Ever wonder what to do with your old mobile phone?

Or that outdated iPod that you upgraded from years ago?

Or the myriad of chargers tangled up in a drawer that don't seem to fit any of your current gadgets?

If you're hungry for an answer, Pizza Pizza might be the solution.

In delivering on its commitment to the environment, the pizza giant is offering up free pepperoni slices in return for your old phones, iPods and chargers during the month of April.

First we heard of Wal-Mart weddings, now the latest buzz from the world's largest retailer is that it is considering having its in-store customers deliver packages to its online customers.

With millions of customers across the globe, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is hoping that this growing trend called "crowd-sourcing" will create speedier delivery services for its online buyers.

The idea is still, well -- just an idea, and all the details have yet to be worked out. For instance, an in-store customer would receive perhaps a store discount for dropping off a package on the way home to an online customer.

What do franchises like Pizza Nova, M&M Meat Shops, Cora and Coffee Culture have in common?

They all have the ingredients to be financially successful.

In Canada, one out of every five dollars spent ends up in the cash register of a franchise operation.

That's more than $100 billion each year, proving savvy marketing, solid fiscal planning and some calculated risks are helping franchises prosper north of the 49th parallel.

Talk about an evolution.

The Bay is rebranding the company and recently unveiled a new coat of arms logo along with a not so new name -- The Hudson's Bay Company.

I have to  admit, I do have a Hudson's Bay Company point blanket and coffee mug as well as an assortment of Canadian Olympic wear I purchased there such as my mittens, scarf, hoodie and yes, toque.

Heck, even Justin Bieber has been seen sporting what appears to be a Hudson's Bay toque with its trademark green, yellow, red and inidgo stripes in a selfie photo.

After enjoying a decent holiday shopping, North American retailers are once again another headache: merchandise returns and the con games that accompany them.

According to a National Retail Federation survey, return fraud cost merchants an estimated $8.9 billion in 2012, with nearly 30% coming during the holiday season. Overall, the survey shows that something like 4.6% of holiday returns are fraudulent.

Virtually every retailer (97%) reported being stung by crooks who collected refunds for stolen items, and almost half (47%) said they’d received fake receipts.

Equally common is the practice of "renting'' electronics for a few days or wearing an item for a special occasion then returning it — a practice called "wardrobing.'' Nearly two-thirds (65%) claim they've been stung this way within the last year.

This year, like many before it, will be a time when many things will rise in cost: items like flat-screen TVs (at least, those adding "smart" technology) and new cars (thanks to tougher fuel efficiency regulations for manufacturers).

So, what does a consumer do? We adapt. We buy the almost-as-good flat-screens without smart technology. We buy not new cars but rides that are one, two-years-old.

That's how regular shoppers, at least, spend. But what about major ad buyers, who clamour each year to be included in the Super Bowl broadcast, the magnum opus of the calendar's TV commercial biz?

They just spend, spend, spend, baby. Already, though each spot has gone for a new record price, CBS has sold out its Super Bowl commercial time, according to the network.

When it comes to snacking, certain items just belong together: chips and dip, wine and cheese, beer and pretzels.

But does that mix have to come from the same manufacturer? Apparently so.

Shoppers prefer matching brands for products that are consumed together because they believe products from the same brand have been designed that way, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.

In one study, consumers ate Tostitos brand tortilla chips and Tostitos brand salsa but were told that they were actually various combinations of fictional brands called Festivity or Party Time. When told that the two foods were from the same brand, however, consumers enjoyed the chips and salsa that much more. 

While shoppers may decide to opening their wallets a little wider this holiday season, they’re still interested in getting a bargain.

But just what constitutes a deal seems to differ sharply when it comes to gender. The research found that men and women have varying wish list priorities, although gift cards and money top both lists.

According to Discover, Mars and Venus shoppers are ...

* setting a limit, and checking it twice: 53% of women have set a budget for the holiday season and plan to spend $885 dollars, on average. Men expect to spend about two thirds of that.

* spending more on their children: Twice as many women, 56% compared to 28%, will spend the most on their children.

Dan Ariely, the author of a new book about dishonesty, says those who wear fake brands are more likely to lie and cheat than other people.

Slipping on imitation designer duds can fool others, of course. But you'll always know better. Which means wearing knockoffs, particularly if they're good fakes, is a small but undeniable act of duplicity that could say a lot more about you. 

Ariely talks about how he and fellow researchers had a group of female subjects take a series of tests while wearing Chloé sunglasses, informing them that the goods were either fake or real.

Repeatedly, the researchers found that those in the knockoff shades were more prone to exageration, if not outright lying.

Yesterday, the U.S. Justice Department filed a civil antitrust action against major book publishers and Apple, accusing the companies of colluding to raise the prices of e-books.

Two companies have decided to fight the charges although three other publishers have already caved, agreeing to a settlement designed to lower prices for consumers.

Will this mean that e-books will get cheaper? I think so, but there are those who argue that prices will ultimately rise because of this ill-fated suit, with Amazon being the big winner.