Sears brings back layaway plan for holiday shoppers

Sears has dusted off its layaway program—in storage since 1989—and is reintroducing the plan at all of its mainline and hardware stores throughout the U.S. from November 16 through December 23, 2008. The retailer has also announced that as of November 16, it will sell some merchandise at deeply discounted prices rather than wait until the day after Thanksgiving­—a.k.a. Black Friday.

Sears, which has struggled this year, will hold merchandise like tools, lawn and garden equipment, toys, and clothes for consumers at its more than 1,000 U.S. stores. Electronics, appliances, and doorbusters do not qualify for layaway, says the Hoffman Estates, Illinois-based company. Visit the Sears Web site for more details on covered products.

The down payment for layaway items is $15 or 20 percent of the full price, whichever is greater, and you must pay for the merchandise in full by this December 23. You’ll pay a $5 nonrefundable service fee (residents of Maryland will pay a $1 fee), and if you cancel, you’ll get your down payment back less $10.—Kimberly Janeway

Essential reading: Learn more about layaway plans by reading “Back to the Future With Layaway Plans.”

Q&A: Should I buy a lithium-ion-powered cordless drill?

I’m considering finally replacing my trusty corded drill with a new cordless model. Does it pay to spend more for a lithium-ion tool?

We’ve seen more makers of cordless drills and cordless tool kits abandoning nickel-cadmium batteries for lithium-ion, or Li-Ion, cells, which promise lighter weight and/or longer run times. How you plan on using the tool would play a critical role in that decision. If you’re an infrequent, light-duty user, it probably wouldn’t make sense to pay a premium for a Li-Ion-powered drill. If you use the tool frequently for heavy-duty tasks, it might make sense to buy a Li-Ion drill.

But our latest tests, in the November 2008 issue of Consumer Reports, reveal that you might need to follow different charging and use patterns with Li-Ion batteries; otherwise they might not last as long as you’d expect. What’s more, Li-Ion replacement batteries are more expensive than the nickel-cadmium ones and can cost more than $100 apiece.

Read our new review of cordless tools to drill down to the details on lithium-ion tools, use our buying advice to find the right model, and use our tips for better drilling.

Essential information: Watch our exclusive videos on cordless tools, including pieces on how we test drills (right), basic shopping advice, and a tool kit with a problematic saw.

Tip of the Day: How to handle door-to-door vacuum-sales reps

In an era when you can buy just about anything with the click of a mouse, door-to-door sales of vacuums seem a quaint anachronism.

But don't be fooled by that image. Door-to-door vacuum sales are big business, with sales reps from Kirby Company moving about $400 million worth of merchandise last year alone. Kirby sells its vacuums to 600 independent distributors nationwide, whose nearly 10,000 sales representatives do in-home demonstrations.

Cleveland-based Kirby sells one model, updating it about every two years. The Kirby Sentria upright (shown; model information is available to subscribers) excelled at cleaning carpets and bare floors in our latest tests and rates very good overall. Kirby is also among the more reliable brands of upright vacuums in our surveys. The MSRP is $1,350, although the distributor has the final word on price.

Kirby's sales methods don't always have the same solid reputation as its vacuums. A Web search will yield many pages filled with stories from disgruntled people about Kirby and alleged scams.

Kirby must be aware of all the chatter—its customer-service policy states that over the last 10 years the manufacturer has adopted a culture of continuous improvement in customer service. The company also requires distributors to sign a contract agreeing to operate legally and ethically. "We can't control every step of the distributor's business, but we have the ultimate power in whether we do business with them," says Rob Shumay, a Kirby spokesman.

"Kirby is extremely interested in customer service. However, not all of its distributors are cut from the same cloth," says Sandra Prebil, a spokeswoman for the Better Business Bureau in Cleveland. "One, two, or three distributors will be really bad. We know that Kirby has stopped shipment to a bad distributor and the company will make good on an order for a distributor who's disappeared. For Kirby, trying to control so many different people is difficult."

Wanting to evaluate the Kirby experience myself, I arranged for an in-home demo through the Kirby Web site. I also called a local rep I found in my yellow pages. In neither case did I identify myself as a Consumer Reports employee. I didn't go into this process intending to buy a new vacuum; I also had an in-home demo from Rainbow, another vacuum company.

Don't shop by the label alone

Appliances and other items that qualify for the federal government's Energy Star program use less energy than other products in their category. An Energy Star-qualified refrigerator, for example, uses at least 20 percent less energy than the maximum amount allowed under the current federal standards.

But in an interesting twist, Energy Star qualification could lead some people to buy a product that uses more energy than one that doesn't. How's that?

