, and tipping, according to a new Consumer Reports Holiday Shopping Poll. Full results of the poll are available at www.ConsumerReports.org.
L.L. Bean, Zappos, and Lands' End were among the top rated e-tailers in Consumer Reports' survey of more than 25,000 subscribers of their online clothes shopping experiences at 39 online stores.