If you’re looking for a new car--maybe for a teen driver heading off to college--this weekend may be a good time to buy. It marks the end of the month, which means that dealerships may be more willing to negotiate to meet their monthly quota, plus there are a number of rebates and incentives available to entice car shoppers.
The models highlighted in the chart have Bottom Line Prices well below the manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP), when factoring all customer and dealership incentives. There may be additional regional or local offers, as well as bonus incentives for military personnel or recent college graduates. The Bottom Line Price, the actual dealer cost in acquiring the car from the manufacturer, gives you a strong starting point for your negotiations. Remember: Always negotiate up from the Bottom Line Price figure, rather than haggling down from the MSRP or other advertised offers.
Below, we highlight the models that have a savings of 15-20 percent below the original MSRP. These are just a few of our Best New Car Deals--notable discounts on models recommended by Consumer Reports. These vehicles scored well in our testing, have average or better predicted reliability, and performed well in government or insurance-industry safety tests, if evaluated.
| Make & model | Expires | MSRP | Invoice price | Customer rebate | Dealer incentive | Bottom line price | Potential savings below MSRP |
| 2011 Cadillac DTS Luxury Collection | 9/6/2011 | 52,845 | 49,989 | Yes | No | Get the Bottom Line Price | 20%+ |
| 2011 Chevrolet Avalanche 4WD LT | 9/6/2011 | 43,405 | 40,433 | Yes | No | Get the Bottom Line Price | 15%+ |
| 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible | 9/6/2011 | 54,995 | 50,131 | No | Yes | Get the Bottom Line Price | 15%+ |
| 2011 Chevrolet Malibu 1LT | 9/6/2011 | 23,735 | 22,586 | Yes | Yes | Get the Bottom Line Price | 20%+ |
| 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT 4WD Crew Cab | 9/6/2011 | 35,995 | 33,545 | Yes | No | Get the Bottom Line Price | 20%+ |
| 2011 Chevrolet Suburban 4WD 1500 LTZ | 9/6/2011 | 57,530 | 53,869 | Yes | No | Get the Bottom Line Price | 15%+ |
| 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT 4WD Crew Cab | 8/1/2011 | 36,360 | 33,841 | Yes | No | Get the Bottom Line Price | 15%+ |
| 2011 Ford F-150 XLT 4WD SuperCrew | 8/1/2011 | 37,575 | 34,169 | Yes | No | Get the Bottom Line Price | 15%+ |
| 2011 Ford Mustang GT Premium Coupe | 8/1/2011 | 33,695 | 31,115 | Yes | No | Get the Bottom Line Price | 15%+ |
| 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 4WD SLT SWB Crew Cab | 9/6/2011 | 43,655 | 40,669 | Yes | No | Get the Bottom Line Price | 20%+ |
| 2011 GMC Yukon XL 4WD SLT | 9/6/2011 | 50,365 | 46,906 | Yes | No | Get the Bottom Line Price | 15%+ |
| 2011 Nissan Frontier 4.0 SV Crew Cab 4WD SWB | 8/1/2011 | 27,780 | 26,084 | Yes | No | Get the Bottom Line Price | 15%+ |
| 2011 Toyota Avalon | 8/1/2011 | 33,955 | 30,636 | Yes | Yes | Get the Bottom Line Price | 15%+ |
| 2011 Toyota Camry 2.5 LE | 8/1/2011 | 22,410 | 20,570 | Yes | Yes | Get the Bottom Line Price | 20%+ |
| 2011 Toyota Corolla Base | 8/1/2011 | 16,660 | 15,787 | Yes | Yes | Get the Bottom Line Price | 10%+ |
| 2011 Toyota Highlander Limited 4WD V6 | 8/1/2011 | 31,505 | 28,835 | Yes | Yes | Get the Bottom Line Price | 15%+ |
| 2011 Toyota Tundra 5.7 Auto 4WD FFV Crew Max | 8/1/2011 | 35,015 | 32,462 | Yes | Yes | Get the Bottom Line Price | 20%+ |
| 2011 Toyota Venza AWD V6 | 8/1/2011 | 31,210 | 28,474 | Yes | Yes | Get the Bottom Line Price | 15%+ |
Full pricing is available to online subscribers through the model overview pages. Our recently improved New Car Price Service can provide detailed information by zip code, showing what the average local transaction price is for a given model and trim, while also revealing the calculated lowest amount a dealership likely will accept.