A look at snack foods can help explain this conundrum. In recent years, health experts have warned consumers against ignoring the serving sizes of low-fat snack foods, as noted in a study from Cornell University. It turns out that some folks tend to wolf down more of a food labeled low-fat and end up eating as many as or more calories than they otherwise would have. A similar thing happens when people buy a more power-hungry product just because it carries the Energy Star sticker.

"Energy Star, in some cases, can be somewhat misleading for consumers and can even lead to a perverse incentive for people to purchase larger and more energy-consumptive products," says Jennifer Thorne Amann, director of the buildings program for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that promotes energy efficiency. "By buying on Energy Star alone, some people are actually costing themselves a lot—not only by buying a more expensive product but also by spending much more to operate it."

Consider the 48-inch GE Profile PSB48LSRBV built-in side-by-side and the 327/8-inch GE GTS22ISSRSS top-freezer. The $6,950 side-by-side uses 645 kWh annually and is Energy Star qualified while the $1,179 top-freezer uses about 18 percent less energy but does not qualify for Energy Star because it uses more energy than the most efficient top-freezers with similar capacity.

We're not suggesting that these are apples-to-apples comparisons—consumers who prefer the above side-by-side should buy it, knowing that it is among the most efficient built-in side-by-sides on the market. But you don't want to shop based on Energy Star qualification alone since it does not guarantee absolute energy savings.

You'll also need to use the information on the Federal Trade Commission's EnergyGuide label (shown) for the products you're considering and compare their annual energy use. (Before you shop, refer to your monthly utility bill to see how much you pay for electricity and/or gas. That cost will help you determine the annual operating cost of an appliance or other product.) 

And don't forget to do your research on ConsumerReports.org before you head to the store. Not only will you get valuable buying advice, including ratings and brand repair history, but for many products you'll also find our efficiency ratings, which we believe better reflect how you use the products you buy and how much they'll cost you each year. Armed with this information, you'll make wiser choices all around.—Ed Perratore

Buzzword: Precycle

What it means. Precycling represents the next generation in residential-waste management. It's no longer enough for you to recycle, separating cans and bottles for curbside collection and depositing unwanted electronics at manufacturer's consolidation centers: These days, the truly trash-conscious aim to minimize would-be waste from even entering the home. Hence the rise of the precycler, an environmentally minded relative of the EcoMom.

Why the buzz? Twenty years ago, there was just one curbside-recycling program in the United States, but by 2006, approximately 8,660 programs had sprouted up. The nation now recycles 32.5 percent of its waste, double the rate of 15 years ago, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Despite the gains, Americans generated 251 million tons of municipal solid waste (that's household trash) in 2006—almost 1,700 pounds for every person. In the European Union, the per capita amount is about 500 pounds less.

To slash the amount of waste you create and to reduce pressure on the nation's landfills, learn how to precycle with these simple lifestyle changes:

1. Buy in bulk. Cut down on packaging and use less gas on shopping trips by stocking up at warehouse clubs. Read our head-to-head comparison of Costco and Sam's Club.

2. Focus on concentrated products. This move cuts down on packaging and how much of a product you consume. In our latest test of laundry detergents, for example, many of the concentrated products cleaned just as well as conventional detergents.

3. Opt for recycled packaging. You can't avoid packaging altogether, but look for products that are made from recycled materials. Even some paint containers are fabricated from 100 percent recycled materials.

4. Dispose of disposables. Choose cloth napkins, towels, diapers, and the like to eliminate packaging and keep the resulting waste out of the landfill. And use washable dishware instead of plastic cutlery, cups, and plates. To conserve water, wash items in the dishwasher instead of by hand, and don't prerinse. (Read about the best dishwasher detergents.)

5. Bring your own bags. Forget the paper-vs.-plastic debate. Use your own reusable canvas or cloth bags when you shop.

6. Eliminate junk mail. Opt for paperless billing with your bank, utility companies, and the like. And put an end to all those unwanted catalogs by taking your name off mailing lists at the Direct Marketing Association Web site. Get more details by reading "How to Opt Out of Marketing Lists."

7. Screw in long-lasting bulbs. CFLs and LEDs are more efficient than incandescent lights, meaning fewer bulbs and less packaging.

8. Start a compost bin. This step falls under the "reuse" side of precycling. Tossing organic kitchen scraps and appropriate yard waste onto a compost heap turns them into nutrients for the garden. (Compost your leaves this fall.)

9. Conserve grass clippings. Instead of bagging clippings, use the mulching mode on your lawn mower to deposit them back into the lawn.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: Read our special report on energy savings in the October 2008 issue of Consumer Reports, including a list of 25 simple ways to save.

Read our annual kitchen-remodeling special

Combine expert advice on the best appliances and materials with the real-life remodeling experiences of thousands of homeowners and what do you get? The annual Consumer Reports kitchen guide, part of our August 2008 issue.

