08.22.25 Clark Answers His Critics on Clark Stinks / Supermarket Digital Pricing

Summary

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The Clark Howard Podcast – August 22, 2025

Episode Theme: Clark Answers His Critics on Clark Stinks / Supermarket Digital Pricing

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Clark Howard Podcast centers on two major segments. First, Clark takes on the weekly "Clark Stinks" feature, where he addresses listener criticisms and feedback on his advice, fostering a candid and dynamic discussion about consumer topics. The second half explores the rise of digital pricing in supermarkets, dispelling myths and sharing Clark’s revised perspective on how electronic shelf labels are impacting both consumers and stores. The episode closes with rapid-fire listener Q&A on safe payment methods, auction buying, and more.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Clark Stinks: Listener Feedback and Critiques

(01:22 – 17:38)

• Walmart Pay and Payment Apps

  • Listener Ellen from PA highlights that Walmart Pay offers convenience, though not the same discounts as Target or Amazon cards.
  • Clark’s Response: Acknowledges the convenience factor. Emphasizes he was comparing discount cards, not the mobile pay platforms.

    “Walmart Pay is, as you said, a convenience service like me tapping to pay with my phone.” (03:39)

• Amazon vs. Walmart Pricing and Strategies

  • Alex from GA ran Clark-inspired price checks and found that, for his subscription products, Amazon beat Walmart most of the time.
  • Another listener, David in CA, adds that leaving Amazon cart items for a week or two can trigger discounts, and notices "competition at work" as Amazon and Walmart seem to price match dynamically.
  • Clark’s Response: Praises the effort and reiterates that strategic comparison shopping saves money but can be item-specific.

• Subscription Cancellation via Registered Mail

  • Donna from CA disputes Clark’s prior advice about needing "registered mail" for some cancellations, suggesting he meant "certified mail," which is cheaper and more common.
  • Clark’s Response: Explains the practice originated with home security contracts that do sometimes require the more cumbersome registered mail, a tactic he decries as anti-consumer.

• Impacts of Cruise Tourism on Destinations

  • Susan from MN laments how cruise groups overwhelm tourist sites; calls the cruise influx “overwhelming.”
  • Clark’s Response: Acknowledges the issues, sharing personal anecdotes about crowding at international attractions and admits that large ships can “overwhelm the attractions.”

    “The very large cruise ships that now are going into a lot of ports overwhelm the attractions that people would go to see. Can’t disagree with that at all.” (09:16)

• Women in the Trades and Occupational Hazards

  • Marion from NC urges Clark to discuss how trades impacts women, noting both the physical demands and the need to plan for career longevity.
  • Clark’s Response: Agrees there’s a labor shortage and that physical tolls are an issue; acknowledges making the trades more accessible and sustainable, especially for younger generations and women.

• Critical Illness Insurance

  • Jarrett from WI, a cancer survivor, offers a counterpoint: critical illness insurance was vital for their family.
  • Clark’s Response: Empathetic, but maintains such policies should be a supplement to core insurances (life, disability) due to limited consumer funds.

    “If any of these things happen to someone, you’re so grateful… But… I want people to concentrate first on having the insurance that’s much in greater need...” (12:42)

• Credit Card Lounge Access (Capital One Venture X)

  • Eli from MN notes Clark recently left out details regarding continuing lounge access benefits.
  • Clark’s Response: Confirms that Capital One lounges remain a “class act,” especially for solo travelers, though guest policies are less generous now.

• Philosophy of Clark Stinks

  • Clark celebrates the open challenge and feedback loop:

    “It allows me to fill in details… to broaden my depth of knowledge... because what I’m about is that we all help each other.” (15:58)

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2. Supermarket Digital Pricing: Hype vs. Reality

(19:11 – 25:28)

• Clark’s Initial Concerns

  • Admits he originally feared digital shelf tags would be used for "surge pricing"—increasing costs on paydays or weekends.

• How Digital Pricing Actually Works

  • Real-world impact has been positive:
    • Allows stores to quickly and automatically discount perishable items as they near expiration, reducing waste and passing savings to consumers.
    • Pricing on same-day, highly perishable items (e.g., bakery goods) can drop throughout the day.
    • System ensures that the shelf price matches the register every time.