Consumer Reports also has a "Build & Buy" service that lets you configure a new vehicle online and receive guaranteed, competitive price quotes from up to three dealers in your area who have agreed to meet strict guidelines of conduct. Available to Consumer Reports New Car Price Report purchasers, as well as ConsumerReports.org subscribers, the service is completely free and you are under no obligation to buy.
As Mary Williams of Bassfield checked sizes on polo shirts for her son Rhoderick, she clutched a JCPenney sales circular that touted a coupon for $10 off a $25 purchase.
Taking a break to examine the shirts she's picked so far, she said the state's sales tax holiday is one she uses to get the best deals.
"It's a good buy. They have shirts that are $7.99, and if I spend $25 I can get an extra $10 off," she said.
Other shoppers flocked to stores in the Pine Belt on Friday during the state's third annual sales tax holiday in search of bargains in addition to an automatic 7 percent saving.
The popular back-to-school event waives the sales tax on specific items.
The items exempt from sales tax include clothing and footwear items that are meant to be worn next to the body and cost less than $100 per item.
Accessories such as jewelry, handbags, wallets, watches, backpacks and similar items do not qualify. Cleats and items worn in conjunction with an athletic or recreational activity or other sample items are not eligible. School supplies and computers also are not tax-exempt.
"Every year, this is my plan to take more advantage of the tax-free holiday," she said. "Every little bit helps."
Sabrina Ratliff of Tylertown took advantage of sales while shopping for her three children.
"I've done some shopping already but there are good sales and I also found good deals at Old Navy," she said.
Most stores are offering big sales like Aeropostale's 50 percent off everything in the store or like JCPenney with sales prices dotted throughout the store.
Bryan LeBlanc, Turtle Creek Mall manager, said he expects heavy foot traffic Saturday and said mall hours were extended Friday and today.
"We're open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. today," he said.
Roy Viator, store manager at JC Penney at Turtle Creek Mall, said the store will open at 8 a.m.
"It will be a busy two days, especially with some schools starting back next week," he said. "This is our biggest weekend for back-to-school shopping.
"And whatever you can't find in the store, parents can order it for the sale price and have it shipped," he said.
Don Jenkins, manager at Da Remix on Broadway Drive, said the store saw an influx of shoppers during last year's sales tax holiday and he expects the same this year.
"We offer our five tops and five bottom deal for our Authentic school uniform brand for $59.99 and the same deal for Dickies but for $79.99," he said. "We are expecting a lot of people to come in."
A Friday afternoon rain dampened spirits slightly but Jennifer Schreck, owner of Polly Esther's Closet vintage clothing store said the 7 percent off served as an incentive for shoppers.
This is the store's first sales tax holiday since opening its U.S. 49 location.
"We haven't had anyone not buy something. That gave them some incentive," she said. "It's exciting."
With a new GoldenEye game on the way for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, GameStop has decided to drop the price of the Wii remake all the way to $9.99. While you're at it, you can also pick up another James Bond game, Blood Stone, for the same price.
GameStop has some other unusually strong (for them) deals, including the wireless Rock Band 3 keyboard for $59.99 and DJ Hero wireless turntables for $9.99. With how cheap DJ Hero and its sequel have been recently, that's a nice, cheap way to get the DJ Hero multiplayer experience for a very small fraction of what it would have cost a year ago.
Direct2Drive has some very fun PC games for $4.95, including Just Cause 2, which is an absolute blast (and is a very difficult game to pick a single screenshot for). For that same price, you can also get The Witcher, STALKER, or Magicka.
Like last week with Altitude, Steam is letting people play Dino D-Day for free this weekend. If you end up liking it, you can get the full game for half price, $4.99.