Our engineers spent months sizing up refrigerators, running dishwashers, staining countertops, and punishing flooring. Some products impressed, while others fell flat.

Use our kitchen-planning guide to find expert advice on the appliances and materials that will make your project—whether a face-lift or a full-scale remodel—a success and help you stick to your budget. Here's what new for 2008:

Secrets of a successful remodel

Where to get the best deals on appliances

Cabinet upgrades

Countertops buying guide

Flooring review

Cooking appliances review

Dishwashers review

Refrigerators review

More bang for your buck: 4th of July sales at home centers

The 4th of July sales at the country's two largest home centers could inspire a feeling of déjà vu—the deals these retailers are offering through the Independence Day holiday weekend and beyond have a lot in common.

At Home Depot, you'll find 10 percent savings on appliance purchases of $399 or more, and Lowe's is taking 10 percent all appliance purchases over $397. In the paint aisle, Home Depot will knock $5 off every gallon and $20 off 5-gallon pails, while Lowe's is offering mail-in rebates of $5 for gallon purchases and $20 rebates for 5-gallon pails. Home Depot and Lowe's are also offering payment and financing deals.

But price is just one shopping criterion—quality should be key, too. Consider interior paints. In our latest tests of interior finishes, Valspar (Lowe's) paints and Behr (Home Depot) paints were both highly rated in all three sheens we tested (flat, low-luster, and semigloss). Since the Lowe's holiday sale is good only for Olympic paints, which we rated below Behr in all categories, you might want to buy your paints at Home Depot.

The shopping experience and quality of service are two other major factors in deciding where to shop. Neither big-box retailer excels in customer service and support, according to our new survey of 20,000 subscribers about shopping at home centers, independent stores, and online retailers. Lowe's outranked Home Depot for product selection and shopping ease, and the checkout lines move faster at Lowe's. (Who's otherwise pleasant shopping excursion hasn't been ruined by an interminable checkout wait?)

Learn where to buy appliances (from our August 2008 issue) and find out much more about kitchen remodeling.

If your 4th of July break don't include shopping—and we applaud you for that—use our Outdoor Living Guide to make the most of your time off and perhaps even plan a staycation.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: Check out our brand-new Home Improvement Guide interactive, which offers buying advice on appliances, tools, and building materials for every area of your home.

Protect Your Investment: Buy quality paints

We recently reported that the price of exterior paints and stains is up a few dollars per gallon on average from last year. An article on the Web site ICIS, which covers the chemical industry, revealed similar findings. “Skyrocketing fuel costs have led to price hikes for many of the petrochemicals that go into paint, such as vinyl acetate monomer (VAM), which is used in much of the architectural paint produced in the US,” the story read.

But the story also noted that big-box retailers, including Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Wal-Mart, are preventing manufacturers from passing on those added costs to consumers. That’s good news if you’re about to tackle a painting project. In our latest report on interior paints, Behr (sold at Home Depot), Valspar (Lowe’s), and Kilz (Wal-Mart) rank among the top performers and are competitively priced.

The exterior finishes from the big-box stores are also less expensive than many of the other brands. But since some of these paints have been reformulated, we’re retesting them and don’t have final test results.

As we reported in our June 2008 story “Scrimping Doesn't Pay,” the Valspar Ultra Premium Satin ($24 per gallon) and the Valspar Ultra Premium Semi-gloss ($24) exterior paints are less expensive than the California 2010 ($38) and Kelly-Moore Acry-Shield ($32) finishes that we rated just above them. We have completed only one year of testing on Behr Premium Plus and Ultra exterior paints. While they are doing well so far, it’s too early to say how they will last in our long-term testing.

But remember that you should take the long view by choosing quality over price when buying paint. If you hire a contractor, then labor costs will add another reason to choose a longer-lasting finish. A finish that lasts for a decade will cost you less than a cheaper one that fails after five years. So use our advice and refer to our Ratings to find the best paints for your needs.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: Ratings of full reports on interior paints and exterior paints and stains are available to subscribers. And learn how to dispose of leftover paint.

 

Bridal registries for do-it-yourselfers

Love aside, for some folks the best part of getting married is the bridal registry.

The most elaborate of wish lists, a bridal registry allows the couple to dream big. Stunning china and crystal stemware, cutlery with hard-to-pronounce names, and cookware from France that’s the color of the summer sky—these are the material rewards for true love.

When do-it-yourselfers fall in love, their dreams of building a life together might mean a bridal registry at a big-box retailers like Lowe’s or Home Depot. Lovebirds can fill their wish list with chain saws, lawn mowers, hedge trimmers, ladders, and the like and publish it online.

Love is grand. Or make that “grands” for couples whose registry doesn't shy away from including items like washing machines, refrigerators, and other major appliances for the kitchen and laundry.—Kimberly Janeway

Video Report: DirectBuy

Are buying clubs like DirectBuy a good deal? Our new video (right) details the experiences one of our reporters had at sales presentations for the nationwide buying club.

