The Money Store

Some Aeon group stores, including the Maibasu convenience store chain, are temporarily unable to process credit card and WAON electronic money payments, according to an Asahi Shimbun report carried by Gunosy. Shoppers in Japan are being alerted to the payment outage, which could affect everyday purchases at the affected locations.

A man has admitted to carrying out a $157,000 retail fraud scheme that reportedly involved a 'magic trick' technique, according to a local news report. The case is drawing attention for the unusual method used to defraud retailers out of a large sum of money. Details about the defendant's identity and the stores affected have not yet been widely reported.

Investor Frank Holmes says governments will print $100 trillion and argues investors should buy bitcoin and gold as protection against currency debasement. His comments have circulated among gold and cryptocurrency audiences, who see the call as part of the broader debate over inflation, ballooning deficits and hard-asset hedges.

Kiplinger is asking where savers should park $25,000 in the current environment, weighing options such as high-yield savings accounts, certificates of deposit, money market funds and Treasury bills as interest rates remain elevated but uncertain. The piece reflects a broader question among households holding cash: whether to lock in yields now or wait for rates to move.

Bitcoin Cash (BCH) is trading at $309.28, giving the cryptocurrency a total market capitalization of about $6.22 billion. The figures were shared with Bitcoin Cash advocates using hashtags promoting the coin as a form of real money rather than just a store of value, reflecting the community's long-running 'Bitcoin is cash' positioning against Bitcoin itself.

The Storm ransomware group has added new entries to its leak site, naming The Money Store, Silvercup Studios and Century Management Services among its latest claimed victims. The listings were flagged by threat intelligence monitors who track ransomware group blogs. Ransomware crews routinely publish victim names to pressure companies into paying, and each new post typically prompts checks by security researchers and affected firms.

NerdWallet explores whether practising 'pretend shopping' — browsing stores or adding items to a cart without buying — can help people curb impulse spending. The idea is that satisfying the urge to shop without completing a purchase may reduce real spending. It is part of ongoing personal finance advice about managing temptations and building better money habits.

New reporting from Chain Store Age indicates fashion shoppers are most interested in AI shopping tools when those tools help them save money. The finding suggests price-related features such as deal discovery and discount alerts resonate more with consumers than other AI applications in fashion retail, signalling where retailers may focus their AI investments.

A new personal finance piece argues that Costco's biggest money-saver isn't something shoppers find on store shelves, pointing instead to a benefit outside the warehouse itself. The article suggests members may be overlooking a perk that saves them more than in-store bulk deals. Shoppers interested in getting more value from their memberships are taking note of the claim.

Game X Change is buying used video games and consoles from customers for cash, as part of a local business feature highlighting how the trade-in model works. The store lets gamers turn unwanted systems and titles into money, reselling them to other players. The piece showcases a secondhand gaming business serving its community.