White, oval decals with black block lettering have become a bit of a cultural phenomenon. Many people personalize their cars, water bottles and notebooks with the decals, which typically include three-letter combinations. It can be a bit of a challenge figuring out what the stickers mean.

If you see one that reads QRB, now you will know what it stands for: Quail Ridge Books & Music in Raleigh is selling the stickers for 99 cents.

Frozen pizza as an economic indicator?

Research firm IRI is reporting that frozen pizza sales are up 5.3 percent compared with this time last year, largely, experts say, because more people are eating at home rather than eating out. The companies that make those frozen pizzas aren't stupid. There has been a near explosion of new frozen pizza products from California Pizza Kitchen, gourmet chefs such as Wolfgang Puck and pizza companies introducing new items. Just something to think about the next time you pop a frozen pizza into the oven.

Trading up, down

I thought a recent story from The Pioneer Press was right on point. It said that consumers are deciding to "trade down" to cheaper goods. "Trading up" and "trading down" are retail industry catch phrases. When Starbucks hit the scene, there was much discussion about how the company had persuaded people to trade up to $4 lattes. But now we're seeing the reverse. People are trading down to generic paper towels and that good, old, cheap cup of drip coffee.

What about you? Where are you trading down, and are you trading up on anything?

Summertime is free movie time for children

In Durham, the Stadium 10 Movie Theatres at Northgate are running a Kids Summer Movie Camp every Tuesday and Thursday at 9:30 a.m., with free admission. It begins June 10 and runs through Aug. 14.

You can visit the Web site (eastcoastcinemas.com) to see the movie schedule. From the main site, click "movie listings and showtimes" and scroll down to the Kids Camp logo.

Regal theaters are offering free children's movies starting June 17 at most theaters. You can find that schedule at regmovies.com under "now showing."

A reader pointed out this offer: Children's movies aren't free at Six Forks Station, Colony and Mission Valley in Raleigh -- but they are a bargain. You can buy a ticket for 10 shows for $6, and the adult gets in free with a child. The seating is guaranteed (not first-come, first-served, like most of the free programs). There is also a popcorn and drink special. I found details at therialto.com.

Enforcing age limits for video games

Those who have children who love video games might be interested in a report from Game Daily. The Federal Trade Commission tested the nation's leading retailers to see whether they were stopping children from buying video games that are rated "mature."

The study found that some retailers are getting the job done. GameStop prevented underage children from buying the video games 94 percent of the time. Wal-Mart and Best Buy caught 80 percent of offenses. But other companies were not as diligent. Toys "R" Us caught 73 percent of underage shoppers; Target, 71 percent; Kmart, 69 percent; Circuit City, 62 percent and Hollywood Video, 60 percent.

I'm curious about what you have experienced. Have you ever had a child turn up with a mature-rated video game?

Changing customer service

In case you can't tell, I've been catching up on my reading lately. I always feel I should share the interesting stories I find. This time, CNN Money reports that at kayak.com, a discount travel site that searches the Web for good travel deals, there are no customer service representatives.

Instead, each employee, including co-founder Paul English, spends 20 minutes a day responding to customer complaints, comments and questions. English thinks this promotes quick responses and more interaction with customers. I think it's brilliant.

Learning to love U-scan

When stores introduced self-checkout lanes, people weren't sure what to make of them. Since then, the do-it-yourself lines have gained some traction. Progressive Grocer reported this week that sales at self-checkout lanes grew 19 percent last year.

I've shared with you before that people who use these lanes are less tempted to buy gum and candy and other impulse items that retailers so conveniently place near the register. And truth be told, I still like having someone scan and bag my purchases. But I know there are folks out there who just love to do the work themselves. Where do you fall?