• Consumer Benefit

  • So far, electronic pricing is “the ultimate win for you, win for the store,” countering initial skepticism.
  • The only “loser” is that less food may be donated to food banks as more gets sold.

  “It’s actually working for them, getting a lower amount of money, but getting it sold for money instead of thrown out. And at the same time, you’re getting a lower price.” (22:20)

• Accuracy and Integrity

  • Eliminates discrepancies where shelf and register prices misalign; what you see is what you pay—or less.

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3. Listener Q&A Highlights

Safe Payment Methods for Small Vendors

(25:28 – 29:41)

• Venmo, Cash App: Best Practices
  • Clark reiterates his dislike of Zelle due to weak consumer protections and cross-account risk.
  • Recommends using separate bank accounts, at different institutions, for peer-to-peer payment apps to isolate potential fraud.
  • Adds: Always use biometric logins and confirm recipient details before transferring money.

  “You do not want your regular bank account at risk where a criminal gets at the money and takes it from you.” (28:09)

Caution on Buy Now, Pay Later Offers

(29:41 – 30:41)

• Expansion into Credit Unions
  • Listener is dismayed that his credit union now pushes BNPL options on groceries.
  • Clark calls this a “despicable practice,” expressing disappointment in both big banks and credit unions for normalizing short-term consumer debt.

Auctions: Opportunity or Danger?

(30:41 – 33:21)

• Staying Disciplined
  • Auctions can yield great deals if you set (and stick to) a strict price ceiling. Emotional bidding is risky.
  • Know your temperament: self-discipline is crucial to avoid overpaying.

  “If you set preset what your pain point is and stick to it... go for it.” (31:00)

Bargain Hunting and Family Anecdotes

• Clark and co-host share stories about their kids’ frugal apartment setups and using ClarkDeals.com to score online furniture and electronics bargains.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Cruise Crowding:

  “There’s 9,000 people on these ships, including the crew. That’s a lot of people dumping out all at once into a port.” (09:10) – Clark

• On Digital Grocery Shelf Labels:

  “The price moves are down, not up. I don’t know of any examples... so far it’s not playing that way. It’s the ultimate win for you, win for the store, and that’s great.” (23:43) – Clark

• On Payment App Safety:

  “Always set up a separate account for them at a different institution... so that your regular one doesn’t have the ability to go in and help the criminal along.” (28:17) – Clark

• On Critical Illness Insurance:

  “The chances that you become disabled during your working lifetime are three times greater than you dying… And almost nobody buys disability insurance.” (13:41) – Clark

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Clark Stinks Listener Feedback: 01:22 – 17:38
• Digital Pricing at Supermarkets: 19:11 – 25:28
• Safe Payments (Venmo/Zelle advice): 25:28 – 29:41
• BNPL & Credit Unions: 29:41 – 30:41
• Auctions—How to Approach: 30:41 – 33:21

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Episode Tone & Takeaways

Clark maintains his frank, self-deprecating, and practical tone throughout, emphasizing consumer empowerment and transparency. Listener participation is celebrated—even when critical—because it sharpens and deepens the advice offered to the whole audience. The message: Be vigilant, comparison shop, protect your finances, and don’t forget the basics—save more, spend less, and avoid ripoffs.

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Transcript

[A]

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[B]

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[C]

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[B]

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[D]

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[B]

It's great to have you here on the Clark Howard show. You know, our mission is to serve you with advice and information that empowers you so you make better financial decisions in your life. And it's Friday. Do you have any special plans this weekend, Krista?

[C]

Nope. Just gonna relax.

[B]

Okay. I'm love my leisure time. I love my weekend. And this moment Friday is when I get to put on my ks, my Kirkland signature big boy pants and hear how I stunk it up in our Clark stink segment.

[C]

What brand are the cargo shorts you're actually wearing?

[B]

These are, are from Costco, but they're.

[C]

Oh, there turn.

[B]

Eddie Power.

[C]

Yeah, Eddie Bauer.

[B]

Isn't that a company that makes stuff and has retail stores?

[C]

You're fancy.

[B]

They're selling through Costco. These were $9 and 99 cents. They weren't a 97, but they were 9.99.

[C]

Ooh, splurging.

[B]

Well, I was under, under double digits.

