Read more consumer stories on Newserhttp://www.newser.com/taggrid/1226/consumer.html2009 - Newseren-usNewser Feed GeneratorTue, 24 Nov 2009 12:34:30 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/72106/now-driving-innovation-in-india-the-poor.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagIndian engineers once did little but cater to Western companies, while consumers at home made do with hand-me-down products from the developed world. That is changing in a big way as foreign economies crater and the 1.1 billion consumers of the subcontinent reveal a taste for, well, consuming. And...http://www.newser.com/story/72106/now-driving-innovation-in-india-the-poor.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagTue, 20 Oct 2009 13:04:50 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/64548/frugal-mainers-easily-weather-economic-storm.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagA long history of sparse employment and hardships of all stripes has built a culture of frugality that leaves Maine perfectly suited to the current recession, the Boston Globe reports. “Everybody now is into shopping thrift shops, but in most of Maine, people never stopped,” a banker says. “It’s ingrained...http://www.newser.com/story/64548/frugal-mainers-easily-weather-economic-storm.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagThu, 16 Jul 2009 15:13:00 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/64525/crocs-scramble-to-stay-afloat.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagThe company that makes the once-ubiquitous, quirky Croc shoes is about to go belly up, experts fear. The Colorado firm lost $18.5 million last year, has a warehouse full of unwanted shoes and just weeks to pay off its debt. Blame it on the economy and fickle consumers. "The...http://www.newser.com/story/64525/crocs-scramble-to-stay-afloat.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagThu, 16 Jul 2009 4:03:17 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/58528/experts-fret-as-americans-squirrel-away-income.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagEven after the economy rebounds, the US will likely remain a nation of penny pinchers—and that has economists worried, the New York Times reports. Consumer spending accounts for 70% of the country’s GDP, but Americans, fretting over job security and losses in the housing and stock sectors, are squirreling...http://www.newser.com/story/58528/experts-fret-as-americans-squirrel-away-income.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagSat, 09 May 2009 14:46:13 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/57798/hasbro-discovery-join-to-launch-kids-channel.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagHasbro and Discovery have struck a deal to revitalize the flagging Discovery Kids Network, the Los Angeles Times reports. Hasbro, manufacturer of Transformers and GI Joe, will buy a 50% stake in Discovery Kids for $300 million. The company plans to emphasize merchandise based on programming on the network, which...http://www.newser.com/story/57798/hasbro-discovery-join-to-launch-kids-channel.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagFri, 01 May 2009 12:56:31 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/49631/cobblers-in-stitches-thanks-to-recession.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagIf this recession reaches Great Depression levels, there may not be enough cobblers to go around. There are only 7,000 of them left in the US—down from 120,000 in the 1920s—and their business is piling up faster than they can manage as strapped Americans repair shoes...http://www.newser.com/story/49631/cobblers-in-stitches-thanks-to-recession.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagMon, 02 Feb 2009 9:01:47 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/47102/newfound-thrift-battering-economy.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagAmericans worried about the recession are stashing away cash at the highest rate in decades—but economists fear that the thrift will prolong hard times, reports the Wall Street Journal . The national savings rate has rebounded from less than zero to levels expected to hit 5% or higher this year...http://www.newser.com/story/47102/newfound-thrift-battering-economy.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagTue, 06 Jan 2009 1:51:03 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/43790/credit-relief-flows-slowly-when-it-flows-at-all.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagWith hundreds of billions of dollars pumping into the calcified credit markets, many struggling Americans are expecting to see some relief, but many will be disappointed, the New York Times reports. Banks continue to stiffen loan eligibility requirements even as strapped consumers face deteriorating credit scores, and whole categories of...http://www.newser.com/story/43790/credit-relief-flows-slowly-when-it-flows-at-all.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagThu, 27 Nov 2008 10:14:09 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/41600/as-deadbeats-soar-utilities-quick-to-pull-plug.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagUtilities are growing increasingly aggressive about shutting off the juice even as more customers struggle to pay their bills in a sinking economy, reports the Wall Street Journal . The trend has regulators and consumer advocates worried companies have become too focused on their bottom lines, but utilities say they’re battling...http://www.newser.com/story/41600/as-deadbeats-soar-utilities-quick-to-pull-plug.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagMon, 03 Nov 2008 6:51:36 CST