Read on for the rest of this week's deals. Be sure to let us know what we missed in the comments.
Amazon
- Buy a 3DS game, get a select 3DS game free
- R.U.S.E. (360) -- $15.99 (from $29.99)
- Sonic Colors -- $19.52 (from $29.99)
Direct2Drive
- STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl -- $4.95 (from $19.95)
- The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director's Cut -- $4.95 (from $19.95)
- Just Cause 2 -- $4.95 (from $19.95)
- Mount & Blade: With Fire and Sword -- $7.50 (from $14.95)
- Magicka -- $4.95 (from $9.95)
- Alpha Protocol -- $4.95 (from $19.95)
- STALKER: Clear Sky -- $4.95 (from $19.95)
- Just Cause -- $3.75 (from $14.95)
GamersGate
- Victoria 2 -- $14.98 (from $29.95)
- Mount & Blade -- $9.98 (from $19.95)
- Mount & Blade: With Fire and Sword -- $7.48 (from $14.95)
- Mount & Blade Warband -- $14.98 (from $28.96)
- Magicka -- $4.99 (from $9.99)
- Magicka: Vietnam -- $2.47 (from $4.95)
- Magicka - four pack -- $14.98 (from $29.97)
GameStop
- GoldenEye 007 (Wii) -- $9.99 (from $39.99)
- James Bond: Blood Stone -- $9.99 (from $39.99)
- DJ Hero wireless turntable -- $9.99
- Tony Hawk Shred -- $9.99
- Tony Hawk Shred bundle -- $19.99 (from $24.99)
- Tony Hawk Ride -- $19.99
- StarCraft II -- $49.99 (from $59.99)
- Rock Band 3 wireless keyboard -- $59.99 (from $79.99)
- Dungeon Siege III (360/PS3) -- $39.99 (from $59.99)
- Dungeon Siege III (PC) -- $29.99 (from $49.99)
Good Old Games
- TopWare games 50% off
Impulse
- Bulletstorm -- $14.99 (from $29.99)
- Blood Bowl -- $4.99 (from $19.99)
- Trapped Dead -- $9.99 (from $19.99)
- Greed - Black Border -- $6.24 (from $24.99)
- Mount & Blade -- $9.99 (from $19.99)
- Mount & Blade Warband -- $14.99 (from $29.99)
- Mound & Blade: With Fire and Sword -- $7.49 (from $14.99)
- King Arthur -- $9.99 (from $19.99)
- King Arthur Collection -- $14.99 (from $29.99)
- Magicka -- $4.99 (from $9.99)
- Magicka Vietnam -- $2.49 (from $4.99)
- Victoria Complete -- $9.99 (from $19.99)
- Victoria II -- $14.99 (from $29.99)
- THQ Ultimate Bundle -- $99.99 (from $294.83)
Steam
- Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines -- $4.99 (from $19.99)
- Capsized -- $3.39 (from $9.99)
- Dino D-Day -- $4.99 (from $9.99)
- DCS A-10C Warthog -- $40.00 (from $59.99)
- Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising -- $14.99 (from $29.99)
- Digital Combat Simulator: Black Shark -- $26.66 (from $39.99)
- The Kings' Crusade -- $9.99 (from $19.99)
South Carolina's truly strange back-to-school sales tax holiday weekend begins Friday and runs through next Sunday, offering a tax exemption on all sorts of things that have nothing to do with school.
As with many tax breaks, the best opportunities to save money have less to do with the stated purpose of the law (saving on school supplies) and more to do with what the regulations actually say. The state gives up nearly $3 million in annual revenue on this tax holiday, so you may as well get your share.
It's nice to get a tax break on pencils and bookbags, but they aren't expensive to begin with, and they go on sale frequently. Besides, many public schools require supplies to be turned in prior to the tax holiday weekend.
I've already bought my son's required school supplies and turned them in to his school. Had they been tax-free, I would have saved less than $10.
The real tax holiday deals will be found on big-ticket items that rarely go on sale.