[C]

But they do count as luggage because you have so many pockets on them.

[B]

There's only one extra pocket. Okay, you're harshing on me today.

[C]

I'm kidding.

[B]

No, you're not. All right, coming up later, there's something that there's been a lot of scare lines about. It's about the new way grocery stores are pricing stuff on their shelves. And I want to tell you that in real life, it's actually been good for the supermarket and good for consumers. And I'm going to fill you in on it. But right now it's time to hear where I have let you down in our weekly Clark state. I never encouraged you to speak. You must think I'm pretty stupid.

[C]

You should be ashamed of yourself.

[B]

Well, maybe I'm wrong.

[C]

Maybe I'm wrong.

[B]

Maybe you're right, pal.

[C]

Ellen from Pennsylvania, I'm about to read your Clark Stinks. Ellen says Walmart Pay Clark was going on about how there were no deals or incentives to use Walmart Pay comparing to how Target card gives you 5% off and the Amazon card gives you 5% off at whole Foods. Walmart Pay is like Apple Pay. You get no deals. It's just your card attached to their app. Walmart Pay is a convenience. It's my debit card on my phone. So when I go into Walmart I just need my phone and keys. Or when I'm at checkout, I don't need to search my purse for my wallet. I can use my phone. It's just their version of one of these payments pay systems. It's amazing.

[B]

Well, thank you for that. And I use my phone to tap to pay all the time now. I almost never pull out a piece of plastic and it is crazy convenient. I was just comparing the discounts you get with the Target Red card and with the Amazon card, each giving you 5% off on what you buy. Walmart has a card that you get a little discount on, but Walmart Pay is, as you said, a convenience service like me tapping to pay with my phone.

[C]

Alex in Georgia says after your constant nags to price compare before shopping on Amazon, I decided to look up all of my upcoming subscription products that I already saved 15% on for subscribing and another 5% for using my Amazon credit card. I gave up looking at Sam's as none of my items are the kinds of products they sell. All of 10 of my products, Walmart only sold one item cheaper. What was shocking was how much of a difference there was in most of the items. The item I found cheaper was $7.50 less. The items that were less expensive at Amazon were also much cheaper. I must have a little Clark in me because I'm more happy that I'm going to save $7.50 on this one item than the 45 minutes it took to find savings that is gone forever. Lol.

[B]

Well, okay, so I love that you did the comparison shopping you found with subscribe and Save that you were beating the Walmart price on many of the items. That's fantastic. What I tried to do by talking about the price survey that found that Amazon's prices had moved on so many items higher than Walmart's prices is get you thinking you thought you compared and for what you're buying. That was not true. And so you know you're getting the best deal on most of the items that you regularly subscribe to. Good for you.

[C]

All right, this came in from David in California regarding the increased Amazon prices. You don't stink regarding making this known, but you do stink. Like my teenage son if he's gone a few days without showering and forgot to put on deodorant. What you miss sharing is a bit more strategy. To get the best deals on Amazon you have to know how to play the game. Place items you're wanting to buy in the Amazon cart and wait. Often within a week or two they'll discount that item often between 5 and 15% and sometimes more. Also you suggested price compare with Walmart. Often Amazon has a way of finding out what Walmart's doing and putting their items on sale. It almost seems like at times when I browse items at Walmart, Amazon has AI tracking and it discounts the same items. When I check Amazon after Walmart, I don't know if they could actually do this, but there are too many coincidences of this happening. Maybe it's just competition at work. And thanks for all you do, David.

[B]

David, thank you. And obviously people are very focused on price right now and the more you comparison shop, the better and cheaper than Walmart are going to be. The warehouse clubs on the limited selection of items the warehouse clubs sell most times you're going to save even more at the warehouse clubs.

[C]

Donna in California says on the podcast regarding canceling subscriptions, Clark stated that sometimes in the fine print it is required that the customer cancel the subscription via registered mail. I find that exceedingly unlikely. Perhaps Clark meant to state that the company requires the customer to request cancellation via certified mail instead. Registered mail is actually actual insurance. On a mail item one has to declare a value which determines the postage fee. Certified mail is proof of acceptance and delivery for first class mail and is much less costly.

