Clark Biweekly 5 12 25

Author

Anthony Hazzard
May 12, 2025

Have you heard the story of an 8-year-old ordering nearly 70,000 suckers? Read all about it and more later in this email. 

💵 Today’s Top Stories
No

Never exchange money at an airport, invest with a bank or talk rudely to customer support. These items cause Clark to bring out his trademark “never, never, not ever” catchphrase. Read more.

AirTag

Lost luggage is an even bigger issue than ever. Should you do something to track your checked baggage? Or is it better to follow Clark’s key travel rule? Read more.

Bill

Water costs are increasing at more than twice the pace of inflation. Just one of these easy fixes can save you 25-60% on your water bill each year. Read more.

Jobs

The debate between working in an office vs. at home rages on. But what if the sweet spot is a little of both? Here are the best companies for hybrid jobs. Read more.

Apple

This is a “good news (Uber), bad news (T-Mobile)” situation for 2% cash back card holders. Here are the details and our analysis of whether the card is worthy of your wallet. Read more.

🏠️ Today’s Current Mortgage Rates

According to Freddie Mac, 30-year mortgage rates are 6.76% and 15-year rates are 5.89% as of May 8, 2025. The following chart shows the 30-year mortgage rate trend over the last year.

🍭 How a Mom Returned $4,000 Worth of Surprise Suckers

A 46-year-old mom in Lexington, Kentucky, was getting ready to go to church when a delivery worker appeared at her front door.

The worker dropped off 30 25-pound boxes of lollipops – almost 70,000 in total.

Holly LaFavers was perplexed … until her 8-year-old son exclaimed, “Mom, my suckers are here!”

Eventually, LaFavers wrote on Facebook, “After a long day of working with the bank and talking to a few news stations, Amazon called and they are refunding my money!”

The mom may have gotten suckered by her own kid on this order. But she clearly knows a few tricks to navigate customer service in a sticky situation.

Here are Clark’s simple tips to get the best customer service in case you ever find yourself in a cherry-flavored pickle of sorts.

📊 Stat of the Day

📦️ -55%: Month-over-month decrease in web traffic to Chinese discount retailer Temu in April. The de minimis exception allowing cheap imported packages to avoid taxes and quickly reach destinations expired May 2. Customers reportedly hoarded cheap Temu products in advance of significant price hikes – then stopped visiting Temu in droves.

💰️ Deal Alert: Today’s Top Deals
32 Degrees
Woot
🎙️ Podcast

It’s time for "Clark Stinks!" Christa reads the latest "Clark Stinks!" submissions and Clark responds. Also, owning a restaurant has been a tough business. But new innovations are helping both owners and consumers!

☎️ Need Money Help?

The Team Clark Consumer Action Center is a free helpline that can help you navigate your money questions. Call 636-492-5275. Visit clark.com/cac for more information.

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