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

12:20 am on Monday, May 20, 2013

Let me commend you on your typing abilities. In 1986 the US congress passed "new laws" for immigration. Even though we had hundreds of laws stating exactly how to deport those breaking the laws. None were followed. The Govt just did not follow the laws. Amnesty took place with maybe under 6mill illegals kept in this country. So now we have over 14mill new illegals. So now in 2013 congress wants …   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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News Nearby

35 Galleria Stores to Open at Midnight on Black Friday

The others in the mall will open at 6 a.m.

As area stores plans their earliest Black Friday openings ever, the St. Louis Galleria will be open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Black Friday, Nov. 23. These Galleria shops will be open even longer, opening at 12 a.m. on Black Friday. Other St. Louis-area malls plan early Black Friday openings. All the Galleria stores listed below will be open from 12 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday.

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Best Friends Cool Off and Chill Out at Yogurt Shop

Yogurt is cool and refreshing at Chill in Ladue.

Summer days in June bring everyone outdoors for fun summer activities like summer camp at John Burroughs, a day at the park, swimming at granny’s house or a leisurely day of shopping. Afterward, very little is more refreshing than a cup of the cold stuff – yogurt that is. Patch stopped by Chill frozen yogurt shop on Clayton Road in Ladue and found that it was the happening place to “cool” off and “chill” out. More than a few kids convinced their parents to, “please, please have some yogurt at chill.” As young children often do, they begged and the pleas could be heard a block away. ““I love coming here a lot. My dad said it would be alright if we went here,” said Nicolas Newman. Begging wasn’t necessary; his dad, Andrew Newman, was not …

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James Baer

7:47 pm on Saturday, June 16, 2012

Really enjoyed this stop at Chill. All those goodies are just hard to pass up, especially on a very hot June afternoon.   more ›

Moms Talk Q&A

Moms Talk: How Can Parents Teach Safety While Shopping?

If your child thinks it's funny to run away and hide while visiting public places, what can you say to make him stay in your sight?

This week's Moms Talk Q&A question deals with child safety and discipline. Suppose you take your children shopping at the mall. Your 5-year-old thinks it's cute to play hide and seek, so he disappears into racks of clothing in the dressing room behind the sales counter. So onto this week's question: How do you get through to your child this is not a good game to play while you are shopping? How can you teach him about the possible risks of leaving your line of sight?

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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 ›

Best of Business

Profile: Local Man's Personal Vision Makes Business Sense

An active member of the Ladue and Olivette communities, Greg Yawitz envisioned and built a shopping center designed around what he believed the community wanted.

It’s not often that a shopping center is developed by someone who created it to suit his own interests. But that’s exactly what Greg Yawitz of McKnight Investors and Keat Properties, LLC did when he built The Shoppes at Price Crossing in 2006. “I had a vision for what we wanted in Olivette and part of that was my selfish vision of what I wanted in that space and what I knew my neighbors wanted,” he said. “I wanted a place where people in the community would congregate, which is what’s behind the extremely large patio in front of the building. I even put in a fountain that shoots down, not up, so water doesn’t blow on customers. I wanted a local hangout, like a Cheers-type environment.” Formula for success With 90 percent occupancy of the …

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Plaza Frontenac For Sale: What Do You Think?

Shoppers weigh in on a Frontenac mainstay that will likely change hands.

Even though information about the upcoming sale of Plaza Frontenac was published in the Wall Street Journal and St. Louis Post-Dispatch, it seems some folks have no idea the mall is for sale. Here’s what Ladue-Frontenac Patch learned on a recent trip to the venerable shopping center when we asked shoppers and employees what they thought about the pending sale: Lynda Anderson, Kirkwood resident "I’ve heard nothing about the sale. I’m pretty shocked and had no clue. I come here a lot; I’m a regular here. I’m here twice a week, sometimes three. I don’t want to lose it especially lululemon where I’ll be teaching yoga this Sunday. I love Canyon Café and I love going to Brio and Flemings." Helen Pollak, hairdresser at Stonewater Spa "Again? I’ve…

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