[B]

So where did the registered mail thing come from? The home security industry. That's one of the weird things they've been putting in contracts to force you into a three year rollover on burglar alarm systems and homes at may I add at hugely inflated monthly costs by requiring in the contract this obscure thing that notice be given in a very tight window by registered mail only. It's hard to tell who the home burglars are. The burglar alarm companies are the burglar.

[C]

Susan in Minnesota says Clark doesn't totally stink. However, he smells like a fetid musty cruise cabin when they forgot to clean. I know Clark loves cruises. However, as a land traveler of 35 countries, many three to four times I have developed a hatred for cruise land excursion sightseers. While visiting the city of Pompeii with a bus tour of 30, we looked up to see a cruise bus disgorging 300 travelers. Suddenly our serene day was gone. Even the small cities of Bilbao and San Sebastian, northern Spain, Bilbao, beaches and streets were overwhelmed with the cruise passengers. Everywhere in the border, Barcelona. I saw five cruise ships each holding 7,000 passengers embarking on excursions into the city. The streets were so crowded, I too was looking for a store that sold water cannons. Enjoy the drives through the countryside, the people and the amazing history without the overwhelming cruise crowds.

[B]

Okay, this is no lie. Wayne and I were at Gullfoss in Iceland, which is depending on the water flows, the time of year, the the world's potentially biggest waterfall. Absolutely amazing. But what was even more amazing is I'm walking around the parking lot noting all the buses from the various cruise ships and there were 21 buses there at the same time from one cruise line. Just I didn't know that many people would be on the excursions. Wow. And there's like one bus, another, another, and they all have the big numbers on them. So you know that you go back to the right bus because all the buses are identical. It is true that the very large cruise ships that now are going into a lot of ports overwhelm the attractions that people would go to see. Can't disagree with that at all. Having been on several of the Oasis class ships, which are the world's largest type. You've been on an Oasis class? Sure have, yeah. So there's 9,000 people on these ships, including the crew. That's a lot of people dumping out all at once into a port.

[C]

Marion, North Carolina says hi Clark and team. Thanks for recommending the trades as an employment path. I believe your comments were incomplete. Please. As Abigail Adams said, remember the ladies, the overwhelming majority of trades require upper body strength. Perhaps you could address trades that would be approachable by women. Perhaps computer tech and the general climate for women in the trade. Secondly, and importantly, most trades take a toll on the body. Please advise people choosing the trades as a career to realize that there is a good chance they will have bad knees, back, shoulder, et cetera, by age 40 and will need a new career path. So choose a career you can keep doing at age 60 or have a transition plan in place and wear those knee pads.

[B]

Thank you, Mary. And what you're talking about has been clear in trades that it's very, very hard for the trades to attract young people. Now that if you look at the ages of people who work as electricians and plumbers and H vac techs, that generally the ages, because those are the people you and I would see most often in a residence, the average age of the people doing that work has been getting older and older and older. And it is something that can really put a toll on the body. And it is a real challenge how to make these jobs less physically demanding than they are right now in some aspects of them. You can't make less physically demanding.

[C]

And I would also say a lot of women, young women, older women like myself, we're lifting a lot more weights than we used to and getting that upper body strength. So a lot of these might be very approachable too and help us build more upper body strength. Who knows? It's supposed to be very good for you as you age. Jarrett in Wisconsin says in a recent Clark Stinks, you shared your opinion that employer offers critical illness insurance wasn't worth the time it took HR to include it in a benefits package. You specifically gave this advice to someone in their 50s. Wrong. As a cancer survivor, this insurance saved our family financially by providing a massive lump sum, tax free infusion of cash. This policy was activated after an initial diagnosis and was active during a recent reoccurrence of the disease. The employer offered plan did not require any information on my medical condition at the time of annual enrollment and I wish I would have paid for the even higher option. Critical illness insurance should be strongly considered by anyone in their 50s. Our plan costs less than a meal out on the town per month and my wife also has this coverage now too.

