5 reasons Sam’s Club is better than Costco (8 21 24)

August 21, 2024

💵 Today’s Top Stories
Costco vs. Sam's Club

Costco remains Clark’s favorite store. But there are things Sam’s Club does better, he says. Including being more customer-friendly in these ways. Read more.

Google

Many of us use Google every day. But it also stores a ton of our data. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to delete your Google activity. Read more.

Credit card vs. cash

A Clark listener faces a large “convenience fee” for paying a monthly bill via credit card. In this case, should the individual give up their bank info to avoid the fee? Read more.

Car warranty

Reading Clark’s tips on how to think about extended car warranties can save you big-time money. Read more.

💸 Today’s Top Savings Rates

Check out our updated list of Clark.com-approved high-yield savings accounts with the highest rates. Here are the top five APYs on our list as of August 21, 2024.

Savings Rates 082124
🥊 Consumer Win: FTC Bans Fake Reviews, Robot Social Media Followers

From apartment complexes to restaurants, fake reviews (good and bad) skew ratings on platforms like Google Maps.

For companies that often rely on ratings and reviews to generate business and compete in the marketplace, and for customers trying to evaluate and compare options, fake reviews stink.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) just passed a rule banning fake reviews in an attempt to combat those deceiving practices.

Companies no longer can legally pay for positive or negative reviews “to falsely boost or denigrate a product” or exaggerate their influence by “paying for bots to inflate their follower count” on social media, CNBC reported.

Expected to go into effect in October, violations of the rule could lead to fines “for each violation.” CNBC used the example of an e-commerce site with six figures’ worth of fake, paid-for reviews. In that case, the FTC could fine them separately for each of those instances, hundreds of thousands of times.

This isn’t the first attempt to crack down on fake reviews, which will definitely still exist. But it’s nice to see the FTC fight back against those annoying and deceiving practices.

“Fake reviews not only waste people’s time and money, but also pollute the marketplace and divert business away from honest competitors,” FTC chair Lina Khan said.

📊 Stat of the Day

🍎 37%: Walmart’s share of the online grocery sales market in Q2, a company record. Walmart is attracting more higher-income customers fed up with rising food prices. Sam’s Club recorded record-high memberships as well.

💰️ Deal Alert: Today’s Top Deals
Kleenex hand towels
Barcelona Spain
🎙️ Podcast

If you have a part-time gig or own a business, there are new rules that are really exciting to Clark! Also, the price of insurance is skyrocketing. Many people are making the dangerous decision to under-insure or self-insure, and the consequences can be catastrophic to your finances. Clark explains who needs umbrella insurance and why some state minimums on auto insurance just aren’t enough.

☎️ Need Money Help?

The Team Clark Consumer Action Center is a free helpline that can help you navigate your money questions. Call 636-492-5275. Visit clark.com/cac for more information.

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