Although some readers commenting on our earlier story on DirectBuy have noted that the club’s prices are competitive, the video includes an interview with one DirectBuy member who found consistently lower prices elsewhere.

If you’d like to share your own experiences at buying clubs with other readers or discuss the pros and cons of these clubs, visit our forum for home shopping.—Gian Trotta

Essential Information: You can save money on cabinets, appliances, and other big-ticket items without committing to a buying club. And, remember, another way to save on appliances is to take advantage of the rebates and tax credits and tax holidays from local utilities and state governments.

Tip of the Day: Shopping advice for gas grills

While many Americans with grills use their outdoor cooker year-round, with Memorial Day about a week away, high grilling season is about to start. If you're ready to buy a new gas grill, use our shopping tips below and buying advice and watch our video (right) before you head to the store. (Find out what grills other people are buying and what grilling topics are hot in our grills forum.)

Size it up. Match the grill's cooking area to the number of people generally around your table. Remember, manufacturers might include warming racks in their measurements of cooking area. Our measurements are based on the main cooking area and how much food it will hold. Next factor in how much space the grill will take up on your patio or deck. Some of the large grills we've tested are 6 feet wide.

Look over the menu. A basic grill is fine for cooking hamburgers, hot dogs, steaks, kabobs, chicken pieces, and vegetables, but if you regularly cook whole chickens, turkeys, or large roasts, look for a model with a rotisserie burner.

Bring a magnet. Many grills are made of a mix of grades of stainless steel. Our tests have found that 300-series stainless is less likely to rust than cheaper, 400-series stainless. Magnets will usually stick to cheaper grades, so bring a magnet with you to test the metal.

Think safety. The more stable the grill, the better. When shopping, gently push the grill from several angles to see if it tips. Check the cart, firebox, lid, and shelves for sharp corners and edges. Grip the handle. Your knuckles or fingers shouldn't be too close to the lid or your hand could get burned during use.

Essential information: Also read our June 2008 gas-grills report and visit our gas-grills product page. Then follow our expert advice to ensure you avoid common grilling mistakes and to keep your grill cooking better, longer as you make our delicious, easy-to-prepare dishes and use chef-restaurateur Bobby Flay’s recipes.

Rebates and tax credits can lower appliance costs

While you might have back-burnered your plans for a kitchen remodel or a new laundry room, you can’t ignore an ailing dishwasher, a struggling refrigerator, or a washed-up clothes washer.

Fixing these appliances could be an option—see our repair-or-replace-it guide (available to subscribers)—but when you decide to replace appliances, consider more-energy-efficient models. This is one way to spend your federal economic-stimulus payment. And, as unlikely as it might seem, you can also turn to your utility company and the state and local government for some financial relief.

As of mid-May, the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, maintained by North Carolina State University’s Solar Center with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, lists 732 utility rebate and loan programs for consumers who buy energy-efficient appliances or other home systems. (The DSIRE's map is shown.) The site also includes details on 35 state rebate and loan programs and 13 personal-income-tax-credit or tax-holiday plans.

You’ll also fund information on rebate and tax-credit programs from utilities, states, and partners at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Partner Activities search; if you don’t see a program listed for your area, look on your utility bill for more information or contact your state taxation office.

These programs can offset the short-term acquisition and long-term operating costs of new appliances. Here’s how to take advantage of these opportunities:

Plug into utility companies’ rebates. Contact the efficiency program at your utility company, which might offer rebates on appliance purchases. Depending on the  offering, you might need to buy either an Energy Star–qualified appliance or one that meets higher efficiency levels, such as a Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) tier. For example, a CEE Tier 1 dishwasher must have an Energy Factor (the number of loads that can be washed per kilowatt-hour) of 0.65 and can't use more than 339 kWh per year, while a Tier 2 model must have an Energy Factor of 0.68 and use no more than 325 kWh annually.

 

In California, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District is offering a $25 rebate on a Tier 1 dishwasher and $75 on a Tier 2 model, provided you’re using an electric water heater in your home. In Oregon, the Columbia River Public Utility District ups the ante to a $100 rebate for a Tier 2 clothes washer that uses water from an electric heater, and $50 for one with water heated by gas, oil, or propane.

Brian Lips, a policy analyst at the North Carolina Solar Center at North Carolina State, notes that even if they don’t offer a rebate, many utilities will offer free pickup of an old refrigerator, saving you the disposal fee. 

Home & Garden blog readers debate DirectBuy

Since mid-September, readers of the Home & Garden blog have been engaged in a heated debate about DirectBuy, specifically this buying club’s sales tactics, membership fees, and product prices.