[B]

So first of all, I'm really sorry you've been stricken with cancer. That you had a reoccurrence, but that you are still here with us is fantastic. I hope that you fully conquer your cancer and have a great, wonderful long life in front of you. So when I talk about insurance and then you start talking about things that are very specific, accident insurance, dismemberment insurance, you're talking about, you know, critical illness insurance. If any of these things happen to someone, you're so grateful that you have it. But the reality Is I want people to concentrate first on having the insurance that's much in greater need that people seldom buy. An example is how many people who absolutely need to have life insurance and for most people that would be level term insurance don't have any life insurance. Overwhelmingly people who need disability, well, anybody working you should have disability insurance. So few people ever buy disability insurance and the chances that you become disabled during your working lifetime are three times greater than you dying in your working lifetime. And almost nobody buys disability insurance. I like for you to make sure you get the wide things in place first and then if you want to buy a specialty insurance and you can afford it because you're saving as you should and investing and putting money aside for retirement, they're down the list of priorities. In your case, this insurance turned out to be critical in your life and made a huge difference in your life. I'm so glad that that happened for you after having the tragedy of cancer occur in your life. But as far as a priority, these ancillary insurances are a low priority for the money we have because we only have so much money we can devote to things.

[C]

Eli in Minnesota says a listener asked if the Capital One Venture X is still worth to keep with the lounge access changes along with another question. He said to skip it after he answered the second question, but he never got around to address the first question about the lounges.

[B]

Oh, okay. So the lounge access. As somebody who travels quite frequently, I can tell you the Capital One lounges are the class act of credit card lounges. They are absolutely superior. If the reason you have it is to be able to tote your family along with you, that has been devalued. If you often travel alone for work or for other things like I often end up doing not traveling with my family, then the Capital One Venture X remains a great choice for me. Is that what I left out for?

[C]

Yes, it's about the lounge access.

[B]

All right, well, thank you all for taking the time to post and I just am so grateful to each and every one of you. Take the time to post a Clark Stings because it allows me to hear different perspectives than what I gave. It allows me to fill in details like that one that I forgot about Capital One just to be able to broaden my depth of knowledge and what we discuss with each other because what I'm about is that we all help each other, that you know, we got enough people in life with hidden agendas and we don't know who's friend or foe and whatever what we're all about is empowerment through knowledge. And if I fail to live up to providing the best information or the most complete information, I need to know and need to serve you better. And that's why Clark Stinks is something I always look forward to because I never want to get stale. I never want to to sound like one. Note Clark. I want to continue to expand my base of knowledge, to update my base of knowledge in order to do a more effective job serving you as we all serve each other. Coming up ahead, I want to talk about a change coming to the grocery store aisle and it's coming faster than I expected and you need to know how to play the new grocery aisle game.

[E]

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[F]

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[B]

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[F]

An unidentified ship is approaching.

[B]

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[A]

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[B]

