Consumerist
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grocery shrink ray
Banquet Finds Grocery Shrink Ray Isn't Enough, Hikes Price As Well
Banquet Foods wasn't satisfied with reducing the size of their mac & cheese meals by a third, from 12 ounces to 8 ounces. They also increased the price, notes our reader Richard, who confirmed the price hike at both his local Seattle supermarket and at Walmart (although Walmart's prices were lower in both versions). Funny, we thought the whole argument for the shrink ray was that it protected consumers from paying more.
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Tastes Burnt
Starbucks Lowers Some Drink Prices, Raises Others
Starbucks has raised the prices of some of their drinks and lowered others, in an effort to differentiate their mixed coffee drinks from those currently offered at McDonald's. By making them more expensive, apparently. More » -
our prices are insane
Target Charges You More For Free Bonus
Reader Michael sent us this picture of a 16-ounce bottle of Crest whitening rinse and a 32-ounce bottle that says "BONUS 100% MORE FREE." Turns out by "FREE" they mean "$1.15 more." More » -
target is crazy
Target Still Doing Business In A Reality Vortex
Loyal Consumerist readers may have noticed that we haven't made any recent posts in our widely acclaimed series of posts about how discount retailer Target is insane. Has Target sought help and found its way back to reality? No. We were just saving up material. More » -
grocery unshrink ray
Grocery Shrink Ray Is Reversed, Called A Bonus
CCM just sent us a photo she snapped of these Mission Soft Flour Tortillas. It's kind of cool to see that in this age of the shrink ray, a company is actually giving you more bang for your buck. Except that in this case, the two added tortillas used to be there until a year or so ago. More » -
kansas
Need An Ambulance? If You're Overweight, It's Going To Cost An Extra $543
An ambulance ride with American Medical Response in Topeka, Kansas will soon cost an extra $543 for folks weighing 350 pounds or more. Though AMR already owns cots that can support up to 500 pounds, they claim that because of rising demand from so-called "bariatric patients," they now need to buy winches and "extra large and reinforced cots." More » -
disappearing discoutns
Edmund Scientific Jacks Up Price After Shopper Authorizes Payment
Update: Diane says the problem has been resolved.
More »Edmund Scientific has contacted me and offered to refund the $13 difference. Although they did lay some of the blame on me for clicking the link they have also said this has been a recurring problem that they will look into further.
The best part is that I got so many great links to check out from other Consumerist readers!
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funerals
Study Shows Mortuaries Vary Widely In Pricing
A non-profit group recently surveyed the prices at 49 different mortuaries and crematoriums in San Diego, and found that "prices vary widely, with some mortuaries charging nearly twice as much as others for similar combinations of services." Although the study focuses on one city, it's a good reminder that you should check around and not assume that pricing is consistent throughout the industry. More » -
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consumer price index
Consumer Prices Have Fallen And They Can't Get Up
Ok, so we're running out of ways to say that consumer prices have fallen — again. This time its the steepest drop since 1955. More » -
funny
Better Bring Some Wire Clippers With You When You Shop At This Walmart
You'll need them to cut off the right amount of penny at the cash register. Or, we suppose you could add something to your cart that includes 6/10 of a penny to even it all out—but that's how they get you, with those "even penny" purchases. (Thanks to Amanda!) -
cvs
Massachusetts CVS Stores Regularly Overcharge Customers
The Boston Globe reports that, at least in Massachusetts, CVS leads the pack in overcharging violations. Not only do they overcharge more than anyone else, but they beat Walgreens in violations by about 1000 percent:
More »The number of overcharging violations - defined as charging more at the register than the price in an advertisement, on a shelf sign, or on the item itself - soared to 711, from 425.
By comparison, rival Walgreens had 71 violations for overcharging.
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math problems
Sears Fails Third-Grade Math
Quick, what's 2 x 15? Did you get 40? No? Then you're apparently overqualified to run Sears' website.
More »
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consumer reports
Consumer Reports Offers Tips For Saving On Pet Food
The Consumer Reports Health Blog has some good suggestions for pet owners who might not have quite as much money to spend on their animals as they used to. More » -
online photo sites
Kodak Gallery Improves Its Photo Storage Policies, Becomes A Valid Option Again
We recently trashed Kodak Gallery, and rightly so, for providing the least value of any online photo storage/printing service. Now we take that back, because with a simple change to their terms, they've suddenly become a viable choice again—provided you meet a couple of conditions. More » -
comcast
Why Is Comcast Charging Spanish-Speaking Customers The Same Price For Slower Service?
UPDATE: We're bad at Spanish. See below. We came across a Twitter user who, while browsing Comcast's internet prices, discovered that the Spanish-language version of the site offers reduced speeds at the same prices as the higher speeds seen on the English version of the site. What the hell?
More »
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recession watch
Consumer Prices Fall For The First Time Since 1955
Grab your nearest economist and hold them tight, prices are falling. The Labor Department says that the obsessed-over Consumer Price Index fell 0.4 percent for the year — the first annual drop since 1955. More » -
signs
Probably At 4 Cookies The Real Savings Kicks In
Edward found this sign at a Subway shop in NYC. We appreciate that they're doing the addition for us. -
lies
69 Cent Tracks Are Hard To Find On iTunes Music Store
MP3newswire.net browsed through not-quite-hits from past decades on the iTunes Music Store to see where these fabled 69 cent music tracks are hiding. He tried the Katydids, Camper Van Beethoven, the Lyres, Rock and Roll Trio, but found nothing below 99 cents. Then he went back to be-bop and blues recordings of the '40s—nope. Finally, he looked at songs from Ada Jones, a recording artist from 1893 to 1922. Everything was still 99 cents. More »
prices
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Wed Nov 11
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