The folks commenting—some of them DirectBuy members, many people who went to a DirectBuy open house, others who are just interested in the club—have flooded the blog with tales of their own experiences with and opinions of the direct-buying service with the ubiquitous TV and print ads.

Some commenters are fans of DirectBuy and view it favorably. Many have expressed adverse opinions about the club. Still others have taken a measured view and revealed their reasons for not joining or their experiences after paying the membership fee.

If you’re looking for more telling anecdotes about and user-generated analyses of buying clubs like DirectBuy and other retailers as well as general shopping tips, check out our Home Shopping forum.—Gian Trotta

Vintage Consumer Reports: Appliance Woes

Most of you probably find Consumer Reports a pretty serious publication and ConsumerReports.org a fairly staid Web site. Both are certainly great sources of testing-based product reports, compelling investigative features, and expert advice for all aspects of your life. But beyond the entertaining Selling It column, neither the magazine nor the Web site has much of a reputation for humor.

At least that's what I thought. I recently was looking at issues from 1967 and came across the amusing cartoon shown here. We've reported on how appliance makers are shortening their warranties, and everyone's heard of planned obsolescence being a business model of some manufacturers. But I never imagined that these were concerns more than four decades ago. Call me naive, but I believed that companies were somehow more consumer friendly back then. As this cartoon from our March 1967 issue illustrates, that wasn't the case. (Click on the cartoon to enlarge it.)

Obviously appliance longevity and extended warranties remain issues today, and Consumer Reports regularly covers those topics. If you're looking for information on whether you should fix or nix an appliance, read "Repair or Replace It?" (available to subscribers). The article  includes  repair-or-replace timelines for many products, including appliances.

And before you buy an extended warranty for a refrigerator, washing machine, dishwasher, or other appliance, read "Why you don't need an extended warranty," which includes repair rates for a number of 3- to 4-year-old products.—Steven H. Saltzman

Essential information: As I mentioned in this recent post, I'm going to tap into our archives to bring you interesting articles and photographs from over the past 70-plus years. Click on my name above to let me know what interests you.

Product certifications are meant to enlighten, not confuse

Ever wonder what the symbols, seals, or sets of letters like "UL" or "CSA" on the back of your smoke detector, microwave oven, hair dryer, or air conditioner mean? Known as certification marks, these logos and acronyms indicate that a consumer product has been tested by this third-party laboratory and that it is certified to meet nationally recognized standards for that type of product. Certification laboratories, like Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL, shown)) and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), must prove that they have the technology and ability to test a product to the applicable standards.

Read "Product Certifications: On the Mark" and refer to the chart on that page to learn more about the certifying organizations and the certification marks for common household goods.

                                                                                                                                             

Shopping for a mattress remains business as usual

Many ads for innerspring mattresses are appropriately dreamy. Attractive people are shown sleeping or lounging in their beds—and, of course, smiling. The advertising come-ons tell shoppers to “Have a good night’s sleep on us” or promise that when it comes to mattress shopping, “It’s all about You!”

So buying a mattress should be a pleasant experience, right? (Watch our video report, right.)

But it isn’t, say many of our readers, who find buying a mattress frustrating and tell us that they are not sure they’re getting a fair deal. A big contributing factor to these problems, as we noted in “Why Consumer Reports Doesn't Rate Specific Models of Mattresses,” is that the model names of the top mattress brands differ from one store to the next, so there’s no way to truly compare models. What’s more, even for mattresses that retailers claim are similar, significant differences exist in quilting, padding, and springs, according to our experts.

We thought some of the nightmares would end when the spokesman for a major U.S. mattress manufacturer—let’s call it Brand S—told us in January that his company was going to revolutionize mattress shopping. “We recognize that there’s confusion. We’re changing that. Retailers now require that they be able to name their own mattress,” said the spokesman of the change, which was slated to go into effect this spring.

The manufacturer was planning to introduce the same branding from store to store: A queen-size Brand S ExtraDreamy firm mattress you’d test out at store A would be exactly the same (except, perhaps, for price) at store B and store C. “When consumers walk into the store, they’ll see a [Brand S] mattress at one retailer and the same at another—it will have the same [Brand S] branding,” promised the spokesman.

The manufacturer would recommend that all its retailers use the Brand S mattress name on their store signs but, according to the spokesman, retailers could still call the mattresses whatever they wanted on in-store signage.

This move could shake up the industry, so we called several major mattress retailers for comment. Two didn’t call back after repeated tries, and the spokesman for a third wouldn’t allow his comments to be published.

But our phone did ring just a day later. It was the spokesman who’d informed us of his company’s radical plan. “[The company] is trying to change this, but if a retailer says they won’t take the mattress—they don’t want it—then that’s their decision,” he said. The manufacturer wouldn’t be changing its branding policy.

