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Would you sell your personal information for $10?
My Facebook, Twitter and RSS feeds have been ablaze with today's Living Social deal: a $20 Amazon.com gift card for $10. I admit, I was tempted to buy one because -- hey! $10 is $10, right?
But before I signed up for the site for the deal, I wanted to read through the terms and conditions to see how my personal information would be used. On the Terms & Conditions page, users agree to the following:
You understand that much of the information that you submit to us (such as postings and invitations) is submitted precisely for the purpose of disclosure in a variety of ways by LivingSocial, and therefore such information is not subject to any confidentiality obligation. Other information, such as credit card information provided in connection with the purchase of a Deal, is maintained with appropriate privacy and security protections. You agree that information provided to us in connection with the purchase of a Deal, other than your credit card information, may be disclosed by us to the LivingSocial Merchant for their commercial purposes including to provision the Deal.
(Emphasis mine.) It totally makes sense for any social deal site to take its user data and pass it along. The promise of getting information on a few thousand shoppers is probably enough to lure a vendor into offering a deal, and the company can, over time, begin to analyze all its deals and start offering the analysis as a product to interested parties.
The question I am trying to answer: The data associated with my shopping habits is obviously valuable. But how valuable is it? Is it worth $10? Or much more?
I think I've just found a belated New Year's resolution -- to find out how much the dirt on my shopping habits is worth to retailers.
| January 19 2011 at 02:00 PM
Free e-reads: How to find them
I received a Kindle as a milestone anniversary gift, and while there is much to love about it -- for one thing, I no longer have to allocate half a suitcase to my reading material when going on vacation -- there is also a huge risk to owning it.
The risk? False economy. Like many bibliofiends, I love a good bookstore, but I generally avoid buying anything new in hardback. That's why God invented libraries and reserve lists -- and people who do buy new hardcover and softcover books, then sell them for a fraction of the cost used.
But I have to admit: It is so, so easy to go look at a new title and see that the Kindle version is only half the cost of the physical book. Half, you say? And I don't have to wait or scour used-book sites? You can see where the risk comes in: If one perceives there to be a bargain, one is more likely to point, click and spend.
And those "bargain" titles can be no bargain. I will cop to spending $25.59 for Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games trilogy on the Kindle. While I appreciate that it cost less than the $27.68 that Amazon.com's offering for the three books in hardcover, there is a downside: I can't resell those digital assets if I get tired of them, whereas I probably could have unloaded the books for a few bucks and ended up ultimately paying less than what the Kindle "bargain" cost me.
So I've been surfing the Internet for free, downloadable Kindle books. The first and most obvious place to look: Amazon.com's Kindle store's list of bestsellers, which tots up the top 100 free titles. For those of us who want to revisit our favorite classics, there's always Project Gutenberg, which lets you download compatible file versions of its books to your Kindle. I've also had a lot of fun scrolling through the selections at ManyBooks.net and FeedBooks. (At the latter, for example, I found a copy of Peter Watts' Starfish -- which is not even available for the Kindle via Amazon.)
Anyone else out there a Kindle owner? Where do you go for free reads? And have you noticed whether you're spending more or less on reading material now that it seems so much cheaper? Share at dollarsandsense@sfgate.com.
| September 28 2010 at 03:07 PM
Thrifty baseball lovers, clear your Tuesday nights
How many of you head down to San Jose to see the Giants play? No, that's not a typo; I'm alluding to the minor-league team.
Now how many of you eat Kraft singles? If you're in the little overlapping part of the Venn diagram composed of "Kraft Singles eaters" and "minor league baseball fans," then save a few cheese package wrappers, grab a friend and clear the following days for a buy one, get one free ticket package:
Tuesday, June 1: playing the Rancho Cucamonga Earthquakes
Tuesday, June 8: playing the Modesto Nuts
Tuesday, July 20: playing the Stockton Ports
Tuesday, August 3: playing the Stockton Ports
Tuesday, August 24: playing the Visalia Rawhide
Tuesday, August 31: playing the Inland Empire 66ers
| May 26 2010 at 03:15 PM
Jumping through the hoops for rebates
Doing the legwork on the water-heater rebates reminded me why rebate rates are estimated to hover around 58% in the U.S. -- redeeming these things is often a pain in the neck (only more centrally located). Requiring specific documentation, imposing time limits on when to submit a rebate, being vulnerable to a company deciding to deny your rebate application ... there are a lot of little aggravations.
Here's how to get around some of those irritations when you're trying to get money back from a retailer or manufacturer.
First: Ignore the rebate when you assess the purchase price. You're not going to see that money for weeks anyway, so don't think of the product you're purchasing as being cheaper than it really is. If the price is not competitive without the rebate, give it a pass.
Second: Consider restricting your rebates to places that offer easy redemption online. Staples does this, for example, as does Costco and Apple.
Third: If you do have to mail in your rebate application and supporting materials, take digital photos of everything before it goes into the envelope, make backup copies via photocopier, or scan it all. This way, if the retailer or manufacturer tries to deny your rebate based on your form or supporting materials, you can double-check what you submitted, then email a copy of the evidence that you're right.
