expiration-dates

—>Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) is calling for a probe of frequent flyer programs to determine whether they deliver the value that they promise. In particular, he wants the Department of Transportation to look into the issue of evaporating miles, a relatively new phenomenon brought introduced via expiration dates in recent years.  More »

—>Here's your chance to sound off on another consumer protection issue. In accordance with the CARD Act, today the Federal Reserve proposed new rules that would protect consumers from fees and expiration dates on gift cards, and they'll soon be accepting comments on the rules.  More »

—>Target has agreed to pay New Jersey $375,000 to settle charges that it sold baby formula and non-prescription drugs that had expired, and that it charged higher prices on some products than what was displayed on the shelves.  More »

—>Howcast has produced a quick video tutorial covering the basics of expiration and sell by dates. If you have questions about eggs, meat, canned goods, or storing things in the freezer, check it out.  More »

—>Jon writes:
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—>CVS stores across the nation regularly stock expired medicine, milk, and baby formula, according to a damning union report. This isn't the first time CVS has been caught stocking dangerous goods. Last year, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo threatened a suit after his office caught the pharmacy selling goods over a year past their expiration dates. CVS claims that, despite investing over $160 million in a "perpetual inventory management" system, it's nearly impossible to keep expired items off the shelf because they simply have too much stuff.  More »

—>One unexpected benefit of the CARD Act, if it passes the Senate vote, is that Senator Charles Schumer of New York has included a provision that prevents abusive gift card practices.  More »

—>Chad, who sent this in, says he tried to decipher this Kool Aid's expiration date using the cheat sheet we posted last December, but nothing on this container matches the code format on the sheet. It can't be that hard to print an unambiguous human readable expiration date on a product. Who else needs to read the date, other than a human? Why should the average consumer have to worry about deciphering a date? We thought we'd all pretty much agreed on some basic rules for how to keep track of the days.  More »

—>See this gift card, the one that says "GIFT CARD" in big letters? Ticketmaster insists it's really a "Discount Card," and thus, not covered by the California law preventing gift cards from expiring.  More »

—>Impoverished and hungry Britons can't get enough of Approved Food, a site that sells expired but still edible food for up to half off. Even after shutting down for two days to grapple with a ten-fold rise in traffic, the site warns that they still have to process 12 days worth of backorders. But can't expired food give you salmonella or herpes, you ask? Nope! FDA regulations don't require most foods to carry expiration dates, and selling expired food isn't a violation of federal law.  More »

Hey guys — Just wanted to let you know that with all of this grocery shrink ray action that is going on, it is nice to see some companies doing something to make their product last a little longer. The only question is...what kind of preservatives are in these Doritos so they will last until August 39th???  More »