Dreamstime
Bridal dresses and tuxedos are tax-free when you buy, but rentals are not included.
For example, brides-to-be would be well-advised to buy their wedding dresses this coming weekend. Those things are expensive and sales are rare, but wedding dresses are tax-exempt Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
With state and local sales taxes adding up to as much as 8.5 percent, that's a savings of up to $85 on a $1,000 dress. Someone buying a high-end designer dress could save hundreds of dollars. There's also a tax break if you buy a tuxedo, but not if you rent one.
And this is why the back-to-school tax holiday is truly strange. The list of things that are tax-exempt, and those that are not, defies explanation.
Batting gloves are tax-free, but baseball gloves are not.
Computers are tax-free, but accessories, including keyboards and monitors, are not, unless they are part of a computer package deal, in which case they are.
Alarm clocks and watches, which I found handy while in school, are taxed, but adult diapers are not.
Paper towels, which are on most school lists of required supplies, are taxed.
Bicycle helmets don't escape taxation, but ice skates are tax-free.
Purses are tax-free but wallets are taxed. The list goes on and on.
Here are some of the categories that offer the best opportunities for savings:
Clothing and shoes: Stores routinely offer deep discounts on clothing, but if you've already found good prices, the sales tax holiday is icing on the cake. Purchases of clothing, accessories and footwear are all tax-free. Rentals are still taxed, as are items previously put on layaway.
File
The S.C. Department of Revenue says tablets will be treated like computers during the Aug. 5-7 tax holiday weekend, which means they'll be tax-free.
Computers, printers, printer supplies and software: Particularly if you're buying a rarely discounted brand such as Apple, the sales tax break can make a real difference on a computer purchase. It will be about $100 off a new iMac. Printer ink and software are also an opportunity for savings.
Bed and bath: Like clothing, bedding and towels are frequently and heavily discounted, but if you've already found a deal, the sales tax break can make it sweeter. The question will be whether retailers offer sale prices during the tax holiday weekend that are as good as their prices on other weekends.
Expensive specialty purchases: Because of the expansive definition of clothing and footwear, the tax-free back-to-school list includes wetsuits and drysuits, ski boots and ski suits, furs and lingerie. Even purchases of costumes and historic clothing are tax-free (attention re-enactors!).
Musical instruments: If they're used for school assignments, they're tax-free.
In each case, the tax-free items must be purchased for personal use, so you can't go buy a year's worth of tax-free printer cartridges for your business.
The bottom line: The sales tax break alone doesn't amount to a big discount, but if it comes on top of good sale prices, or can be used for expensive items that are rarely discounted, it's a good opportunity for extra savings.
With this year's email click and open rates outperforming 2010's numbers by 23% and 11%, respectively, marketers should prepare for a stronger holiday season than last year, said Chad White, research director at email service provider Responsys. Brands should begin to plan their holiday email campaigns now, given those expectations, he said.
“The smart marketers, frankly, have already started planning for the holidays,” White said.
Planning should involve pre-holiday messaging to streamline end-of-the-year campaigns, such as asking subscribers to update their email preferences and sending surveys to gauge interest in segmented holiday efforts, White said. Marketers can also use pre-holiday emails to sign consumers up for holiday print catalogs, he added.
“Because of print prices and postage being what they are, it's a more tactical advantage in terms of cost savings,” he said.
August and September are the key months for email marketers to conduct their pre-holiday preparations and clean up email programs, because consumers may not unsubscribe in November after being inundated with a higher volume of marketing emails, White said.
“You get into ‘last straw' territory in November,” he said, noting that the consumer would likely have considered unsubscribing prior to a holiday campaign.
The average retailer began its holiday email campaign on October 17 of last year, according to Responsys' “Retail Guide to the Holiday Season 2011” report. The average start date was October 19 in 2009 and October 28 two years prior.
“Retailers are trying to move forward, trying to be first,” said White. “Last year, we saw that Black Friday deals and offers were made available much earlier in November than in past years.”
The volume of emails sent between November 1 and the Friday after Thanksgiving that mentioned “Black Friday” increased 68% year-over-year, according to the report.
