Do You Support a Sales Tax for Online Purchases?

The Marketplace Fairness Act was approved in the U.S. Senate, and is headed for the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives. The bill would require merchants to collect sales taxes on online purchases.

It's called the "Marketplace Fairness Act" and supporters say it levels the playing field between online retailers and brick-and-mortar stores by requiring online merchants to pay sales taxes to the states, counties and localities where they have done business. Opponents include anti-tax activists and retailers who say it will be overly burdensome—in fact, nearly impossible, they say, to keep track of the tax rates and tax requirements for the myriad of taxing agencies where they may be doing business. The Marketplace Fairness Act passed the U.S. Senate 69-27 on Monday. Next up, the legislation goes to the GOP-led House. President Barack Obama has previously said he supports the bill. Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Democrat, voted for …

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PaulRevere's Mom

11:46 pm on Saturday, May 18, 2013

Oh MY! Even I am having a "TOUGH TIME" making any sense of YOUR RAMBLINGS. It's a leap to " Illegal Imigrants" and not "PUBLIC EDUCATION" this time. I'm confused. MAYBE IF I had another PINA COLADA! THIS WOULD MAKE MORE SENSE.   more ›

Ask the Patch Pro: Local Experts Answer Your Holiday Budgeting Questions

Our panel of experts are waiting in the comments to answer your questions about shopping and maintaining a budget during the holidays in the latest installment of Ask the Patch Pro.

It's time for another edition of Ask the Patch Pro, where each week we tackle a different topic and open up the comments section for questions. Our team of experts stop in to help you out and answer your questions. This week we're talking about sticking to a budget for the holiday shopping season. Patch wants to help find the answers to all your questions about wise holiday spending, but we needed a little help.  We've compiled a team of experts to help us out. Meet the experts:

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Black Friday: News and Updates

Find the latest on Black Friday lines, deals and news as it happens. If you see something we should know about, send us a tip at Maggie.Rotermund@patch.com or tweet @UniCityPatch.

It's the biggest shopping day of the year. Share your stories with Patch.

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Black Friday News and Updates

Find the latest on Black Friday lines, deals and news as it happens. If you see something we should know about, send us a tip at Lindsay.Toler@patch.com or tweet @StLouisLindsay.

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Brandon Fry - Local Volunteer

9:38 am on Friday, November 25, 2011

We got in and out with all of our video games in about 1 hour. We got some great deals and little hassle with long lines this year. Of course we avoided the big box stores. Once we left the mall and went to McDonald's it was a different story.   more ›

Black Friday Is Sooner Than You Think

The biggest shopping day of the holiday season will start at midnight after Thanksgiving this year in Creve Coeur.

Black Friday has become the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season and according to urban myth, it’s also the day when retailers start to show a profit. Whether or not that’s true, the day after Thanksgiving has been the biggest shopping day before Christmas for the last eight years, according to ShopperTrak, a market research company. ShopperTrak’s research shows that Americans spent $10.69 billion dollars on Black Friday 2010—the largest amount spent on a day after Thanksgiving holiday shopping spree. ShopperTrak said the second biggest shopping day is known as Super Saturday, which this year falls on December 17, the last Saturday before the Christmas weekend. Retailers have already started on their holiday displays, part of …

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Introducing Your Creve Coeur Patch Homecoming Style Guide

We've got some suggestions for where to find what you need to look your best on the homecoming dance floor.

Homecoming season is in full swing in Creve Coeur. Priory and Parkway Central students just marked theirs this past weekend, and this weekend De Smet and Pattonville High School get their turns to wear their formal and semi-formal best. As one of the first big events of the school year, homecoming is a big deal to most kids who want to look and feel their best, too. So, what are you wearing to homecoming this year? Homecoming Dresses There was a time when choices in homecoming dresses were pretty limited. You could wear cookie-cutter ball gowns with more petticoats than style, or they could wear something a little more casual—like a tea-length gown. Thankfully, times have changed. These days, instead of wearing yards of taffeta, there are …

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Dealing for Dollars: Shoppers and Retailers Fine Tune Holiday Strategies

Consumers and retailers are all doing their homework during this holiday season.

"Go all out for us, and we'll go all out for you." That seems to be the message retailers and shoppers are sending in and around Creve Coeur this holiday season. And if resident Patricia Ricks is any indication, local retailers could have smiles on their faces when the season is over. "I've loosened the purse strings a little more this year versus last year," said Hicks. "I know the economy is tough, but if you do your homework and really look for bargains, you can get the things you really need, as well as the things you want." As an example, Hicks said she was able to afford extra items during a trip to a hardware store. "You know, I went through the so-called big-box store circulars and decided I would do a little cost comparison with …

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