You say you'll never join the Navy, never climb Mount Fuji on a port visit or break the sound barrier. Joining the Navy sounds crazy. Saying never actually is. Learn [e-mail], america's Navy forged by the sea. We, the American people, are stressed about the dollars vanishing from our wallet. Everything seems to be more of a challenge to be able to buy what we must in order to exist. And people now dread going into the supermarket. They don't dread going in because they're worried about checkout lines. They, they don't dread going because they're worried about finding a space in the parking lot. What people dread now is what the cost of that grocery basket is. And so that's led to a lot of suspicion about the digital pricing that is popping up in more and more supermarkets. And I am one of the guilty parties who when I first talked about a supermarket going to digital pricing on their shelves, I jumped at the conclusion. When I talked about it happening first, I think in Ohio maybe was the first state that a store put in the digital pricing tags a few years ago, I jumped to the conclusion that it had a nefarious purpose and that supermarkets would start using it to do peak and off peak pricing. That when the people got paid on Friday, supermarkets would raise pricing on things on Friday and digitally they could just do it instant. But it turns out that the digital pricing is actually working out in real life. Where it's been heavily implemented as a pro is amazing. Capitalism works best this way as a positive for you and me and a positive for the store owner. How could that be? Because retailers in the grocery business are always in a fight against time. And that fight is that a lot of items are perishable or semi perishable. And as they age on the shelf, those items become potentially unsellable. And so the supermarket paid for those items and they have no value. So you can write a Clark stinks about it, but so many people have done so before. I drink soft drinks and so I'm in a store buying soft drinks and I always check what the best buy date is or pull date because diet drinks, the sweetener breaks down after a while and then it tastes like motor oil drinking it. That should tell me something about the chemicals I'm absorbing. But anyway, I look at the soft drinks and they had expired nine weeks before and they were still for sale on the shelf. So me being me, I start going to the back. They all were expired. Every last one they were selling was expired. So that product either makes an unhappy customer or it has to get thrown out by the store and they get no money. So this is how the electronic shelves have been working in real life. Supermarkets are for items that are highly perishable. Day only. They know because the electronic pricing, I don't know if you've seen these yet, but I'm seeing more and more of it with where it's all electronic, no paper pricing on the shelves, the store knows through the register how many of the items they've sold through that day, how much inventory is left. And the system automatically keeps discounting those items that are on the shelf. So let's say you pick something up. Say it's a bakery item. You pick it up and the electronic price is $3. Let's just say it's $3 and you go through the register and only charges you 260. Because they're so quickly discounting items that go out of the ability to sell same day, they're continually discounting them by a math formula based on how quickly they're selling versus the original inventory. It's actually working for them, getting a lower amount of money for it, but getting it sold for money instead of thrown out. And at the same time you're getting a lower price. Now, items that are not same day, the inventory price moves are slower, but the price moves are down, not up. I don't know of any examples. In spite of my worry that this was going to be used to stick it to you and me, so far it's not playing that way. It's the ultimate win for you, win for the store, and that's great. The only loser in this, if it helps retailers sell more items before they would have to be donated or given away. Our food banks that are donated food at the end of a day by a supermarket will not have as many donations. But from the overall standpoint of customers of the store, so far a positive, not a negative. One other thing, how many times is the price you're charged at the register different than the price it shows with an old paper label on the shelf? That's eliminated by these integrated systems. Whatever's on the shelf, that price, that electronic price is what you'll pay at the register or less.

[C]

You ready for some questions?

[B]

I'm ready.

[C]

Okay. Bart in Massachusetts wrote in with this one. What is the best and safest way to pay small companies like landscapers for work around the house? I'm not always at home to pay with cash. Is Venmo a good option? I know you hate Zel. Should I open a separate bank account to handle the transactions?

[B]

Yes, I hate Zel. Zel has never done the things they should. To make it safe. You should deactivate Zel on your account. It is big bad Zel. It's owned by the big banks and they don't care that there are inherent dangers to you in using big bad Zel. Enough about Zelle. If you're going to use Venmo or Cash App, there are risks involved with them too. The reason There are risks is the Congress, in its wisdom, has never passed any meaningful consumer protections for using a debit card or using these payment apps. Anything equivalent of what's available to you with a credit card. Credit card rules were adopted in a different era, before lobbyists controlled what consumer protections there were, instead of congressmen and senators actually thinking they worked for and cared about the American people. Enough cynicism there. So if you are going to use Venmo or Cash app, always set up a separate account for them at a different institution than where you normally bank or credit union. I'll explain that in a second. You can set up an account with one of the online banks that offer free checking accounts. No minimum required. You keep on hand in them the amount of money you need to handle your Zelle or Cash app. You do not want your regular bank account at risk where a criminal gets at the money and takes it from you. That would be needed for car payment, mortgage, rent, buying groceries, whatever it is. Now why do I say it needs to be at a separate financial institution? Do you know that standard banking 101 is that if you have any account with them, they have in place a cross collateralization clause which in English means if you have multiple accounts. Let's say you have a checking account with giant monster mega Bank A and you say oh well I better open another account there tied into Venmo or Cash App or to big bad Zelle and then a criminal somehow gets into that account and they start using Venmo or Cash App or Zelle to run off with your money. The bank has in place a clause where they can then go into your regular account and just keep pulling money from it. Just keep pulling it, keep pulling it and sending it right to the crooks through the other account. That's why you have to have the account for Venmo or Cashapp at another financial institution so that your regular one doesn't have the ability to go in and help the criminal along and keep stealing your money. And it is a terrible these cross collateralization clauses remain a terrible weak spot for consumer protection at banks.