The study was based on the responses of 104 top retailers.
Mark Murphy, chief executive of the NFL’s only publicly traded franchise, said today in a conference call that investment gains accounted for most of the increase from last year’s $5.2 million, though the championship run increased apparel sales and visits to the Wisconsin team’s Lambeau Field and Hall of Fame.
The NFL’s four-month lockout, which ended yesterday, offset some of the gains from the Super Bowl, which were limited because the team played its postseason games on the road, Murphy said.
“We think that winning the Super Bowl has had a bigger impact on us in a positive way than the lockout has,” he told reporters. “We saw a pretty big jump in our atrium business, particularly our pro shop, where we saw significant increases in apparel sales.”
The Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 in the NFL’s title game, attracting the largest television audience in U.S. history, about five weeks before the league locked out players.
Operating revenue rose to $282.6 million from $258 million, with local revenue increasing to $119.3 million from $100.4 million and national revenue rising to $163.3 million from $157.6 million. Television money rose to $96.5 million from $95.8 million.
The Packers’ operating expenses rose to $270.5 million from $248.2 million. Murphy said player costs fell about $2 million, mostly because the lockout eliminated at least one month in which the team would have signed players.
Local Sponsorships
The lockout’s biggest impact was on local sponsorships, Murphy said.
“We haven’t taken a big hit, but we lost some sponsors simply because they couldn’t make the commitment to activate special programs or sponsorships not knowing whether or not we’d have a full season,” Murphy said.
Green Bay Packers Inc. has been a publicly owned non-profit corporation since August 1932, according to the team’s website. More than 110,000 people own about 4.8 million shares, without receiving a dividend. Shares cannot be resold, except back to the team for a fraction of the original price.
The newest fund run by the downtown-based Apple REIT Companies has barely skipped a beat since the company was recently dragged into the national spotlight.
In fact, Apple REIT Ten continued a two-month buying streak of multi-million hotel purchases last week when it disclosed that it closed on the purchase of two more hotels for a total price of $28 million.
The deals involved a 103-room Homewood Suites hotel in Knoxville, Tenn. for $15 million and a 103-room Hampton Inn & Suites in Davenport, Iowa for $13 million.
Apple REIT as part of the deal assumed an existing loan secured by the Knoxville hotel with a $11.5 million outstanding balance. The loan matures in Oct. 2016.
The deals cap what has been a busy couple of months for Apple REIT Ten and its sister funds, Apple REITs Six, Seven, Eight and Nine.
Just this month, in addition to two closings last week, Apple REIT Ten entered into purchase contracts on four hotels worth a combined $75.15 million. Those pending deals are for the acquisition of Hilton Garden Inns in Omaha, Neb., Scottsdale, Ariz., Merrillville, Ind.and Mason, Ohio.
In June it closed on the purchase of five hotels for a total of $62.5 million, including an $11 million purchase for a SpringHill Suites near Mayland Drive and Gaskins Road in Glen Allen.
As of June 30, 25.88 million Apple REIT units had been sold to investors resulting in proceeds of $384.8 million. That cash is what the company uses to purchase its hotels.
Though some of the cash is paid in commissions to an entity called Apple Suites Realty Group. That entity, owned by Apple REIT Chairman and CEO Glade Knight, receives a 2 percent commission on every hotel purchase made.
Also receiving commissions is Apple REIT’s exclusive broker, David Lerner Assoc. The New York firm was recently thrown into hot water when federal regulators accused it of misleading investors when selling shares of Apple REIT Eight.
The Apple REITs and Lerner have consequently since been hit with class action lawsuits from disgruntled investors.
Apple’s B2B App Store went live last week and it is the latest signal that the company is taking the enterprise seriously. The larger questions revolve around whether Apple had to launch the B2B App Store to get ahead of more traditionally enterprise-friendly rivals on deck or simply sees a big opportunity to cement its current momentum in corporations.
