Consumer Reports Magazine

Consumer Reports Magazine is published by the Consumers Union. The Consumers Union is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to testing products, informing the public, and protecting consumers. Every month, Consumer Reports tests dozens and dozens of home products, health products, beauty products, financial services, automobiles, and more. And they do it free of commercial interests.

Consumer Reports: Answering To No-One But You

Since 1936, the Consumers Union has made its income solely on the sale of its magazines, as well as from non-commercial grants and donations. This allows Consumer Reports Union and her magazine to follow a strict no-advertising policy. Consumer Reports magazine accepts no advertising, and refuses to allow its findings to be used in the advertisement of products.

This means that Consumer Reports is completely free of commercial interests and pressures. In addition to refusing any advertising, the staff and researchers of Consumer Reports also accept no gifts. This keeps the writing and researching staff completely unbiased in their reporting.

There are a few drawbacks to relying entirely on Consumer Reports for one's product and service research. One, Consumer Reports tends to test only the most well known brands. It's possible that you might not even be able to find the product brand name you're most interested in. But, in this case, CR will list the things that are most important in selecting that good or service, so that you know how to judge your favorite brand for yourself.

Another drawback is that CR can be very traditional and mainstream. Meaning, many "new age" products such as hybrid cars or alternative medicines may receive dismissive attention. However, if you're in the market for a new vacuum cleaner, want to know which television has the best audio, or are considering investing in a money market account, you can do worse than relying on the staid, practical and sound advice that CR provides every month.