[C]

Two tips I'll just quickly give because I do use these and I do have a separate account. Please make sure if you're just paying people you know, like your landscaper, it's much safer than trying to pay anyone that you don't know in person, right? And use the like on Venmo. It makes you put in the last four digits of the person's phone number. You can skip that if you want, but do that so you make sure you've got the right account if you haven't scanned their QR code on their phone. And then make sure that your app on your phone has like a biometric protection on or whatever. Like, each time you have to log in, don't leave it open on your phone just in case someone happened to grab your phone or something. This one came in from Ryan.

[B]

Are you in for those?

[C]

Sure. Ryan in Wisconsin. I recently received an email from my credit union in all caps offering me to use Buy Now, Pay later for a $105 grocery purchase I made two weeks prior. Apparently, this is a new offering and I can log into my credit union's website and see what prior purchases are also eligible for. Buy Now, Pay Later. I know you're against this and pay in four, but for my credit union to turn into a quasi loan shark has me second guessing my relationship with them. Is this the future direction for all credit unions?

[B]

Yuck. Okay, so I've seen this with some bank notices I've gotten with credit cards I have saying, oh, well, you know, if you don't want to pay this now, we can convert this to a pay in for now to hear credit unions. This credit union at least following the same despicable practice as the banks have done. That's just terrible.

[C]

Mike in North Carolina says, for years I've enjoyed going to auctions or doing them online. In fact, I bought my first home by way of an auction. I'd like to know what Clark thinks from a financial standpoint about them. Is there too much of an emotional danger that you buy something in the pressure of the moment or any other concerns Clark might have?

[B]

Okay, so I love what you said, Mike, because you answered the question what you said second. You got to know yourself. If you're someone who knows that you've got extreme price discipline and you're in that auction environment where you feel like, I got now or never. Never, never. I gotta do it right now. I gotta. I gotta raise my bid. Whatever. If you set preset what your pain point is and stick to it, and yeah, you might miss that quote unquote opportunity and let somebody else overpay for it. As long as you stick to your discipline and you know, you have the intestinal fortitude and personality to do that, go for it. There are times people have gotten incredible deals through auctions in real estate and so many other things. So know yourself. And if you're somebody who knows that emotion would get the best of you. Not for you. If you're somebody who's got ice water in your veins and you can stick to your price points, why not do an auction? And why not now go look for more information on any topic for your wallet that we have dug deep [e-mail] or why not go to Clark Deals and see what hot deals we have available for you. I just use Clark Deals. Last night. My son is moving into an apartment at college with two friends and they've divvied up what each of them has to bring, you know, in terms of dining table and chairs and all that. And they've been out scouring used furniture stores and that kind of thing. My son bought two nightstands on Wayfair for 109 each and bought the bed frame on a clearance on woot for $37. And he said it was the easiest put together thing like that he'd ever done. Anyway, they're doing all that. We're also responsible for buying the TV for the living room. That ended up being our responsibility, which I think they assigned to me because they knew.

[C]

Oh, I'm. If I'm. Look, I just told my parents who are moving down to be with me that when they need a tv we're going to put you on the mission.

[B]

It's going to be my job. But I actually went to Clark Deals and found a deal that I hadn't found on my own search.

[C]

I love it.

[B]

So.

[C]

And my son doesn't need to buy furniture. And ironically, or maybe not, he took over your son's lease at a place that's furnished.

[B]

How does he like the place?

[C]

He loves it. Very happy with it.

[B]

That's good. Grant said the neighborhood where he is is not so great. Oh, and the neighborhood where Matt is, you know, is a very good neighborhood.

[C]

Yes. So you know Grant's dad wanted to save money. No. Just kidding. That's not why.

[B]

Oh, boy.

[C]

Anyway, Grant wanted to live with his friends, which is understandable.

[B]

Yeah, we're not saving any money. You're getting a better place at the like the same rent, aren't you?

[C]

Thank you.

[B]

You're welcome. How about we both have kids that are the same university, same year, in the same year.

[C]

Well, we'll see if my son ends up in the same year. I think we might be looking at a longer, longer stretch.

[B]

That's not going to be Grant.

[C]

We'll see. Let's both hope that that doesn't happen for our wallets.

[B]

Exactly. So anyway, what we're all about is you learning ways to save more and obviously spend less as I was just talking about. And don't let anybody ever rip you off. That's our goal. That's what we do. And I hope that it works for you. Have a great one. And we will be at your service on Monday.