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Be prepared to navigate a maze to cancel that subscription

Jun 22, 2023
Behavioral economics helps explain why it's hard to unsubscribe.
The FTC alleges that Amazon intentionally complicated the cancellation process for Prime subscription service.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

California writers cafe changes the business model for coworking spaces

Apr 4, 2023
A subscription-based coworking site in San Francisco functions as a private coffee shop for members and fosters collaboration.
Page Street is open 24/7, with each member granted access through an electronic key.
Courtesy Janis Cooke Newman

How companies use “dark patterns” to keep you locked into online subscriptions 

Oct 26, 2022
Subscription-based models have been around for a while, but the internet is making them more ubiquitous than ever.
Some companies' websites have design elements aimed at deceiving consumers into buying their products or services.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Re-branding ... and re-discovering a love of gelato 

May 24, 2022
“Sometimes my husband jokes that I’m running a gelato non-profit, and it certainly does feel that way,” said Uli Nasibova, owner of Uli’s Gelato.
Jean Marie Biele

Netflix to test crackdown on freeloading viewers

Mar 17, 2022
It's adding a small fee to accounts with extra users, focusing on Latin America. In a competitive industry, it has to tread lightly.
Netflix will charge accounts small monthly fees for users outside their households, focusing on Chile, Costa Rica and Peru. Other streaming platforms will be watching how it plays out.
Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Nike hopes parents will sign up for kids' sneaker club

Aug 12, 2019
Parents would pay a monthly fee starting at $20 for four pairs of shoes, but how many do kids really need?
People walk by a Nike store in Manhattan in 2018 in New York, New York.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

What happens when a consumer giant like Edgewell buys a niche retailer like Harry's?

Jun 14, 2019
With deals like this, customers sometimes worry that the smaller brand will abandon its roots.
Edgewell is buying subscription razor company Harry’s. Above, English comic Benny Hill shaves at his flat in London in 1955.
John Pratt/Keystone Features/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

AMC makes a foray into subscription service

Jun 22, 2018
AMC, the nation’s largest movie theater chain, is dipping its toe into the subscription service pond. The company announced this week that it’s kicking off the summer movie season with AMC Stubs A-List. For about $20 a month, people will be able to see three movies a week at the theater. The service is double […]

Here’s why AMC Theaters are moving into movie subscriptions

Jun 22, 2018
The nation’s largest movie theater chain, AMC, is getting into the subscription service game. Starting next week, the company will offer passes for about $20 a month that get people in to see three movies per week. Click the audio player above to hear the full story.