Do you get a lot of rebates? How have you streamlined the process? Tell us at dollarsandsense@sfgate.com.
| May 20 2010 at 03:04 PM
Tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day
There are a number of great comic book stores in the Bay Area -- swing by one of them tomorrow and pick up a free issue or two for Free Comic Book Day. There are a number of titles available, both for the small fry and the adults who like collecting comics.
Here are some of the local comic books stores that are participating:
MISSION: COMICS & ART
3520 20th St., Ste. B
San Francisco
(415) 695-1545
ISOTOPE
326 Fell St
San Francisco
(415) 621-6543
JEFFREY'S TOYS
685 Market St
San Francisco
(415) 546-6551
COMIC SHOP
665 Bancroft Ave
San Leandro
(510) 562-0205
COMIC RELIEF: THE COMIC BOOKSTORE
2026 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley
(510) 843-5002
DR COMICS & MR GAMES
4014 Piedmont Ave
Oakland
(510) 601-7800
ALAMEDA SPORTSCARDS & COMICS
1515 Webster St
Alameda
(510) 769-0644
| April 30 2010 at 01:42 PM
Mark your calendars: Free family films this summer
Regal Cinemas will once again be offering FREE G or PG movies, at 10:00am every Tuesday and Wednesday, from June through August. After the jump, the two participating theatres in the greater Bay Area and the movies they'll be showing. Note that free admission is first-come, first-serve Read More 'Mark your calendars: Free family films this summer' » :
| April 26 2010 at 12:53 PM
Indulge your spring fever -- for free
Starting Saturday: National Park Week (April 17-25), in which you can gain free admission to more than 100 national parks and landmarks.
Since the weather promises to be gorgeously mild, why not plan a quick day trip to any of the following nearby places? The list:
John Muir National Historic Site, open Wednesday through Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Martinez. BONUS: Go this Saturday and catch the Earth Day celebration. (Also from SFgate.com: "John Muir National Historic Site: Victorian where environmentalist lived is great place for kids."
Muir Woods National Monument, open every day, 8 a.m. to sunset, Mill Valley.
Pinnacles National Monument, open every day; east side is open 24 hours a day, west side is open from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Pacines. (From SFgate.com: "Pinnacles," "Spring wildflowers, hiking among the draws at Pinnacles."
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, different facilities have different hours so check here, San Francisco.
If next week is already booked, mark your calendar for two more free days later this year: Public Lands Day (September 25, 2010) and Veterans Day (November 11, 2010).
| April 13 2010 at 11:01 AM
Free knife sharpening
As an FYI: Sur La Table is conducting a promotion through April 30 -- their "Spring Cutlery Event" -- and part of that promotion is free knife sharpening. Bring two of your cooking knives into participating stores and get them sharpened for free.
You can find Sur La Table at: 77 Maiden Lane (San Francisco); the Ferry Building Marketplace (San Francisco); 1806 Fourth Street (Berkeley); 425 Corte Madera Town Center (Corte Madera); 1211 Broadway Plaza (Walnut Creek); 855 El Camino Real #57 (Palo Alto); 23 University Avenue (Los Gatos).
As to why you'd want to sharpen your knives: A sharp knife is a safe knife, because the blade is straighter and keener, and you're less likely to cut yourself. You can do basic blade maintenance at home with a sharpening steel; here's a short (0:59) how-to. And the Web is awash in how-to-sharpen-knives tutorials, but really -- you can get someone else to do it for free this month. So go for it.
| April 08 2010 at 02:14 PM
Could you eat a year's worth of Grand Slams -- if they were free?
There's an article in today's Wall Street Journal about the success that fast-food chains enjoy when they do free food giveaways. For example, 600,000 people entered the Denny's "Grand Slam for a Year" contest, and three quarters of them also signed up for Denny's email marketing campaigns. That means more opportunities for the chain to grab bargain-loving customers via email coupons.
The benefits for the fast-food chains don't end there: a lot of free-food winners who were interviewed for the article mention that they'll keep going to their winning chain even after the benefits run dry, saying that they've become huge fans or that their children are now used to the routine. And these winners bring along friends and family to share the largesse, which only increases the number of potential new customers.
After reading stories about people who eat Chik-fil-A two to three times a week, I had two reactions. First -- if you're making your food budget go further with free food, more power to you. But second -- oh my gosh, I couldn't do it. I mean, I love an In'N'Out #3 meal (well-done fries) as much as the next person, but not two-to-three-times-a-week love.
For those of you who like the occasional free fast food treat, I suggest you bookmark Freemania's listing of Free Food Days 2010. The page keeps tabs on who's offering what when.
Are there fast-food chains where you'd happily try to win a year's worth of free meals? What are they, and what would you eat? Dish at dollarsandsense@sfgate.com.
| March 17 2010 at 10:48 AM
Take a tea break this afternoon
According to the good people at FunCheapSF, you can get a free 12-ounce Peach FruTea or Spring Peach Tea Latte (hot or iced) today from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at your local Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.
Locations in San Francisco are:
- 2201 Fillmore St., San Francisco CA, 94115
- 773 Market Street, San Francisco CA, 94103
- Four Embarcadero Center, Suite SL9, San Francisco CA, 94111
| March 04 2010 at 01:40 PM
Dollars and Sense is about finding new ways to inject dollars, cents and sensibility into your everyday spending.
By Lisa Schmeiser, Read Bio
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