Who knows what to believe right now?According to the Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, “Consumer confidence, which had posted three consecutive monthly gains and appeared to be gaining some traction, retreated sharply in June.”Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center states, “Increasing uncertainty and apprehension about the future state of the economy and labor market, no doubt a result of the recent slowdown in job growth, are the primary reasons for the sharp reversal in confidence.

Back in the last century of the last millennium, there were these Iran-Contra hearings to determine if it was true that Lieutenant-Colonel Oliver North actually participated in the sale of arms to Iran.It was a big political scandal that prompted lots of politicians and news hounds to point accusatory fingers at a lot of people.

Yesterday my father-in-law was sharing a story about how he purchased a new patio set on Sears.com at a much lower cost than if he had purchased it from the brick-and-mortar Sears.   The gazebo was $599 at the store and only $319 online.  The table and chairs were $799 at the store and $599 online.  That is a total savings of almost $500!  And to top that off, by purchasing the patio set online using his Sears credit card, it was interest free for one year!

According to a new survey from the Direct Marketing Association: "Marketers are managing their expectations when it comes to paid search.

You know it is summer when you see fruit shaped Kleenex boxes!  Really… it’s the new sign of summer.      Just this week I was in Target and saw an end cap display of Kleenex’s “Perfect Slice of Summer” tissue boxes.  At first I thought the idea was a bit strange.  What would guests think if they were in our bathroom and saw a watermelon, lime or orange shaped cardboard box on the counter?  Aren’t tissue boxes something we try to hide rather than draw attention to?