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Updates from Organizations - Government agencies - Advertise Various Artists

Wednesday, November 15, 2017 - 10:45am

With Black Friday sales starting earlier and many retailers offering even deeper price cuts this year, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2017’s Best Stores for Black Friday.

WalletHub surveyed nearly 10,000 deals from 35 of the biggest U.S. retailers’ 2017 Black Friday ad scans to identify the stores offering the biggest discounts in various product categories such as “Appliances,” “Jewelry” and “Toys.”

The following are some highlights from the report:
 

Best Black Friday Retailers (Avg. % Discount)

1

Kohl's (66.32%)

 

6

Bealls Florida (52.78%)

 

2

JCPenney (66.30%)

 

7

Sears (50.09%)

 

3

Belk (62.75%)

 

8

Macy's (45.58%)

 

4

Stage (60.82%)

 

9

Fred Meyer (43.88%)

 

5

Shopko (55.93%)

 

10

AAFES (37.25%)

 

 
Key Stats

  • Kohl's has the highest overall discount rate at 66.32 percent, whereas Bass Pro Shops has the lowest at 20.83 percent.
     
  • The overall average discount for Black Friday is 37 percent. Consumers should aim for this discount amount or higher to avoid Black-Friday traps.
     
  • The “Apparel & Accessories” category has the biggest share of discounted items, 28.03 percent of all offers, whereas the “Consumer Packaged Goods” category has the smallest at 1.62 percent.
     

To view the full report and each retailer’s rank in all product categories, please visit: 
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-retailers-for-black-friday/8385/

=====I have written and recently published a 400 page ebook on daylight saving time, The Great Daylight Saving Time Controversy, via Australian eBook Publisher. It’s a book your readers might be interested in as daylight saving has a long and controversial history in the US and elsewhere and is topical twice a year. I have attached a pdf of the book (the mobi and epub versions are too large for email) for review purposes or mention in a future daylight saving time article.

 

 

Daylight saving time has been described as one of the most controversial issues in modern history since it was first introduced nationally in 1916 by European countries on both sides of World War I to save fuel. This encyclopedia of daylight saving time examines the origins of the scheme as well as its history in every country that has ever used it up to the end of 2016. It also analyses daylight saving in each state of the US, Australia and Brazil, and each Canadian province. Information on Utah can be found on pages 140, 156, 168, 171, 191, 192, 379 and 398.

 

The book features many intriguing and often prolonged battles between advocates and critics of daylight saving time in countries around the world, as well as lighter moments. It highlights the determination of daylight saving time champions such as the UK’s William Willett, the US’s Robert Garland and Harley Staggers, New Zealand’s Thomas Sidey and Tasmania’s John Steer. It delves into the chaotic daylight saving time situations that emerged, notably in the US and Canada, but also elsewhere. Every country and sometimes each state has a different, interesting and usually controversial story to tell.

 

I don’t have a particular view on daylight saving time and haven’t set out to take sides. There’s plenty of material in the book to interest people on both sides of the debate. Members of the public can obtain a copy from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y2R5KQ7), Kobo or Apple. A five star review at Amazon says this about the book: “Informative and even entertaining, this is the ‘bible’ for the topic of daylight saving time.”

 

I didn’t approach any literary agents or commercial publishers as I wanted the book to be timely and I didn’t think a literary agent or commercial publisher would be willing to take on such a work these days. The only two similar books are over a decade old.

 

I worked as a public servant (federal and state) for 25 years and in the business sector for 13 years. I have a background in economics, statistics, accounting, management, marketing, history, research, writing and editing. The Great Daylight Saving Time Controversy is my third book. My others are A Weaver's Web, a historical novel set in Manchester, UK, and Through the Eyes of Thomas Pamphlett: Convict and Castaway, an account of an early Australian convict best known for being lost in the Moreton Bay area before the founding of Brisbane. Also, I hold a graduate management certificate in writing, editing and publishing, and coordinated and edited publications in the public service for many years.

=================

With Thanksgiving break around the corner, I'm writing to suggest a story idea for Weber Sentinel News on why it's time to finally have the "talk" with your kids... about college, that is.

You've dreaded this moment for years, happy to avoid awkwardness and uncomfortable explanations. But recently, your child has been asking the hard questions, like "How long can I really live at home after high school?" and "Why can’t I just attend Hogwarts?" You know you can't dodge the talk forever.

According to the education experts at Magoosh [https://magoosh.com]—an online solution that gives everyone access to enjoyable, affordable, and quality test prep—the perfect time to map out the road to college is Thanksgiving break, when you and your child both have excess time. Here are 4 steps to having a successful (and not stressful) talk:

>> STEP 1: SET GOAL SCHOOLS
Start the conversation by asking your child about their dream schools. Always get excited and encourage their choices—they don't need any negativity coming from their own family.

>> STEP 2: LET'S TALK ABOUT TESTS, BABY
Look up the test scores your child needs to get into their dream schools and set a goal score. Then, gently tell them the way to meet their goals is to start studying for the ACT and SAT early instead of trying to go into the test blind.

>> STEP 3: LET YOUR CHILD SET THE TONE
Ask your child what would best help them prepare for the test instead of trying to force resources on them—and then help them choose some low-cost, fun options they can get started with after the break.

>> STEP 4: TALK BEFORE THE TURKEY
Don't try to force a stressful talk on your child right before an exciting holiday—make a detailed college plan at the beginning of the break and use the Thanksgiving feast as a reward for getting it done!

On a mission to make test prep fun and affordable for all, Magoosh offers quality SAT and ACT prep materials for hundreds of dollars less than their competitors. They're offering a Thanksgiving discount for those having "the talk" with their child. Their sale will run from Wednesday, Nov. 22 - Tuesday Nov. 28 with code MAGOOSH20SALE at checkout:

>> https://magoosh.com