news-record.com

Call it a win-win for your wallet and your peace of mind: free yoga.

Several yoga studios in the Triad are offering free classes Saturday as part of Yoga Day USA.

The annual event was created by the Yoga Alliance to help promote the health and wellness benefits of yoga.

More information at www.yogadayusa.org.

In Greensboro, Triad Yoga Institute (1712-A Spring Garden St.; 275-6622) is offering three free morning classes.

One starts at 8 a.m., and two start at 9:30 a.m., including a yoga class for kids and parents.

More information about Triad Yoga is available at www.triadyoga.com.

Mind/Body/Fitness Yoga (2949 Battleground Ave.; 392-9224) is offering eight free classes that begin every hour starting at 8 a.m.

All items in the store, including yoga mats, will be 10 percent off Saturday.

More information, including a class schedule, can be found at www.mindbodyfitnessyoga. com.

For you newbies out there, a piece of advice from a fellow yoga novice: stretch, stretch and stretch beforehand.

My wife and I attended a Mind/Body/Fitness Yoga class one night last week, and boy, my lower back was killing me the next day.

But never fear. Mind/Body/Fitness Yoga's free 3 p.m. class Saturday is about back care.

Also, be mindful of what studio owner Andrea Dyer refers to as "psychic fleas."

That's when you start to itch and can't stop from wanting to scratch and it seems to multiply.

But I'm going to stick with this whole yoga thing because there are many benefits. No pain, no gain as they say.

Maybe someone can invent a psychic flea repellent.

Bubble's year-end sale

Bubble's Kids (4414 Lawndale Drive, Greensboro; 286-3588) is having a year-end sale through Feb. 2.

That means all items are 20 percent to 50 percent off consignment store prices.

Items include maternity clothes, clothing for newborns through size 6, swings, highchairs and toys.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

For more information, visit www.bubbleskids.com.

Design Archives clearance

Design Archives (338 Tate St., Greensboro; 272-1800) is having a winter clearance sale.

Everything is 25 percent off, except for jewelry.

The 5,000-square-foot store sells wearable and collectible vintage clothing and textiles and vintage and antique textile swatches, including items from the 1880s to the 1980s.

For more information, visit www.shopdesignarchives.com.

Big shipment of wool rugs

Sylvia's Outlet (4654 U.S. 29, Greensboro; 621-6466) recently received a large shipment of Royal Palace 100-percent wool rugs.

The largest are 9 by 12 feet. There are also many 8-by-10-foot rugs and smaller sizes.

The store also has some three-piece rug sets for less than $100 while supplies last.

Buys on gym equipment

Getting fit without blowing your budget is a goal many of us share.

A new report by Consumer Reports might be worth checking out if you're in the hunt for new gym equipment.

The magazine tested 48 machines. It recommends 14 treadmills and ellipticals for a home workout, including five "best-buy choices" which combine performance and value.

The report is part of the "Get Fit in 2010" do-it-yourself guide at www.Consumer ReportsHealth.org.

Foot Locker closing stores

If Foot Locker was a shoe-in for sneaker shopping in your household, those days could be numbered.

The footwear and accessories company recently announced plans to cut about 120 jobs and close 117 stores by the end of January as it looks to become more efficient and competitive.

The company said the job cuts would come in its home office and field management operations.

It did not say in a news release what stores would be closed. The company has numerous stores in the Triad.

The stores, mostly domestic Foot Locker and Lady Foot Locker locations, were likely to be closed in the fourth quarter.

Renting textbooks

College students and their parents hoping to save a little on the high cost of textbooks might be interested to hear Barnes & Noble's announcement Monday about launching a rental program.

The program is available though campus bookstores and Barnes & Noble-managed Web sites. It's designed to trim textbook costs by as much as 50 percent for some titles. Textbooks rented online will be shipped to a campus bookstore. It's already in place in about 25 campus bookstores nationwide.

Barnes & Noble operates bookstores at nearly 640 colleges across the country, including UNCG, Elon University and High Point University, according to its Web site.

Triad Sam's Clubs still open

Walmart recently announced it's closing 10 money-losing Sam's Club stores. Locations in the Triad will remain open.

The company is also cutting 1,500 jobs to reduce costs.

The stores are in Idaho, California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, Texas and Arizona.

They will close Friday.

Become Web Savvy

Check out Bargain Blog at news-record.com, where you also can sign up to become a fan of the blog's Facebook page.

Also, subscribe to the free, weekly Bargain Bytes e-newsletter at www.news-record.com/bargains.

You can sign up for my Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/bargainblog.

Do you have a retail tip for Savvy Shopper? Contact Mike Fuchs at 373-3465 or michael.fuchs@news-record.com