We asked him what the company’s decision would mean for mattress shoppers. “For the consumer, nothing has changed,” he explained.

That’s unfortunate. But we’re working on ways to help you shop for mattresses, so stay tuned. In the meantime, read “How to Buy a Mattress Without Losing Sleep” (available to Consumer Reports subscribers) for expert advice on selecting the mattress that’s right for you and analyzing prices.—Kimberly Janeway

Buzzword: Neuroeconomics

What does it mean? Neuroeconomics is “the study of how the brain makes decisions, specifically decisions related to resource allocation,” explains Brian Knutson, assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Stanford University. Knutson and his peers rely on brain-imaging technology to measure people’s thoughts and emotions during the economic decision-making process. (Read more about their work in “Neural Predictors of Purchases,” published in the journal Neuron.)

While the science neuroeconomics is relatively new, researchers have already come up with some intriguing insights into why we buy the things we buy. A study by researchers from the California Institute of Technology and Stanford University, for example, used wine to demonstrate how marketing and pricing can influence product perceptions. The study concluded that volunteers not only liked the taste of what they believed to be the more-expensive wines but some of them also reported that those pricier bottles made them happier. (The study paper, "Marketing Actions Can Modulate Neural Representations of Experienced Pleasantness," appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.)

Why the buzz? The Consumer Reports laboratories aren’t equipped with brain scanners. Still, by extension, neuroeconomics does factor into our work. Consider kitchen ranges. In recent years, pro-style ranges have turned into status symbols for the home, veritable must-haves in luxury kitchens. Yet as our tests indicate, these expensive appliances, like the one shown, don’t necessarily outperform mainstream ranges even though they cost at least twice as much.

Why then would someone buy a pro-style range? If neuroeconomists are right, it could be that range owners don’t notice the deficiencies of their appliance. Having paid top dollar, they believe their range is broiling steaks and simmering sauces to perfection. (A second—dare I say more cynical—explanation is that the range is there only to add value to the house or to impress the neighbors, so consumers accept any shortcomings.)

As compelling a field as neuroeconomics is, we’ll keep preaching the value of research-based buying decisions, especially when it comes to major appliances. You won’t need a brain scan to measure your frustration when your range goes on the fritz a week before the start of the holidays.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: Read more about neuroeconomics in “Mind Games,” by John Cassidy, in The New Yorker.

Why Consumer Reports doesn't rate specific models of mattresses

Among people who bought a mattress in the last two years, one-third can't recall the brand they purchased, according to Synovate, a market-research company.

That weak brand identity might be a result of the confusing nature of mattress shopping. Unlike refrigerators, cars, or other big-ticket items with specific models that you can easily compare at different stores and dealers, mattress are sold in a way that might give you nightmares.

The model names from the top mattress brands such as Sealy, Serta, Simmons, and others change from store to store, so there's no way to truly compare models. What's more, our research has revealed that even for mattresses that retailers claim are similar, significant differences exist in important characteristics, including quilting, padding, and springs, all of which affect comfort and firmness.

Given this lack of consistency—Brand A's ultra-premium firm queen-size mattress sold at one national retail chain will have a model name and composition that are different from Brand A's ultra-premium firm queen-size mattress sold at another retailer—it's impossible for us to be able to make an apple-to-apples comparison that will be useful to you. And that's why we don't publish Ratings of specific models of mattresses, as we do for the hundreds of products we test each year.

Despite that, we have a lot of useful information about mattresses. Read "How to Buy a Mattress Without Losing Sleep" for expert advice on choosing the right mattress, analyzing prices, understanding how mattresses are made, and for tips on getting the ever-elusive good night's sleep. Be on the lookout for more in-depth coverage of mattresses in the next year.

"It's difficult to compare mattresses unless you cut them open," says Eugene Schayer, who worked in the mattress industry for 46 years, including stints in the marketing department of two major mattress makers. "The retailers demand exclusivity of the cover and label. They don't want their product shopped." Even the Better Sleep Council, which is paid for by the mattress industry, says that buying a bed can be confusing because "it's not easy to see what's inside."

Our testers do delve inside to analyze mattresses. For one mattress report, we dissected mattresses to compare the construction, including in-depth analysis of padding, quilting, and springs of mattresses that retailers told us were similar. We found that when retailers claimed they were selling mattresses similar to those found in other stores, the mattresses often differed. We've also found in past mattress studies that except for the cheapest models, all mattresses are likely to be sturdy.

In our most recent study, we looked at alternatives to conventional innerspring mattress from Duxiana, Select Comfort, and Tempur-Pedic. Couples slept at home on the three different mattresses for a month at a time, while about five dozen panelists tried them out in our lab as they would when shopping.

Based on the findings of our panel tests, we concluded there's no best mattress for everyone—sleep comfort is very personal. So take time to find the mattress that's the most comfortable to you.—Kimberly Janeway

Essential information: Learn how to shop for a new bed and make your mattress last.

