Business & Economy, business and economy

Costco Wholesale plans to accept food stamps at its warehouse stores nationwide, a major shift for a company that earlier this year said it doubted there would be enough demand among customers to warrant accepting food stamps in even one market, New York City.

The challenging hiring environment has led some job seekers to use unorthodox tactics to grab attention. Robert Half International recently asked executives to name the most unusual strategies applicants have employed.

Dear Debt Adviser,

I have a question in regard to debt. My wife and I are currently in the process of modifying our mortgage. However, as soon as we started the modification process, our credit card limit was reduced significantly. Will a mortgage modification affect our credit? If so, for how many years?

-- Jes

Dear Jes,

Mark Doble's business venture, Aviator Brewing, started with a simple premise: People like beer. People like airplanes. Putting the two together seemed like a good idea -- even though the economy was in a tailspin.

He launched his craft brewery in November. A detailed plan, a thrifty mind and some engineering know-how have helped the venture thrive.

As they scoped out dress-up possibilities at A&H Costume Rentals & Sales in Riverside, Calif., Derek and Madonna Martin said they've been doing more comparison shopping this year than in past seasons before plunking down cash for costumes and other Halloween goods.

Procrastinate, according to Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, is "to put off intentionally and habitually the doing of something that should be done."

In these times of low profits and high unemployment, what people used to call "burnout" has become the new normal.

Stressed out? Check. Anxious? You bet. Feeling overworked? Only during waking hours.

You've gone to great lengths to craft the perfect resume. You've proofread with diligence, carefully dotting every i and crossing every t. But before you submit your resume, you should re-read each bullet point or sentence and ask yourself this question: Will including this piece of information help a prospective employer better understand my skills, abilities and professional experience?

An overwhelming majority of a panel of economists from across the country say the severe recession that started almost two years ago has come to an end.

Four out of five members of a panel from the National Association for Business Economics this week said the economy has been growing since July and that the last two quarters of 2009 will indicate growth.

A recent New York Times front-page article reported that in July job seekers outnumbered available jobs 6-1 and that there were 2.4 million official job openings but 14.5 million people looking for work.