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circuit city
Circuit City Says Rogue Firedog Was Wrong, Refunds $40 'Repair' Fee
Last week we wrote about a Circuit City customer who was charged $40 without warning for "repairs" to a brand new computer. We received several explanations from Circuit City insiders, both in the comments and through email, that the repair was mandatory—Acer and Circuit City had agreed that instead of pulling the PCs, the retailer's Firedog techs would flash the BIOS in-store upon purchase. What was unclear was how or why this would fall under the Firedog "Quickstart" service, which is optional and includes things like removing shortcuts from your desktop and setting up your background. (Seriously, check it out here.) Yesterday we received the following interesting email from Circuit City HQ. More »
target
Do You Want To Save 10% By Opening A Target Visa? Just Kidding!
Reader Nancy says that Target rejected the 10% coupon she received for being a Target Visa card holder. When she asked why, the cashier told her it had probably been used, but had no more information.More »
returns and exchanges
Target Will Not Let You Return These Shoes Because They Are "Worn"
Reader I. ordered some shoes from Target.com, only to find out that they were so big that they fell off her feet when she tried them on. No worries, she would just print her receipt and bring them back to her local Target. Right? Wrong.More »
firedog
Circuit City Firedog Charges $40 To 'Fix' Computer You Just Bought
Update: Circuit City says the repair should have been free. Here's their response. Travis writes that a friend of his just bought a new computer from Circuit City, and after turning down all of the Firedog's "it won't work unless you also buy this" offers, he noticed a $40 fee on his receipt. Turns out the associate claims he had to flash the computer's BIOS or Vista wouldn't work. Travis writes, "Regardless of the fact that Vista booted up just fine with out the update, he was more disturbed with the fact that Circuit City would sell him a computer that they knew didn't work, or so they say." So does Circuit City sell computers that don't work without a preliminary repair, or do they lie in order to generate extra fees? More »
Target's profits fell for the 4th straight quarter as the retailer's sales failed to keep pace with Walmart. [Bloomberg]
retail
Why Do Americans Insist On Buying Cheap Crap Instead Of High Quality Merchandise?
Over at MSN Money there's an interesting article about the tyranny of cheap crap that we, as a people, are accustomed to living under. Why do we buy a coat every year instead of one high quality coat that will last many years? Why do we buy crappy kitchen knives that go dull and become dangerous? Do we enjoy shopping so much that we're content to keep rebuying the same stuff? More »
bad deals
Target's Degree Deodorant Pricing Scheme Rewards Those Who Pay Attention
Gavin wants to know what's up with Target's deodorant pricing. More »
walmart
Watch Walmart Spread Across The Country Like A Virus
We've seen "Walmart is a virus" videos before, but this interactive map showing the proliferation of Walmart from the early 1960s until 2007 is especially cool. Zoom in and out as the Walmart infection grows... More »
target wedding registry
Target Fixes Their Broken Wedding Registry, Will Let You Return Duplicates Without A Receipt
Reader Jon writes in to let us know that your complaining has had a positive effect on Target's return policy. They will now allow you to return duplicate wedding registry gifts without asking your friends and relatives for a receipt. More »
funny
Wal-Mart "Genuine Steakhouse Brand Steaks" Are "100% Guaranteed Fresh" (Some Restrictions Apply)
Reader Richie would like to point out the impressive pointlessness of this Wal-Mart promotion for "Genuine SteakHouse Steak." More »
felony forgery
Wal-Mart Tosses Student In Jail For Trying To Cash Real Money Orders, Then Sends Her A Bill
Nitra Gipson sold her car to pay for her last two semesters at Texas Southern University, where she is studying criminal justice (of all things), and was paid with Wal-Mart Money Orders. When she tried to cash these money orders at her local Wal-Mart she was arrested and charged with felony forgery — even though the money orders were real. More »
rumors
Wal-Mart Planning Its Own "Geek Squad"?
MarketWatch says that Wal-Mart is "very interested in expanding into installation and repair services in its fast-growing electronics segment." More »
scary
Warning: There Are Scorpions In The Walmart Produce Department
12-year-old Megan Templeton was shopping with her father for some watermelons and hamburgers for their Memorial Day cook-out when she was stung by a stowaway scorpion that had made a home in the produce section of her local Walmart. More »
fines
Big Box Retailers Fight Back Against FCC's Recent Fines
Best Buy, Circuit City, and Sears are all contesting the FCC's recent fines against them for not properly following analog transition rules in their stores, reports Ars Technica. Last week, Best Buy submitted a 41-page response (PDF) that claimed among other things that the FCC has no authority to fine them. More »
health
Walmart's "$4 Prescription Plan" Adds OTC Drugs, 90-day Supplies For $10
Walmart's $4 prescription plan is getting even cheaper, says Reuters. The big blue box will add 1,000 over-the-counter items for $4 or less and make some drugs available in a 90-day supply for only $10 — thus kicking K-mart's 90-day supply program squarely in the teeth. More »
gifts
Target Bungles Wedding Registry, Won't Exchange Duplicate Gifts Without Receipts
Target doesn't accept returns without receipts to keep criminals at bay, but Chrissy recently discovered that their policy also extends to wedding registry gifts. Chrissy and her husband ended up with several duplicate gifts when Target failed to keep track of her registry. Chrissy didn't want a refund or cash, just store credit, but Target refused to consider any proffer until Chrissy provided receipts. One manager even urged Chrissy to call her wedding guests to ask for their receipts, because in Target's book, that's not extraordinarily rude or anything. More »
catalogs
