I got an e-mail while I was on vacation from a reader named John who wanted to know my thoughts about gift card exchange sites, or sites where you can sell or trade gift cards you don't want.

In all, I think they're fine businesses and a good outlet for unwanted gift cards. But most sites do charge a percentage of each "sale" to cover their operating costs. So you will never recover the full value of your card.

If you're going to use one, I'd recommend plasticjungle.com. But, before you do that, you might consider getting on a site like SavvyDollar.org or hotcouponworld.com, where people swap items like coupons and gift cards. That way you might be able to get face value, or something worth face value in exchange. Or, just hang onto it and re-gift your card when you have the chance.

Starbucks has been trying a lot of new things as it tries to reinvent itself. But this one actually got my attention.

The company has redesigned the Web site consumers use to manage their gift cards for Starbucks. I've always been a fan of this site because it protects your card balance in the case of loss or theft once you register your card. Not all retailers do that.

But now you can also transfer money between cards if you have more than one. That's the perfect solution for people like me who always end up with 40 cents on one card and 24 cents on another. Eventually, all those cents will add up to another drink, and this makes me a lot more likely to get the most from my gift card balances. Cheers.

I had a really funny e-mail exchange this week with reader Michele. She said her husband, Tristan, says she practices "Cou Pon Do," like Tae Kwon Do but with coupons. According to Michele, she has a 9th degree black belt.

I thought that was just hysterical, and it reminded me of a post not so long ago when I said my husband calls me the Coupon Fairy, since I like to share the wealth at the store.

What funny nicknames have you earned with your savvy shopping ways? Please share! I have a feeling this could be a fun one!

Several months ago, I got a press release from a company promoting a new product called the List Caddy. It's a clip of sorts that holds your shopping list and coupons and attaches right to your cart.

I'm not sure it was designed for a "heavy couponer" like me. But I could see its practical applications, especially if you're the type of shopper who tends to misplace your shopping list. The List Caddy is $3.99 and is available in a number of colors on the List Caddy Web site. Check out the video below explaining the product.

And, since the PR company sent me a sample, I have one to give away. To enter, share one tip for staying organized at the store and provide your full name and the town in which you live. I'll pick a winner next week.

In retailing, some companies try to make you feel like shopping at their stores is like a treasure hunt: You never know what you will find, and you may be pleasantly surprised by what you do discover.

This has the added benefit of constantly surprising customers in a good way, and it keeps them coming back more often. But it's also fairly difficult to maintain a steady flow of new "treasure hunt" items.

At the top of my list of stores that really do this well: Costco and Trader Joe's.

And so I'm asking... what's your favorite treasure hunt find of all time?

Those of you who read this blog regularly know that I do love those TV infomercials for crazy products, especially the one for the Sham-Wow (the Spanish version is even better... YouTube it).

Anyway, here's the latest TV infomercial that had me laughing. It's the latest version of the Snuggie, that weird blanket-sweatshirt hybrid that has been all over TV lately — and it's for dogs. Watch the video below, and feel free to nomiate your own favorite "made for TV" product...

Many of you already know that you can save a lot simply by paying attention to when stores are clearing out their seasonal merchandise.

For instance, if you buy your holiday cards and wrapping paper for next year on Dec. 31 after this year's holiday, you will save a substantial amount.

But if you've ever wondered about other items not so clearly tied to a holiday, you may want to check out this guide from Kiplinger. It outlines the best time of the year to buy certain items.

If you participate in Harris Teeter's Together In Education (or TIE) program, now is the time to link your VIC card to the school you wish to support.

For those of you who are not familiar with the program, TIE is a school fund-raising effort in which Harris Teeter donates money to a school of your choice when you purchase select Harris Teeter brand items.

To participate, you must link your VIC card each year around this time to your participating school. So, if you want to do the TIE program this year, click here for the page to re-link your card.

I happened to be driving around up on Falls of Neuse Road this afternoon when my daily 2 p.m. coffee craving hit.

So I stopped at It's a Grind in the Quail Corners Shopping Center (Falls and Millbrook roads). It's one of those coffeehouses where you pay for your cup and then select from a number of coffees that are all lined up and ready to pour. I was standing there trying to decide between "strong" and "medium" and I asked the clerk, "Does the strong taste like mud or like coffee?" He smiled, handed me a small sample cup and said, "You taste it and tell me."

It's a small gesture and one that cost the store all of two sips of coffee, but one that I greatly appreciated. And it gave me the information I needed to steer away from the strong and stick to the medium. I wish more stores and restaurants would understand that it's the little things that really matter in making a customer service experience exceptional.

I know I'm not alone. Feel free to share your stories, too... 

We've touched on this topic before, but I have a reason to revisit it.

I got the following letter from reader Leslie about some exceptional customer service she received. If you have a story to share, a shout out to give, etc., please feel free...

First, there is a story to set the stage... We have neighbors who received the devastating news last week that their 6-year-old son has cancer. They were vacationing in Georgia at the time, and are still there in the hospital receiving treatment until he is stable enough to transfer his care back to North Carolina. They live in a rental house in our neighborhood, and the owners of the house have kept it in a state of poor repair. The lawn and natural areas are full of weeds, the shrubs are overgrown, the natural areas are full of brush, and the yard is just downright depressing. This family that is renting the house has made multiple attempts to have this addressed by the owners, without success.
 
After their son's diagnosis, several of us got together and decided to do some landscaping ourselves. We are not sure when this family will be coming back from Georgia, but we figured that it would bring some joy to them to find their yard in better shape, and wanted to add some color to help cheer them up.
 
Enter Jeannie, one of the managers at Home Depot in Apex. We told her the story of our neighbors and took her pictures of their yard. She spent well over an hour with us this past Saturday, helping us to find plants that would be low-maintenance, drought tolerant, and would provide a burst of color to spruce up their home and yard. The amazing thing was that she charged us $150 for over $400 worth of plants and other landscaping supplies!!!! I think she was very touched by this family's story, and was so eager to make a difference. I just can't say enough about how much she helped us, not only in advising us how to landscape their yard, but financially making it more feasible for us to do so. I am overwhelmed by her generosity and her compassion, and wanted to share this with you.