Who needs an animatronic singing fish anyway?

Black Friday, the annual credit-card-swiping, debt-inducing, shopping-frenzy-filled kickoff to the holiday season is only five weeks away.

That means the moment has come to start assembling the list of gifts you’ll give, especially if you need extra time to seek out unique presents that inspire family, friends, and coworkers to declare, “That [fill in your name]! She [or he] always gets me the coolest stuff.”

If you’re indeed that type of person, you might have found yourself thinking, “If only someone would invent a home appliance that’s both useful and unusual, like a toaster powered by a USB input.” Or perhaps you’ve always dreamed of signing up the aspiring Gordon Ramsay in your life for membership in the Salt of the Month Club. Or maybe your cousin in rainy Seattle would welcome a Make Your Own Umbrella Kit.

Now you’re in luck . . . sort of. The cads over at The Onion, the satirical newspaper and Web site, sell GotchaBox USB toasters (shown), salt-of-the-month club memberships, and DIY umbrella kits. Great ideas for the person who’s got everything, right?

Not exactly. Each gift is a gag, an empty 12x9x4-inch box that features bogus—but believable—product graphics. You put real gifts on the inside and hope to tweak the unwitting recipients when they unwrap the presents. A single box costs $7.99, and a set of all three phony gifts runs $17.99.

Come to think of it, maybe that toaster is a good idea for anyone chained to a desk in cubicle world. We’ll have to ask our Tech department to see if the typical computer can power a toaster.—Helen A.S. Popkin

Essential information: Read our buying advice for real-deal toasters, blenders, mixers, and coffeemakers to find countertop appliances that might fit inside the GotchaBoxes. 

With DirectBuy, it will cost you a lot to save

Your town or city might have been blanketed recently with newspaper ads and TV commercials for DirectBuy. The nationwide buying club, with headquarters in Merrillville, Indiana, promises members access to 700 brand-name manufacturers of home goods and the opportunity to buy merchandise with no “hidden store markups and middlemen costs.” Ads invite you to an open house, where you’ll see “confidential” wholesale prices. “We can’t show you the brand names and we certainly can’t show you the prices,” read one ad. What it also doesn’t show you is DirectBuy’s steep membership cost.

The Real Deal
To evaluate the pitch, we went undercover at two DirectBuy franchises in New York. Both gave us the same hard sell and offers of up to 70 percent off retail prices if we were to join. Only after an hour and a half of sales pitches and video testimonials from members did we learn the membership fee: $4,900 to $4,990 (plus tax) for three years and then $190 a year for seven more. Financing is available at 17.75 percent.

After the fee disclosure, we discovered that we had to sign up on the spot or never come back. We couldn’t bring DirectBuy’s “confidential” prices elsewhere to comparison shop, the representatives said, because this would likely anger retailers who might then retaliate against the manufacturers by refusing to sell their merchandise.

The fine print in the DirectBuy contract says you cannot return items, cancel orders, or terminate your membership. When we asked if, after plunking down $5,000, we could cancel and get a refund, a salesperson said, “You’ll have to check state law.” A review of New York state law revealed that the three-day cooling-off period for canceling contracts wouldn’t apply in this case.

Tacked onto the cost of merchandise—which you select from catalogs since DirectBuy has limited showrooms—are a 6 percent handling fee, shipping fees, and tax. Goods are typically shipped only to your local center, so you might pay additional fees to actually get your new stuff home.

Just how good are the prices? We compared them against those of other retailers. Prices for electronics and appliances were often only slightly better than those at online retailers and in some instances higher. For example, a 46-inch JVC flat-screen TV selling for $2,586 on DirectBuy’s site cost $2,095 elsewhere. We did find deep discounts on flooring and high-end furniture. In fact, one member we interviewed estimated that she saved about $50,000 over several years on furniture and a kitchen remodel using DirectBuy. Yet the club did poorly on some basics. We found a Kohler bath faucet for $300 less on a kitchen-and-bath Web site.

Some DirectBuy members complained to us about poor customer service and long waits for merchandise. But since DirectBuy outlets are franchises, service varies by location. Most outlets have a good record with the Better Business Bureau, though some have a poor one or have been suspended from the BBB.

The Bottom Line
The lack of price transparency makes it hard to evaluate whether you’ll save by joining DirectBuy. But even if you were to save 25 percent on purchases after joining, you’d need to spend more than $20,000 just to recoup your membership fee. DirectBuy might save you money if you’re furnishing a house from scratch or doing a major renovation. But since you can’t shop around beforehand, you’ll be joining blind.—Chris Fichera

This article first appeared in the September 2007 issue of Consumer Reports Money Adviser.

