Blog Posts by CNBC

By Phil LeBeau, CNBC.com

Are We Safe Drivers? Americans Say Yes

Progressive Insurance has a new poll out that reveals what Americans think about their own driving.Given the steady flow of headlines about distracted driving and how American drivers seem more interested in everything but staying focused behind the wheel, a new study on how we see ourselves paints an interesting picture.

Progressive Insurance commissioned Harris Interactive to poll just over a thousand Americans about their driving habits.

Here's how those drivers view themselves behind the wheel:

-84 percent of drivers define themselves as cautious (49%) or defensive (35%)

-82 percent of those surveyed said they either leave at least two car lengths between their car and the car in front of them (49 percent) or follow the 2-3 second rule (33 percent).

-Approaching a yellow light, two-thirds of drivers (63 percent) say they slow down and prepare to come to a full stop.

-In the past three years, 72 percent of drivers have not been in an accident or received a moving -violation.

Progressive Insurance says the

By Colleen Kane, CNBC.com

It's Business 101.

Anyone who has ever tried to achieve a goal knows rejection and failure are a normal and healthy part of the process. It's more prevalent in some occupations, especially in the arts (and particularly among, ahem, writers).

The following examples show a pattern: Persistence pays off. Woody Allen said, "Ninety percent of life is just showing up." But judging from the tales ahead, perhaps an amendment to this quote is in order: "Ninety percent of success is showing up, and showing up and showing up."

See the Slideshow: Successes That Almost Weren't

As for the parties doing the rejecting, for those who shy from the new and different, refusal to look ahead can mean being left in the dust. When a struggling Bell Telephone offered the sale of its patents to Western Union, the famous reply rejecting the offer makes for an entertaining read today: "Why would any person want to use this ungainly and impractical device when he can send a messenger

By Margo D. Beller, CNBC.com

Couples DiningAmerica's obsession with food and restaurant-style meals they can make at home are cooking up some fine holiday sales at Sur la Table, CEO Jack Schwefel told CNBC Tuesday.

Unlike Williams-Sonoma, which he said is a great place to buy a cooking-related gift, his privately held company is "a hardware store for cooks, where people who really get excited about cooking come because of our breadth of assortment" and the employees who show them how to use the products.

Television's Food Network, supermarkets including Whole Foods and the ubiquitous Martha Stewart "opened up everyone's eyes for what could be and what you can do at home. Many people go out to eat, have a great meal and say, 'I can do that at home now,' and we're here to help provide the tools to do that."

He said the company, with 92 stores, did very well over the Black Friday weekend.

"It's been an interesting season so far," he said. "It remains to be seen how strong this holiday season is"

By Coeli Carr, CNBC.com

"I want to preserve the idea of makeup as a ritual." - Gabriela Hernandez CEO, Besame Cosmetics

Bésame Cosmetics is ready for its close-up.

Vintage-inspired cosmetics.The vintage-inspired cosmetics company couldn't have asked for a more authentic platform to display its products. They are in full view, displayed on a vanity table in "The Artist," a film that was recently voted this year's best movie by the New York Film Critics Circle and by many accounts is on the fast-track to an Oscar nomination.

"It was an authentic vanity, and our products looked like they belonged there," said Bésame Cosmetics CEO Gabriela Hernandez. She said the movie's props manager, who knew about Bésame, had approached her for products and historical information during the production of the film and decided to use her products in a scene. The film is set in 1927 Hollywood.

It was the products' authentic packaging that helped seal the deal to get her products in the film, which have also been featured in the

By Valerie Reiss, CNBC.com

Gifts That Keep On Giving

Are you looking for more meaningful gifts this holiday season? One way to do that is to pick a present that not only surprises your loved ones, but also gives back by helping those in need.

We've rounded up gift ideas that will be enjoyed by a range of recipients - from women to men to the kiddos - that also donate to a wide array of charitable causes. These charities use a portion of the profits from their products to support causes, such as employing women in war-torn Uganda, teaching kids in U.S. cities to write, finding medical cures, and more.

See the slideshow: Holiday Gifts That Give Back

So that pretty necklace? It makes her look great and gives people hope. Now that's a trend worth following.

Check out some ideas for holiday presents that keep on giving, and double your generosity with a single gift.

TOMS SunglassesA Bright Future

You may have heard of TOMS one-for-one footwear program: The company has donated more than one million

By John Carney, CNBC.com

Women are often paid less than men because women tend not to negotiate their salaries.

The common response to this is to tell women to negotiate more. The trouble, however, is that men seem to be biased against women who negotiate.

.Kevin Drum at The Nation describes a study on the subject.

Their study...found that women's reluctance [to negotiate] was based on an entirely reasonable and accurate view of how they were likely to be treated if they did...."What we found across all the studies is men were always less willing to work with a woman who had attempted to negotiate than with a woman who did not," Bowles said. "They always preferred to work with a woman who stayed mum. But it made no difference to the men whether a guy had chosen to negotiate or not."

Megan McArdle at The Atlantic adds:

When I was in business school, I learned about a case that had been run experimentally. I may hash some of the details, but the gist is that half the classes that

By Christina Cheddar Berk, CNBC.com

Not surprisingly, the way men and women shop online mirrors very closely how they shop offline, according to Andrew Robertson, CEO at advertising agency BBDO.

The differences in how men and women shop online mirror very closely how they shop offline, says BBDO CEO Andrew Robertson.Men tend to be very task-focused when they shop online, Robertson said. "They don't shop, they hunt," he said, adding that they tend to make purchases at night.

Women, however, tend to think of shopping as "a journey" and they are more likely to buy during their lunch breaks between noon and 1 p.m., he said.

The result: When it comes time to make a purchase, men shop online for an average of 10 minutes before they complete their purchase, while a woman may take about 14 minutes or so - or about 40 percent longer.

So why can't a woman shop more like a man? The answer is: she can. But that tends to occur when the pressure is on to make a speedy purchase. For example, on a day like Black Friday or Cyber Monday the gender gap narrows, according to Robertson.

He thinks retailers need to keep

By Cindy Perman, CNBC.com

Want to know how the economy's doing? Check the meat aisle.

.In the middle of the recession, grocery stores were slashing prices on everything, including high-end food items - some offered lobster at lunchmeat prices and others offered steak for $5.

That all seemed pretty shocking, but the situation seems to have gotten even worse. Now, filet mignon has made the top 10 list of things people shoplift, according to a list compiled by Adweek.

There are some predictable items on the list - like booze, razor blades and Elmo dolls.

But filet mignon?

Yep. Police say that choice cuts of meat are the most common thing people steal at grocery stores. And, for that matter, grocery stores are the No. 1 place thieves go to steal. The loss rate for "luxury meat," as it's called, jumped 21 percent between 2009 and 2011, according to Justice Department statistics.
A pack of gum or razor blades? Easy to toss into your pocket. But how do you just casually slip a drippy