• Above and Beyond

    Panera Bread Customer Service Rises To The Occasion

    Dave sent the following lovenote to Panera Bread after they made a bad situation into a great customer service experience. He writes,
    On 8/26/08 I stopped by my local Panera Bread [in Waterloo Iowa] after work to pick up dinner for my wife and I. We've always been very pleased with the level of service and quality of food we've received from Panera in the past. Last night however was a slightly different experience...
    More »

    10:09 AM on Tue Sep 2 2008
    By Ben Popken
    22,552 views, 78 comments

    Most discussed kirbypuckett: It's nice that Pantera did that for you. However, why wouldn't you check your bag before leaving? Especially considering your distance more »

  • grocery shrink ray

    Grocery Shrink Ray Hits Kraft Swiss Cheese Singles?


    Bruce sends in what he thinks is another victim of the Grocery Shrink Ray's fell and indiscriminate wrath:

    I was shopping at my local HyVee here in Iowa the other day and noticed that Kraft Deli Fresh cheese slices have new packaging. Being an avid Consumerist reader I immediately suspected the grocery shrink ray.

    The old packet, still visible on the Kraft website, contains 11 slices and weighs 8 oz, compared to 10 slices and 7 oz in the new one. The individual slices a little bit thinner now too, 8/11 > 7/10. Bruce is exactly right, if you see your old favorite now being sold in a new packaging, that's a red flag that you may looking at a slimmed-down package. However, Bruce did not send in shots of the price tags, which is necessary to determine if the item is truly grocery shrink ray shrunk. As such, we can only label this a potential victim for now.

    DELI DELUXE - CHEESE - SWISS 2% MILK REDUCED FAT SLICES 11 CT [Kraft]

    9:33 AM on Fri Jul 11 2008
    By Ben Popken
    2,472 views, 32 comments

    Latest by boobaloob: Hey, Ben, I heard you being interviewed on NPR about the shrink ray yesterday! When the news reporter was reviewing more »

  • subprime meltdown

    No Help For 70% Of Homeowners Facing Foreclosure

    A new study shows that despite the best efforts of lawmakers and mortgage-service companies, little is actually being done to help homeowners facing foreclosure, says the Wall Street Journal. More »

    12:16 PM on Wed Apr 23 2008
    By Meg Marco
    3,765 views, 73 comments

  • backlash

    Pizza Hut Delivery Driver Fired For Shooting Armed Robber

    A Pizza Hut delivery driver with a valid handgun permit has been fired after he shot an armed robber who put a gun to his head and demanded he turn over his cash. Now an Iowa state senator is calling for a boycott of Pizza Hut:
    "You tell me any Iowan that was in his situation, that had a gun put to his head, how they would've reacted differently," state Sen. Brad Zaun of Urbandale said. "I think it's the wrong decision by Pizza Hut and I will not be buying any more Pizza Hut products."
    Pizza Hut says it's against company policy for delivery drivers to carry guns, even with a valid permit. More »

    1:11 PM on Tue Apr 22 2008
    By Meg Marco
    13,794 views, 180 comments

    Latest by danhill: @fordpickup: @ "Personally, I would rather not have coworkers toting guns around. Remember when postal workers had a high mortality rate more »

  • above and beyond

    Empty Room? Bijou Theater Screens Movie For One Couple

    I had a great customer service experience and I thought I would share it with you. My fiancee and I live in Mount Vernon, Iowa and like to frequent the old-school, single-screen movie theater in town called the Bijou. It's a family run theater with cheap prices ($4/movie) and a great reputation as a family-friendly place. Before each of the showings the owner/manager greets the crowd, gives out prizes, and welcomes any first-timers in the audience. More »

    6:55 PM on Sat Oct 13 2007
    By Carey
    10,105 views, 55 comments

    Latest by Bunnymuffin: The Rose Theater in Port Townsend Washington not only has real butter, but a full "flavor" bar where you can more »

  • marketing

    The University Of Iowa Removes Athletes From Credit Card Promotions

    This University of Iowa credit card scandal is getting more interesting every day. Today's development: The University has "backed away" from allowing athletes to be used in the U of I alumni association credit card program. More »

    1:29 PM on Sat Sep 29 2007
    By Meg Marco
    1,862 views, 3 comments

  • privacy

    Alumni Associations And Public Universities Profit By Selling Student Data To Bank Of America

    We stumbled across a very interesting article in the Des Moines Register that discusses the methods public universities' alumni associations (in this case, the University of Iowa and ISU) use to obtain and sell student data. More »

    1:21 PM on Mon Sep 24 2007
    By Meg Marco
    2,470 views, 13 comments

  • bad consumer

    Kmart Employee Busted For Letting Relatives Walk Out With Shopping Carts Full Of Stolen Stuff

    Employee theft is a serious problem for retailers. It makes prices go up and return policies more strict. So when we hear about an employee getting busted for such a spectacularly stupid, yet probably effective and routinely performed scam we are glad. More »

    1:34 PM on Tue Jun 26 2007
    By Meg Marco
    7,223 views, 44 comments

    Latest by lonelymaytagguy: I was a stock boy at one of the discount department stores that Wal-Mart eventually put out of business -- more »

  • lawsuits

    Taco Bell Employee Allegedly Spit, Urinated in Food

    A family from Sidney, Iowa has filed suit against the owners of a KFC/Taco Bell after they were served food that was allegedly contaminated by an employee. According to the lawsuit, the couple's 4 year-old son became "violently ill" after being served food that had been contaminated by an employee who "maintained 'special servings'" of food contaminated with urine and saliva so that it could be fed to unsuspecting police officers. More »

    1:49 PM on Mon Jun 25 2007
    By Meg Marco
    3,720 views, 59 comments

    Latest by Elviswasntmyhero: I'll bet Dick Cheney's shadow government could use someone of Casey Diedrich's caliber. He and his Vice-President, Dumbya, have practically more »

  • success

    FCC Chairman Orders Telecoms To Restore Access To Free Iowa-Based Conference Call Providers

    The Chairman of the FCC, Kevin Martin, has issued a stern rebuke to the telecoms that blocked their subscribers from accessing free Iowa-based conference call providers. Quoth the Chairman:
    We actually contacted the companies that were listed in the press [reports] and said our rules prohibit you from blocking consumers' access to any of the service providers... One had stopped blocking, but we heard complaints the next week that they were restricting access, sort of narrowing the pipe. We called them back and said, no, no, you can't artificially degrade [service] either.
    We think you should celebrate this reversal with your friends on a free Iowa-based conference call. If the service is blocked, or in any way degraded, don't hesitate to fill out the FTC's consumer complaint form. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER More »

    6:33 PM on Sat May 5 2007
    By Carey
    958 views, 6 comments

    Latest by ddhj: what? common sense exists in FCC? OMG! more »