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Budget supermarkets get better scores than Sainsburys, Asda, Tesco and Morrisons in annual Which? satisfaction poll.

Budget supermarkets Aldi and Lidl are continuing to win plaudits as well as shoppers, coming second and third respectively in this year’s Which? supermarket satisfaction survey.

Both shops gained four stars for the quality of their fresh produce and, crucially, value.

Waitrose topped the survey for the third year running, with a score of 83% and five stars for its customer service.

Marks & Spencer came fourth in the poll of 11,000 Which? members.

Tesco and the Co-operative came joint last. Tesco only received two stars for its customer service, own brand products and store environment.

The results follow a BBC investigation revealing that many big supermarket ‘deals’ were misleading and sometimes more expensive than buying individual products.

Ocado and Waitrose came joint top in a poll of online supermarkets, each achieving a score of 80%.

Which supermarkets get your vote? S

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17
Dec

Get more customers by understanding your sharers

Dec 14, ’11 6:00 PM Author Adrian Swinscoe

Consumer and customer behaviour is changing in front of our eyes. As a result, there is a lot of talk about how our marketplaces are changing, the influence of digital channels, the importance of word of mouth, how social media channels are allowing customers to find and share us with their friends and networks and how we as businesses should be adapting.

However, one of the things that I find when I talk to business owners is that they are often confused about what sort of activity they should be getting involved in in online and social channels. A

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My new iPad 2 tablet and Bluetooth portfolio with Bluetooth keyboard have made me happier than I could have ever imagined. Yes, I do have a life outside of geeky toys, but since the geeky toys allow me to successfully create the life I love, I am always excited to test them out and share them with you. Behold!

I have wanted to experience iPad for many months, but the absence of a traditional keyboard, which I rely on to manage my member database and social networking site, and to update this blog quickly, has held me back. As you can see, problem solved!

Business Girls Best Friend?

As you can see, it is perfectly red. They keyboard is small but big enough for any common work use. The case has a built-in stand that stands the iPad on a perfect angle for working or reading. I cant wait to try it out on the treadmill! Its very light, perfect for on-the-go.

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16
Dec

10 Things The Army Taught Me About Finances

By Steve Repak, CFP®

In basic training, a soldier goes through a process of mental and emotional retraining so that they can operate in an environment very different from the civilian world. I figured out I could take some of the same lessons I learned in the Army and apply them to my finances. Once I started to think differently and then began doing different things with my money, I was able to start accomplishing my financial goals.

The following are 10 Things the Army Taught Me about Finances that I want to share with you in order for you to start thinking differently about your money and to show you that you possess the same skills and tools that I have to achieve any of your financial goals

Leadership

Unless you are a new recruit, you have served in some type of leadership role. Leadership is all about taking charge of the situation and not making excuses.

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Heres a reader question about tracking Roth IRA contributions is previous years (slightly paraphrased for clarity) that I answered to the best of my ability, but perhaps there is a better solution out there.

I am looking to make a withdraw of my Roth IRA contribution that I made prior to 5 years to avoid taxes and penalties. My question is:

How do I find out how much and when I made contributions?

This will tell me how much I can withdraw without taxes or penalties. I am also only age 50. Thank you!

My initial answer was to look at past income tax returns, as that should provide a good record of your Roth IRA contribution history. However, since Roth IRA contributions do not affect your tax liability, they likely arent listed directly on the tax return. Going through my own old returns, I found my contributions noted in a supporting document called a Roth IRA Carryover Worksheet.

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