A “freelance opera singer” who slapped another female Upper West Side Trader Joe’s customer in a fight over who would get the last package of frozen vegan pad-Thai dinner was acquitted yesterday, reports the New York Post. [More]
Woman Acquitted For Slapping Other Trader Joe's Customer Over Pad Thai
By June 17, 2011
Study: 25% Of Meat Sold In Groceries Contains Drug-Resistant Bacteria
By April 15, 2011
A new study claims that not only does half the meat sold in groceries harbor a nasty little bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus, but a full quarter of the beef, chicken, pork and turkey carries a drug-resistant strain of the bug. [More]
Check Out International Grocery Stores To Find Savings
By April 11, 2011
The only things as great as saving money is getting stuff for free, and since that is frowned upon at most grocery stores, it’s best to stick with finding deals. One way to possibly score some lower prices on foods you love: Check out the shelves at your local international grocery stores. [More]
Ben Popken On NPR Talking About Shrinking Food, Higher Prices
By March 31, 2011
I got to verbally joust with the wielders of the Grocery Shrink Ray yesterday on NPR on the Diane Rehm show. Scott Faber vice president, the Grocery Manufacturers Association talked about how food makers have to pass on their rising costs somehow and I agreed, but took issue with deceptively designed packages and the misleading marketing practices. Just be upfront about it! [More]
Grocery Shrink Ray Widens Blast Radius In Tough Times
By March 30, 2011
Grocery Shrink Ray use tends to be more prevalent during a down economy, as manufacturers look to cut down on costs while making it appear through packaging as though they’re giving you the same amount. The practice takes more of a toll on consumers when they have less money to throw around. [More]
Should I Try A Chargeback When Grocery Store Won't Budge?
By March 10, 2011
Arguably, the most important fact in this story is that there’s a grocery chain called “Schnucks.” It’s located in the Midwest, and Brandon and his fiancee shop there, employing a complicated credit-card-tab-splitting procedure that normally causes no problems. This time, it did, resulting in a double charge. Brandon wonders whether he’s justified in pursuing a chargeback, since he still doesn’t have his money back. Short answer: Yes. [More]
The Secret Economy Behind Free Food Samples
By February 15, 2011
The next time you see free food samples at the local supermarket, take a closer look at what’s being served and how it’s presented. You could be on the receiving end of an elaborate and expensive offering cooked up by a clever retailer — or may be getting leftovers that are about to hit their expiration date. [More]
Washington, DC Safeway Store Introduces Receipt Checks
By February 15, 2011
Know what American retail needs? More receipt checks. DCist reports that a Washington, D.C. Safeway store has traded uniformed security guards posted at the door for plainclothes Walmart-style greeters who politely block shoppers from exiting until their receipts are checked. There’s an almost literal escape hatch, though: for now, tipsters say that there are no receipt checkers posted at the exit to the parking garage. [More]
Wegmans Introduces Amazing Soda Fountain For Wine
By February 15, 2011
Have you ever eaten in a food court or buffet and wished that you could get a glass of wine as easily as getting a Diet Coke from a soda fountain? At the food court in the Allentown, PA Wegmans grocery store, you can purchase from a vending machine a 5-ounce glass of wine, a half-glass, or a 1-ounce “sample.” A full glass costs $6 to $10. [More]
Study: When New Walmarts Open, People Get Fatter
By January 19, 2011
Walmart is now the largest grocery store chain in the country, and a new study says that the more supercenters the company opens, the heavier the people living nearby become. [More]
Walmart Realizes Buying Local Produce Can Be Good For Business
By October 14, 2010
Now that Walmart has become the world’s largest grocer, it has realized there are both economic and environmental reasons to purchase and re-sell locally grown produce. As part of its latest sustainability efforts announced earlier today, the retail behemoth detailed a plan to increase the percentage of its produce that it gets from local growers. [More]
Suss Out Fakers At Farmers Markets
By October 12, 2010
As an undercover hidden camera investigation recently revealed, not every bearded and overall-wearing guy behind the stand at farmers markets is selling food he grew himself. Some of them just load up a local produce warehouses and sell it to you at a feel-good-about-saving-the-earth premium. So how do you tell who’s real and who’s shoveling you fertilizer? [More]
Los Angeles Farmers Markets Full Of Lies, Warehouse Produce
By September 27, 2010
If you’re in California and need to make a little extra cash, why not buy a bag of baby carrots from the supermarket, throw some potting soil on them, and sell them at your local farmers market as fresh-from-your-farm organic treats? Okay, maybe technically that’s not permitted, but who’s going to stop you? An NBCLA investigation found vendors at several farmers markets were lying to customers about their produce, and sourcing it from local warehouses instead of their own farms. [More]
5 Poor Deals In Grocery Aisles
By July 23, 2010
Ever-helpful scam watchdog Omie over at LiveCheap has scanned the grocery aisles and unearthed five tricks grocery manufacturers use to get you to pay more to buy less. [More]
New York Wants Grocery Stores To Sell Wine
By June 27, 2010
Fresh off boosting cigarette taxes, New York is ready to give smokers a replacement for their beloved lung shredders: wine! The state’s latest budget gap killer would allow nearly 20,000 grocery stores to sell bottles of vino, hauling in up to $300 million. [More]
Publix Takes Moldy Garlic Even More Seriously Than You Do
By June 24, 2010
Ian and his family love garlic, but he tells Consumerist that his favored Publix store seemed to have trouble stocking garlic that wasn’t either moldy or sprouted. Neither of these are good qualities for fresh garlic, so Ian e-mailed the chain’s corporate office about the situation. Eventually, he received a response with an almost Wegmans-like level of class and problem-solving. [More]
New Billboard Smells Like Steak, Sort Of
By June 7, 2010
If you find yourself driving down River Highway in Mooresville, NC this summer and suddenly smell a vaguely steak-like odor, don’t worry, you’re not having a stroke. You’re passing by the billboard for Bloom, a supermarket chain that’s owned by Food Lion. The billboard went up last Friday and poots out a charcoal-and-pepper fragrance from 7 to 10 a.m. and again from 4 to 7 p.m. [More]
Which Food Brands Are You Most Loyal To?
By June 3, 2010
I don’t know about you, but when I go to a diner and the ketchup on the table isn’t my brand — it rhymes with “Heinz” — or if it’s something calling itself “catsup,” I know I won’t be ordering anything that requires that particular condiment. The same goes true for mayonnaise: Nothing with the word “miracle” in the title is getting anywhere near my taste buds. [More]
