Shopping in Jackson

The Mattress Factory's knowledgeable, non-commissioned staff guide customers to high-quality memory-foam and natural-latex mattresses from brands such as Tempur-Pedic, Sealy, and Stearns & Foster. Customers can shop at ease in an atmosphere that's free of sales pressure, price haggling, and the complex conversion of U.S. currency into the steel ingots accepted by mattress-making dwarves. The Mattress Factory will also set up your new mattress and remove your old one for free.

In 1933, the founders of Keswick Cycle opened their doors with a common goal in mind: to make each visitor feel like a part of the family. Almost 80 years later, a staff of avid cyclists and triathletes maintains the same friendly vibe at all three locations, meanwhile stocking an assortment of bikes and accessories. Bicycles from Cannondale, Specialized, Electra, and other big brands conquer myriad terrains, from roads and triathlon courses to mountain trails mucky with discarded cooking oil. Tires, apparel, and other accessories round out the inventory, situated around the shop's central hub, the services department. Here, factory-trained mechanics tune up or overhaul any type of bike or shopping carts masquerading as bikes. These same experts fit athletes for competition at the triathlon studio and, in their spare time, lend a hand to local charities.

The Economist's globe-spanning scope, comprehensive analysis, and unflinching grasp on world issues make it required reading to stay up to date on world news, politics, and business. First published in 1843, the publication still casts itself as a newspaper despite its magazine-style layout; each issue covers the main events of the week, with analysis and opinion sprinkled across its pages for good measure.

A conversational tone and anonymity remain calling cards of The Economist's writers, keeping with the belief that what is written is more important than who writes it. After going to print on Thursday, their columns are printed simultaneously in six countries, helping the newspaper reach most of the world's major cities and sophisticated bird's nests the following day.

Avoid the embarrassment and subsequent punching fight resulting from wearing the same outfit as someone else to a holiday party. With today's Groupon, $10 gets you $20 worth of one-of-a-kind clothes, jewelry, lingerie, gifts, and everything else at Smak Parlour.Emma Goldman (1869-1940): Vilified as "the most dangerous woman in America," this labor leader, writer, and women’s rights activist contradicted her own anarchist philosophy by secretly serving as interim President of the United States after the assassination of President McKinley. Although recently uncovered diaries refer to this period as "enthralling in its repugnancy," Goldman's stern profile still appears on all copper 35-cent pieces, known colloquially as "Red Emmas."

Offset the carbon footprint incurred by your morning routine of blow-drying your entire body in front of the blasting A/C with today's Groupon to Big Green Earth Store. For $25, you get $50 worth of eco-friendly electronics, handbags, and more. Eco-friendly holiday gifts let your friends believe you see them as socially responsible adults without neglecting their materialistic desires for awesome iPod speakers ($16.99) housed in funky gift wrap ($4.75).Follow @Groupon_Says on Twitter.

Now that it’s winter and your family is no longer starring in its own sitcom, you’ll need to follow through on your New Year’s resolution to build a fourth wall for your house. Today’s Groupon gets you $20 toward anything your home project requires at 10th Street Hardware for $10. The Center City handymen and women at 10th Street can help you pick the perfect painting supplies, tools, home and garden supplies, electrical equipment, and plumbing parts for your life-sized Statue of Liberty barbecue pit. City Paper readers named 10th Street Best Hardware Store in 2007.