The B2B App Store is designed to accommodate volume licensing so companies can buy multiple copies of an application and distribute them to employees. If you wanted to outfit a unit, say a sales team, a company would need each employee to download an app and then expense it. That’s not how businesses operate. Volume purchases are usually the rule.
Tim Cook, acting CEO of Apple, touted enterprise momentum on the company’s fiscal third quarter earnings call. Apple has noted pilots and implementations for iPhones and iPads and has a nice chunk of Fortune 500 companies interested. With its B2B App Store, Apple is backing up its talk with some action.
“The B2B App Store is recognizing that Apple came into the enterprise through the back door because employees brought iPhones and iPads to work,” said Carl Howe, an analyst at Yankee Group. “Why not make it easier for the enterprise as opposed to making them jump through consumer hoops that aren’t well suited to the way businesses buy.”
Here’s a look at four messages delivered through Apple’s B2B App Store launch.
Apple is courting the enterprise. Apple may be a consumer-first company but it’s glaringly obvious that it is serious about the enterprise prospects. It’s likely that Apple accidentally got enterprise traction, but now it’s running with the ball.
The company also likely realizes that up-and-coming rivals, notably HP and Research in Motion, already have multiple stakes in the business technology space that may be an advantage in the tablet market. HP and RIM can both bundle their tablets in broader deals. HP and RIM are also much more likely to play the volume discount game, according to Forrester Research.
In other words, Apple has to court the enterprise at least a bit and be obvious about it. Contrary to popular perception, Apple has always had business in mind—not that it had an enterprise developer license the day the App Store launched.
Apple needed a B2B App Store. In many respects, Apple had no choice but to launch a B2B App Store. Apple announced the B2B App Store along with international App Store price changes July 13 and pushed it live a week later. The move makes sense on many fronts.
- First, the B2B App Store solves the volume purchasing problem.
- Second, the B2B App Store allows for custom apps to be delivered between individual companies.
- And by easing distribution, Apple may garner more of those custom applications.
James Buchanan, a senior director at SAP’s Sybase, said the B2B App Store is “a great step forward.” After all, Sybase and SAP plan to deliver anywhere from 40 to 50 customizable mobile apps by the end of the year. “We now have more flexibility to meet customer needs,” said Buchanan. “A lot of enterprise customers have custom data and process needs. The B2B App Store allows us to tailor apps for those needs.”
Strategically, the B2B App Store solves a few conundrums. First, Howe argued that RIM’s app marketplace is essentially a B2B store already just based on the selection of apps. Android allows for multiple app stores and enterprises can distribute mobile software via side loading. Apple has one app distribution point and if it wants enterprise customers it had to create a B2B neighborhood.
Now Apple can be seen in a leadership position in the B2B app space.
SAP, Sybase roll out mobile apps for business
- The opportunity for Apple resides in custom apps. As far as business goes, the custom apps that will be available in the B2B App Store are critical. Why? Lock-in.
Let’s face it: Corporate IT buyers are a slow moving bunch. Companies developed applications on IE 6 and many are still keeping that browser even though Microsoft is begging them to decommission it over security risks.
If an enterprise bets on the iOS for a custom app, it’s not likely to move off the platform any time soon.
Say Boeing wanted to build a custom iOS app for Continental United. Distributing that app would require a posting on an intranet and then some hurdles installing it. At scale, that process is painful to say the least. The B2B App Store can ease a lot of pain.
Boeing’s Jeppesen unit, which provides charting, flight plans and crew management software to the aviation industry, reckons that the B2B App Store will make distribution easier. Chris Kiley, Jeppesen senior manager of Web and mobile solutions, said that most of his company’s apps would fall in the custom category.
Jeppesen so far is working solely on the iOS platform, but is planning Android apps at some point. To date, Jeppesen has found that its apps work best on a tablet so its focus thus far has been on the iPad. “This environment will enable us to build better and more powerful apps supporting our industries specific needs,” said Kiley. “B2B will allow us to better manage specific app versions among a large customer base.”
There’s an enterprise learning curve with Apple. Perhaps more importantly, the B2B App Store represents a bit of an enterprise learning curve for Apple.
