Furniture

5 Surprising Things You Should Negotiate

Most of us know we're supposed to negotiate when it comes to buying a house or a car, but how about at the dry cleaner? Or when we're on the phone with our cell phone provider? Hesitate no longer.

Businesses That We Complain About the Most

Poor customer service is one of the primary reasons people tend to shun certain companies and even whole industries. 24/7 Wall St. identified the U.S. industries with the most complaints, as well as the troubles people have with them. If customer service is important to success, those we identified could be in trouble.

A Surprise 1% Drop in June's Durable Goods Orders

U.S. durable goods orders unexpectedly fell 1% in June, their largest decline since August 2009. That was in sharp contrast to the predictions of the Bloomberg survey, which had forecast orders to increase 1%. The drop provides more evidence that the nation's economic recovery has slowed.

The Positive News in May's Durable Goods Report

Sure, durable goods orders fell 1.1% in the month -- the first decline in six months. But if you remove the volatile transportation component, orders rose 0.9%, confirming an ongoing expansion in the nation's manufacturing sector.

Retail Sales Drop, but Mostly Due to a Calendar Quirk

May's retail sales figures seem to show U.S. consumers are losing their drive to shop, but some of the weakness can be blamed on the calendar. A closer look shows consumers are actually becoming more willing to pony up at the cash register again.

The Plus-Size Furniture Market Expands as Americans Widen

With 68% of Americans overweight, our furniture is growing, too. In the plus-size furniture market, where consumers are promised comfort as well as measured load-bearing performance, online retailers are stealing the lunch of brick-and-mortar stores.