Are You Insured Against the Weather?

No kidding. The retailer, Joyner writes, "took out a $10 million insurance policy to cover its business activity from mid-November to the end of last month" as a hedge against unseasonably warm weather, which results in slow sales of winter merchandise.

If you think that takes the cake, read on. Joyner also reports that companies are hiring meteorologists to help them plot the best times to sell coats and boots.

These folks are thinking outside the weather map.