Money-saving garden deals

Late summer and early fall are good times to reap substantial savings for your yard if you know what and where to buy. Nurseries start putting perennials on sale. In many areas, bargains on trees abound as growers make way for new arrivals. Follow our expert advice to get the biggest bloom for your buck.

Annuals and Perennials

• Go dormant with roses. Rosebushes are cut-rate in many parts of the country because it’s too late to plant them this season. But you can buy them now to enjoy next year if you store them properly. Put them in your basement or garage, and water them just once a month so they’ll go dormant. They’ll be ready to plant in the spring, says Alissa Shanley, a landscape designer with B.Gardening, in Denver.

• Pot tropicals. Bougainvillea, passionflower, and many other delicate tropicals won’t last outdoors much longer in most climates. Buy them now while they’re discounted, and put them in pots to spiff up your home this fall and winter, suggests Shanley. Care for them as you would any houseplant. Come spring, put the pots outside to fill in garden bare spots.

• Don’t be a neat freak. A common practice is to pinch back, or deadhead, spent annuals once they’ve flowered and faded. Don’t do it. Rather, let these supposedly one-shot blooms such as petunias, pansies, and violas go to seed. The seeds will scatter and may take hold, producing a second round of blossoms in early fall.

Bulbs

• Buy the best. If you want to get lots of big blooms year after year, it’s worth investing in quality bulbs. (Remember, fall is the time to plant spring-flowering bulbs.) They should be plump, not overly dry, and with no soft spots. The bulbs you find in open bins at home and garden centers are often substandard, says Lance Walheim, a garden expert with Bayer Advanced, which makes home and garden pest-control products. Better to order from a bulb specialist such as Van Bourgondien (800-622-9997) or Breck’s (513-354-1511). Van Bourgondien offers Web-only specials, as well as $5 and $10 deals. Breck’s accepts reservations for popular bulbs and offers a lifetime guarantee: If you are unhappy with anything you order, even after you have planted it and it has bloomed, the company will send you a replacement or a full refund.
  

• Multiply and divide. Choose bulbs that “self-naturalize” (divide underground), such as daffodils, freesias, grape hyacinths, and snowdrops. You’ll get more plants each year without buying new bulbs. And if your friends and neighbors are avid gardeners, see if they’ll be digging up bulbs to separate and replant. They might have extras to trade or give away.

Landscape Trees

• Plant a tree. Although prime tree-planting season is yet to come, some nurseries begin discounting trees by as much as 50 to 75 percent in the fall, says Charlie Nardozzi, a senior horticulturist with the NGA. The key is to avoid plants that are “root bound,” says Walheim. How to tell? Knock the plant out of its container. If all you see are white roots and hardly any dirt, the tree is root bound and probably stressed by being in its container too long. It may not survive the winter. Also, don’t waste money on tightly staked trees, which aren’t likely to last, either. A too-restrictive stake inhibits tree growth and weakens the trunk. And stay away from trees with foliage that’s brown at the edges. That can mean the plant has been allowed to dry out and might not be healthy, according to Walheim.

• Be part of the club. Join the National Arbor Day Foundation for a mere $10,and you’ll get 10 free 6- to 12-inch starter trees, postage paid. The foundation will make sure the trees are suitable for your climate and will ship them at the appropriate time for fall or spring planting. For detailed information, go to the foundation's Web site.

Go Wholesale

• Look in your phone book under “Plants, Wholesale.” Some outlets catering to landscapers also sell to the public at near-trade prices. Signage might not be detailed and you might not get much personal assistance, but you will probably save a bundle.

Essential information: Make fall cleanup less of a chore with the expert advice in our end-of-season guide, which also includes tips for maintaining your lawn gear. And read our latest report on power blowers for advice on finding the right model for your yard.

This article first appeared in the August 2006 issue of Consumer Reports Money Adviser.

Midnight savings at Sears

Far be it from me to suggest that you should spend your free hours shopping, but if you are a real night owl, suffer from insomnia, or will otherwise find yourself out after midnight tonight, you might want to head over to your local Sears.

From 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. on July 7 (that's Friday night into Saturday morning), the retailer is holding a 10 percent off sale on many appliances. As you might imagine, there are loads of restrictions on what items are part of the sale, so click here for details.

Before you rush out to buy any appliances for your kitchen, be sure to read our 30-page special kitchen section from the August 2007 issue of Consumer Reports, Great Kitchens for Less. We cover 10 kitchen products that don't match the hype surrounding them and also include expert advice on paying for your project and tell you where to get the best deals on appliances. (Sears does well for both small and large appliances.)

And when you need information on appliances, design, materials, project oversight, and many other topics related to a kitchen remodel, use our Kitchen-Planning Guide. The advice will save you a lot more than 10 percent and help make your dream kitchen a reality.—Steven H. Saltzman