As noted by Sybase’s Eric Lai last week, the B2B App Store builds off of a similar effort for the education market. That effort worked, but was also a bit clunky. Jim Siegl, a technology architect with the Fairfax County (VA) school district, has documented how the education volume purchase program worked.
The upshot is that Apple cut a bunch of steps from the education volume purchase process to the enterprise one. Granted, some of the hassle with the education version revolved around sales tax and credit card use. Educational institutions generally don’t use credit cards to buy and don’t need sales taxes.
Combine the volume purchase pricing with some Apple-specific negotiation tactics that are emerging and it looks like the company is willing to meet corporations part way.
Add it up and enterprises are likely to respond to Apple’s B2B App Store. However, there are some wild cards that may derail mass enterprise adoption.
Siegl noted a few potential deal breakers, but the largest one may be Apple’s approval process. According to Siegl, Apple will need to log in and operate an application. This requirement isn’t all that shocking—it’s Apple’s app quality control—but companies will need to set up a generic app with dummy data to protect sensitive business data.
In its guide on the volume purchasing program, Apple said:
Each app, as well as each version (update) of the app, submitted for custom B2B distribution goes through an app review process with Apple. The same app review guidelines for App Store apps apply to custom B2B apps.
If your app contains sensitive business data, you may want to include an authentication mechanism within the app. Custom B2B apps by themselves are not secured by Apple, and the security of data within the app is the responsibility of the developer. Apple highly recommends using iOS best practices for in-app authentication and encryption.
To verify that custom B2B apps meet the review guidelines, Apple will need to log in and operate the application. Work with your developer or business partner to determine how to meet this requirement with appropriate handling of proprietary or sensitive business data. You may want to provide generic test accounts or sanitized sample data to protect confidentiality for the purposes of app review.
Nevertheless, the review process may not be a deal breaker. Many companies are likely to give the program a spin by providing contact information, a corporate credit card and Dun & Bradstreet number.
Cyber Monday Online Deals are setting a new record! Retailers are singing a happy tune this holiday as rivals Amazon.com and Walmart.com hit new sales records, according to industry experts.
Amazon reported a record number of November sales for its Kindle electronic book reader and Amazon still has awesome deals on Netbooks! The Toshiba Mini NB205-N325PK 10.1-Inch Posh Pink Netbook has 9 Hours of Battery Life and comes with Windows 7 Starter installed for $370.00! And it’s PINK! What more could a girl ask for?
Reuters reports that Jefferies analyst Youssef Squali estimates that Amazon will report about 30 percent sales growth in its holiday fourth quarter. Recession? What recession?
Retail giant Wal-Mart has offered the lowest prices on books, toys for shoppers on Cyber Monday-–and there are plenty of deals at Walmart.com. Here are a few of the deals still left for Cyber Monday!
Little Tykes Kitchen for $45.00!
Nintendo DSi Value Pack for $179! It is usually almost that much just to get the DSi! The value pack has Nintendo DSi, two games and one accessory.
Lonrho (LON:LONR) has revealed a new export contract with major US supermarket retailer Walmart.
Through the deal the company’s seafood division, Oceanfresh, will supply 500 Walmart stores with its pure Hake fillets starting from October onwards.
“Lonrho is delighted that Oceanfresh has been appointed as a fish supplier to the world's largest retailer Walmart,” said chairman David Lenigas.
The company also said that it has expanded its production capabilities as a result of the deal, which will add around one hundred new jobs in South Africa.
The hake supplied by Oceanfresh is caught from the Benguela current off the coast of Southern Africa, fished using sustainable methods.
“Lonrho understands the importance of responsible fishing policies and prides itself on delivering the best quality products that are wild caught and from well managed and sustainable sources,” Lenigas added.
“Oceanfresh has been diligent in working with the World Wildlife Fund's sustainable sourcing program to ensure that fish stocks are properly managed and that catch quotas are within sustainable levels to maintain wild fish stocks for future generations.”
Today’s deals is the latest example of Lonrho’s ongoing expansion, as the African conglomerate pursues its strategy to build a major agriculture and food supply business that delivers from ‘field to the fork’.
