I recently purchased the wrong book for my physics class and returned it to the bookstore. It has been over two weeks and I have not received the credit back to my card. The store gives me the run around and I am still out $85. What can I do?

You’re in luck! Since the store accepted the return they do have to refund your money.

You can dispute the charge with the bank who issued the credit card to you 30 days after the book’s return. During these 30 days, you are going to have to keep contacting the bookstore, asking about the status of your credit.

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Nike.  Juicy Couture.  Abercrombie & Fitch.  American Eagle.  Designers for these brands, and a host of others, want you to buy your clothes from them.  A baseball cap with a Nike Swoosh can cost $18.  A plain ball cap from Target can cost a third of that.

It’s the same with all sorts of apparel, from jeans to shoes. Why?  For one thing, you pay the price to wear a famous name.  Companies that do a lot of advertising need to pay for that advertising, and do that through their higher prices. Designer clothes often have better quality and materials.  But sometimes, it makes sense to go with a lesser-known brand.

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For many people, a product name sends a message.  It could say: quality or experience or reliability.  It could say exclusivity or expensive.

Marketing executives at companies spend a lot of money trying to get consumers to identify with their particular brand. 

Do you remember these?

Frosted Flakes.  They’re G-R-E-A-T!

Maxwell House.  Good to the last drop.

Campbell’s Soup.  M’m! M’m! Good!

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It’s a hard task to say no to the constant barrage of commercials and ads that are on television, radio and magazines.  Their sole purpose is to get you to buy, buy, buy.  And they are often successful in influencing your decision on whether or not to buy a product, and which particular brand to buy.

But, if you know some of the tactics advertisers use, you can stop yourself from being completely sucked in.

Advertisers typically want to show that by using their product, you’ll gain something, and not just the actual product.

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