Tuesday, December 25, 2012
How many of these Christmas gift mistakes did you make this year?
Christmas is my favorite holiday of all the holidays. I love the lights and the family time and the cookies. I love getting cards with photos of happy families and I love decorating Christmas trees by reliving the history behind each ornament. If I'm being honest here, I have to admit that I love the presents too. It used to be that I loved getting presents—and don't get me wrong, I still enjoy unwrapping thoughtful gifts—but now that I'm a parent, most of my excitement about presents involves sitting back and watching my kids' joy on Christmas morning. I've worked hard to teach my kids about gratitude and looking at gifts as an expression of love from the giver. I've also worked to help my kids understand how to give gifts themselves by …
Friday, November 23, 2012
Shopping in Wheaton for Black Friday? Plan your route by checking this deals list.
Could you go cold turkey on consumerism for 24 hours?
Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Holiday Weekend Sales, Pre-Christmas Sales, Post-Hanukah Clearance Sales, and Kwanzaa Clearance Events—it’s enough to make you go crazy as a consumer. One organization, AdBusters, has a solution to help you retain your sanity—“Buy Nothing Day.” The group’s website touts that “the journey towards a sane sustainable future begins with a single step” and sees capping your consumption for an entire day as that step. AdBusters, which also publishes a monthly anti-consumerist magazine, is also a proponent of the Occupy movement, and offers online and printable ads to help spread the word. The website also features guides to organized protests like a Credit Card Cut Up, Zombie Walk and Whirl-Mart. AdBusters claims …
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Employees of the retail giant hope to take advantage of one of the year's busiest shopping days.
Employees of DC-area Walmart and Sam's Club locations are joining a national strike effort this Black Friday to protest what they view as low wages, poor scheduling practices, and worker intimidation on the part of the retail giant. The campaign, organized by Making Change at Walmart and linked with the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, is planning demonstrations outside dozens of stores nationwide on one of the busiest shopping days of the year. In the DC area, Nov. 23 protests are scheduled for Walmart and Sam's Club locations in Laurel, Hyattsville, Bowie, Gaithersburg, Woodlawn, Severn, Clinton, Abingdon, Alexandria, and Fairfax. (Both chains are owned by parent company Walmart Stores, Inc.) The strike action …
Since when did finding clothes for my kids get so hard?
You know how there are those things about parenting that you assumed would be totally easy, but turned out to be anything but? Dressing three boys, who would presumably not much care what they wear, is one of those things. I bought my oldest son pants last week and he actually agreed to wear them. It was practically family newsletter-worthy information. The secret is that I took him to the store and let him pick out his own pants. Who would have guessed that would work? Also, I would never in a million years have chosen the pants that he did. It turns out that for that kid, age 10 is the magic number for when I had to stop buying pants I think are fun, comfy, and perfectly good pants and start taking him with me to let him pick out his own…
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
With the incoming Costco and the recently arrived Dick's Sporting Goods, Westfield Wheaton is attracting new retail and restaurants--like Chipotle.
Have you been to the mall in Wheaton recently? Step inside the new Costco wing around the back, and you'll find lots of "coming soon" signs. Patch spoke with Westfield Wheaton's marketing director, Sidney Woods, about when these stores and restaurants are expected to open. Woods said that those expected to open later this year include Mayorga Coffee, All Cell and Classic Diamond Jewelers. Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt, Choice Beer and Wine, and Chipotle are anticipated to open in 2013, he said. [Get daily email updates about business news in Wheaton by signing up for free newsletters from Wheaton Patch.] What drew in business like Mayorga and Chipotle? A new anchor store in the mall: Costco. However, Costco's scheduled Oct. 18 opening was …
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Follow these tips from a Wheaton parent on how to get the most bang for your buck when buying school supplies and how to get your kids ready for their first day.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Check out which items on which you can save 6 percent during Maryland's tax-free shopping week.
You may want to wait a couple more days to buy that new pair of jeans or go back-to-school shopping. Sunday, Aug. 12 through Saturday, Aug. 18, you’ll be able to save 6 percent on some clothing and footwear items during Maryland’s tax-free shopping week. Items that will be exempt from the 6 percent sales tax include clothing and footwear priced less than $100. Accessories, ranging from bowties and bracelets to purses and watches, are not exempt, according to the comptroller of Maryland. For a full list of taxable and tax-exempt items for the week of Aug. 12-18, check out our attached PDF. School starts on Aug. 20 for Prince George’s County and Aug. 27 for Montgomery County students, so next week is the perfect time to do all your back-to…
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
We've got the rundown on Maryland's tax free shopping week in mid-August.
Get ready to knock 6 percent off your back-to-school shopping bills come mid-August. From Saturday, Aug. 12, to Sunday Aug. 18, Marylanders will have the opportunity to shop tax-free on qualifying merchandise. Clothing and footwear priced less than $100 per item will be exempt from Maryland's 6 percent sales tax. Accessory items—including jewelry, watches, watchbands, handbags, handkerchiefs, umbrellas, scarves, ties, headbands and belt buckles—do not qualify, according to the Comptroller of Maryland. For a full list of taxable and tax-exempt items for the week of Aug. 12 through 18, check out our attached PDF. How do you plan to take advantage of the tax break? Tell us in the comments what deals you'll score.
Monday, December 5, 2011
The fashion clothing store will open its doors Tuesday at noon.
For eager H&M shoppers, their early Christmas present has arrived. The long-anticipated H&M in the Wheaton Mall will open Dec. 6 at noon. The two-level store is located near Macy's. H&M will offer the first 100 shoppers in line an H&M T-shirt and an Access to Fashion Pass, valued from $10 to $300. Store hours will be Monday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Check out the Shop Talk post on Bethesda Magazine's website to find out more about what kind of clothing the H&M will carry.
Jean Winegardner
9:51 pm on Wednesday, December 26, 2012
VERY clever. The problem is when Santa brings one of their friends an iPhone. Then you'll have to tell them that Santa must love those other kids more. :) more ›