Easy Shop DropConsumer Shopping Reviews

Today's high winds and torrential rains along the East coast are an uneasy reminder of the bad weather that struck just two weeks ago. It was like watching a scene out of the Wizard of Oz, said one of my neighbors about the tornado that hit our area on September 16. As my husband walked home to our neighborhood in the New York metropolitan area, he was surrounded by fallen trees and worried that he would arrive to find our large oak smashed into our house or our neighbors.

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Well, I think it’s yes. These all-inclusive packages can obscure the true cost of anything, but let’s just say this offer from CheapCaribbean.com is pretty darn cheap. The discount travel company that specializes in all-inclusive trips to the Caribbean and Mexico is celebrating its 10th birthday and offering a special $10 per person deal on a hotel in the Dominican Republic.

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A trouble-plagued cordless mower that has been recalled twice before for posing a fire hazard was recalled again today because the motor can continue to operate after the safety key has been removed. The recall includes 160,000 Black & Decker and Craftsman brand cordless electric push mowers.

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Folks, we’ve told you before about discount coupon-buying sites such as Groupon and LivingSocial, and it seems like every day a new version has set up shop in Baltimore.

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An army of brown armored bugs has been stealthily invading homes in the mid-Atlantic states in recent weeks looking for warm places to winter. Unaffectionately known as the stink bug, the critters do just that when crushed or irritated, emitting an odor of sweaty socks or worse.

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If you’re wondering how the merger of two of the biggest airlines serving BWI Marshall Airport might impact you as a consumer, check out this list of questions and answers about the Southwest acquisition of AirTran.

In Consumer Reports latest review of interior paints, Kilz Casual Colors, $22, was a CR Best Buy in the low-luster category. The paints competitive price was likely helped by the fact that Kilz is sold at Walmart. That partnership is ending, however, with the announcement this month by AkzoNobel that it will become the primary paint supplier to Walmart, starting in early 2011. The deal will also send Dutch Boy packing from Walmart. 
 
AkzoNobel is developing a portfolio of interior and exterior paints under its Glidden and newly-acquired Color Place brands. Consumer Reports will have to wait for these products to hit stores before we can buy samples for evaluation in our labs. In our latest round of tests, Glidden Premium low-luster paint, a $20 Home Depot-exclusive, was judged very good overall. Only its relatively inferior fade-resistance kept it off our recommended list. Color Place low-luster paint, $13, was farther down the rankings.
 
Kilz and Dutch Boy will probably be available at Walmart until at least spring 2011, depending on how long inventories last. If you like those brands, check the retailer locators on the Kilz and Dutch Boy websites for other places to shop.
 
Daniel DiClerico

Words or phrases can subtly or not so subtly impact the choices you make about the products you buy — making one item seem more virtuous than another, perhaps.

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Airfarewatchdog, an online travel site that specializes in airfare deals and alerts, expects Southwest’s deal to buy AirTran to lead to higher air fares at BWI.

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Today, I wrote that Maryland was rated the fifth-worst place to retire in the country.

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