Attention, shopper: Liquidation.com hawks packages and undelivered goods from Amazon, Target, Walmart and the Home Depot. You can filter by brand or retailer. Shop carefully — there are no returns.
Search battle: AI chatbots vs. Google
Still turning to Google for answers? How we search online is changing faster than I’ve ever seen in tech.
Google still processes a massive 8.5 billion daily searches, but AI is coming in hot. As of July, 1.5 billion people globally were using AI chatbots, and that market is projected to hit $455 million in revenue by 2027.
So, which is better for finding information: AI or Google? Spoiler: It depends.
Battle of the bots
Online searches typically come in three flavors: Navigation, information and exploration. Let’s start there.
🔗 Navigation: These simple searches to find a website are the top queries on Google. Think “wordle,” “youtube” and “yahoo mail.”
Ol’ reliable Google is the best tool to find your answer here. It’s rare it won’t give you what you need as a top result, quickly. Just scroll past the ads (marked with “sponsored”) and go to the first organic result.
An AI bot will “think” for a few seconds, then spit out a bunch of information you might find useful. That’s useless when all you need is a link. The Home Depot’s company history doesn’t matter when you just want to know their hours on Friday.
📜 Information: These searches are a little more detailed and have one specific answer. The most popular information queries on Google are things like “NFL scores,” “weather” and “what time is it.”
For real-time info like sports scores, AI chatbots are hit or miss. Many turn up outdated information. Google aces sports scores every time.
There are some exceptions. Ask Google how many weeks there are in a year, and you’ll get the exact calculation: 52.1429 weeks. Ask AI site You.com, and the answer is much more conversational: “It’s 52 weeks and a day, plus an added day on leap years.”
The big caveat: AI makes things up sometimes, and one bot’s answer may contradict another’s. You might waste a lot of time fact-checking.
7 things you should never ask Siri, Google Assistant or Alexa
You’re suddenly thrown into a situation where you must perform CPR to save a life. Oh, no — you don’t remember anything from that course 15 years ago.
You might think a quick “Hey, Siri” would pull up the instructions clearly, but that’s absolutely the worst thing to do. In a recent study, researchers asked voice assistants about cardiac arrest emergencies. Yep, it was a complete disaster.
12 feet tall
Giant skeletons are one of the Home Depot’s hottest items, selling out within hours every Halloween. They’re a spooky $299 (paywall link), but I’ve got a budget-friendly alternative: Human-sized skeletons for just $40. They’re so humerus!
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Our favorite cleaning products to get your home sparkling
Over the next couple of days, the team and I are sharing what you’ve been asking me for all month: Shopping picks! The goal is to take all the dread out of checking all your people off your list.
Some of you will think this is weird, and others will shout, “Me too, Kim!” I love getting my house sparkling clean after Thanksgiving. I put on some tunes, scrub every corner and then the house is ready for Christmas decorations. Here are some tools to make it easier.
Memorial Day weekend do’s and don’ts
Do you want to do some shopping this Memorial Day weekend? Here’s what’s worth buying and what you should definitely wait on, courtesy of the shopping pros at RetailMeNot.
✅ Check this secret link out: Amazon’s having a huge Memorial Day Sale. Savings of up to 50% across every product category. Here’s a link where you can search just what’s on sale.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
8 things that are cheapest to buy in February
It’s no secret that consumer prices fluctuate with the seasons. Every month brings new deals that you can count on yearly. February is no exception. With excellent sales and blowouts for holidays like Presidents Day and Valentine’s Day, you’ll be sure to save big on select goods.
6 things you shouldn't buy this month — and what to purchase to save big
The heart wants what the heart wants, but the truth is that it’s not always a good idea to rush out when you need something. Didn’t get what you wanted for Christmas? Tap or click here for six things you can get for a reasonable price.
Find the best holiday light displays near you with this map
The end of the year is fast approaching, and along with it comes nonstop holiday prep. Among the more stressful tasks is gift shopping.
Do you need help finding gifts for those hard-to-shop-for people? Tap or click here for gift ideas for the person who doesn’t want or need anything.
Money tip: 9 ways to make sure you can return the things you buy online
Buying stuff is fun, but it sometimes doesn’t work out as planned. Your purchase is either defective or not what you expected. Not to worry — you can always return it for a full refund, right?
Did you know that Costco’s “100% satisfaction guarantee” statement can actually be taken at face value? You can bring back anything from a dead plant to partially eaten food! Tap or click to hear Kim tell you all about it.
You can buy unclaimed USPS and Amazon packages - Here's how
Across the U.S., there are thousands of pieces of airline baggage that go unclaimed each year. Tap or click here for the one thing you should never put in checked luggage. Whether it was mishandled by the airline or a passenger forgot to pick it up, they can be found in almost every major city.
Thank you, veterans! Here are the best deals and freebies you can get today
When you have lost your parents, you probably think of them every day. That’s how I feel about my father. He served in the Army during the Korean War before working for United Airlines.
Since his passing, I miss him all the time. I even used a photo recreation tool to transform an old photo into a lifelike video. If you walk into my office, you’ll see his military medals shining under my office lights. It’s a daily reminder that I can be just as brave and selfless as he was.
Generators sold at Home Depot, Lowe's, Costco and more recalled for finger amputation and crushing hazards
A portable generator is handy to have around the house when the power goes out or to take on a camping trip for electricity. They should always be used with caution and operated in a manner that won’t harm others.
Unfortunately, accidents do happen. Whether it is through negligence or not paying attention, many people have been injured while using heavy equipment.
Watch out! A malicious ad is the top result when you search for this company on Google
So many different scams have transpired over the past year that it can be hard to keep up with new ones. The COVID-19 pandemic has opened up new ways for cybercriminals to target people on the web.
Think about all the COVID-related scams we’ve seen over the past few months alone. There have been tons of vaccine scams, stimulus check scams and even disinformation campaigns targeting people looking for vaccine information. This COVID vaccine scam is particularly nasty – here are the signs to watch for.
Safety alert: Home Depot ceiling fans recalled after reports that blades flew off
If you pay close attention, you already know that products get recalled by government watchdog agencies all the time. Some recalls are pretty minor and others could cause serious injury if not addressed immediately.
A recent example of the latter came from a smartphone charger that poses a dangerous fire hazard. If you have one of these chargers, you should take action ASAP. Tap or click here to find out which models were recalled and what to do next.
5 new smart ways to save on Amazon
Amazon is already one of the best places to shop online, but did you know you can save even more money if you know where to look?
Amazon shoppers, especially Prime members, have access to benefits like premium credit cards, subscription orders and other unique ways to save. Tap or click here to see how to get even more out of your Amazon account.
8 Memorial Day tech deals you can't afford to miss
It’s Memorial Day weekend and we’d like to begin by thanking everyone who has served in the U.S. military. So, thank you!
Now, with Memorial Day picnics and parades, we’ve also come to expect another major seasonal milestone: Memorial Day sales. You don’t even have to leave the comfort of your home to score these awesome tech deals.
Exposed! Secret database tracks everything you've ever returned