Last week Lonrho unveiled a £4.5 million deal to acquire a leading airborne export business Grindrod PCA. The deal added vital export and logistics infrastructure to the Lonrho agri-business, which is trying to grow to meet high levels of demand from major international food retailers.
Grindrod PCA, headquartered at Johannesburg International Airport, is a leading exporter of fruit, vegetables and fish into the global market.
Specifically the acquisition adds cold store capacity, it will allow for more efficient handling of perishable goods and it will create potential cost savings. Grindrod PCA operates international standard cold store and logistics facilities in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and George.
Lonrho’s vertically integrated agri-business already comprises several companies that grows, packs and delivers food produce to retailers both in Africa and around the world – with major supermarket clients in USA, Europe and the Far East.
For some time, Walmart's (WMT) website has had a "Clearance" section -- and it had been growing: There are 2,921 items for sale in that section, and the prices are remarkably cheap. But the walmart.com clearance program is testing a new, less customer-friendly wrinkle.
Now, some of the clearance products offered online have to be picked up at stores unless the customer wants to pay for home shipping. It's not clear why the company is trying this, but it may be because the prices on those products are so good, management hopes to use them as incentive to lure shoppers to their stores. The cost -- either to the world's largest retailer or to its customers -- to ship them would dwarf their prices.
Walmart seems to be offloading inventory and hope consumers will make additional purchases.
The beta program requiring buyers to pick up online clearance specials at brick-and-mortar outlets has clear potential benefits to the retailer, but it has its risks as well. Yes, those online customers may well buy other products when they visit Walmart stores. And Walmart could even price those clearance products to lose money under the theory that the other items bought by the shoppers picking them up will make the total order a profit -- the classic "loss leader" strategy.
Do not attempt to adjust your calendars. Home Depot’s Spring Black Friday sale is indeed, this season. And it starts today.
Riding the same nomenclature wave other retailers have surfed this year and last, Home Depot has taken to calling its biggest sale of the year Black Friday. But no matter. It’s a really big sale.
But you must get to The Home Depot today through Sunday to cash in on the doorbuster deals.
The following are a few examples of the Spring Black Friday store deals (links provided for viewing purposes only):
- 7-Piece Martha Stewart Living Cardona Dining Set, was $499.00, now $299
- Brinkmann Pro Series Four Burner Gas Grill, was $369, now $199
- Garden Cart, was $39.97, now $19.97
- Miracle-Gro Liquafeed Advance was $12.48, now $6.24
- 1.33 Gallon Roundup Extended Control Weed and Grass Killer Plus Weed Preventer, Ready To Use, $9.88, compare at $19.96
In addition to the store event, The Home Depot will celebrate every Friday with Black Friday-type offers on Facebook through the end of May. Hit the “like” button on The Home Depot Facebook page to view these deals. These special buys will be on Facebook only and will feature prices 50 to 75 percent off a variety of gardening and lawn care products as well as patio, cleaning and décor items. All values will be different than the offers available in stores and on homedepot.com.
Black Friday laptops dealsIn this new tech era everyone is always searching for the next supreme of laptops by the big manufacturers such as Dell, Sony, Apple or Toshiba. These are computer giants that have been in the business of creating quality content computers for years. With the advancement of that technology they have made their computers better with each evolution of the work they fabricate.
All these best quality manufacturers giving you the opportunity to select your choice. Sony Laptops, Dell Laptops, Toshiba Laptops, Apple Laptops and even HP Laptops are available any time you would like to purchase them. However, with Black Friday Laptops deals you can purchase more than simply the computer. With the huge savings that are available, you can have the chance to upgrade to a computer you may have only previously dreamed of or the extra savings that you see can go towards that software that you could use to promote your business, blog or website to another level.
Black Friday deals are online available with the giant Amazon.com. For customers that are intelligent enough to identify what they want in laptops and everything that goes along with it, check out Amazon.com on the Black Friday Laptop deals that they are offering. You certainly won’t be disappointed.