When does the “holiday season” begin? Apparently, for Best Buy, it still begins in late October. The Minnesota-based electronics retailer is re-introducing free shipping for the holiday shopping season, from now through Dec. 24. We’re in the holiday shopping season? Does Best Buy sell Halloween costumes now? [More]
Airbnb Sues New York Over New Short-Term Rentals Law, State Won’t Enforce It Yet
By October 24, 2016
The latest govermnent to impose rules on short-term rental site Airnbnb is New York: while the law is statewide, it’s mostly intended to clamp down on whole-apartment rentals that critics say are affecting the supply and prices of housing in New York City. The governor signed the law on Friday, and Airbnb immediately sued. Now the state won’t enforce the law until the lawsuit has been resolved. [More]
AT&T, Time Warner Stock Prices Fall Slightly Amid Merger Skepticism
By October 24, 2016
Before the $85 billion merger of AT&T and Time Warner was official, it was already being decried by people in both presidential campaigns, consumer advocates, lawmakers, and former regulators. Amid this backlash to the news, both companies’ values have taken a bit of a ding today. [More]
Chipotle Reassures Customers That Guacamole Supply Is Not Threatened By Avocado Shortage
By October 24, 2016
Despite an ongoing avocado shortage that has already affected some in the food industry, Chipotle is reassuring customers that no, the chain will not run out of guacamole, and no, prices for the stuff won’t go up. [More]
Breakfast Cereals In Girl Scout Cookie Flavors Are Now A Thing
By October 24, 2016
The Girl Scout Cookie marketing train runs year-round, even if the cookies themselves are only available for a limited period every year. The Scouts have been licensing their brand names and flavors for a while now, resulting in derivative products like licensed toy cookie ovens, lip balm, and licensed ice cream bars. Now they’ll be available as a licensed breakfast cereal from General Mills. [More]
Lawsuit: Bath & Body Works Portable Fragrances Can Melt Into A Leaky Mess
By October 24, 2016
Maybe you’ve been there: the inside of your car smells like something crawled into the glovebox and died. Folks often turn to scented products that can help allay some of that funk. But one woman who bought refills for Bath & Body Works’ “Scentportables” says the products turned into a hot mess with no warning. [More]
Only 52% Of Patients With Most Common Infections Receive Recommended Antibiotics
By October 24, 2016
Earlier this year, a study showed that nearly one-in-three antibiotics prescriptions in the U.S. aren’t necessary, and a new analysis of available medical data claims that only half of the people who receive antibiotics for the most common types of infection are receiving the right kind of drug. [More]
Alaska Air Manages To Fight Off JetBlue’s Effort To Nab Havana Flight
By October 24, 2016
Now that the Department of Transportation has given approval to eight airlines to start scheduled passenger flights to Cuba’s capital city of Havana, one might think that the elbowing and jockeying for spots would be over. Not so, as some airlines are still trying to nab coveted flights from other carriers — and failing, in the case of JetBlue. [More]
Webcam Maker To Recall Products Linked To Last Week’s Internet Crash
By October 24, 2016
In the wake of a denial of service attack that bogged down sites like Twitter, Github, Reddit, Airbnb, and many others at various times on Friday, one company is recalling webcams that may have been used to aid hackers in taking these popular sites offline.
[More]
The Inside Story Of How Samsung Botched The Galaxy Note 7 Recall
By October 24, 2016
One important decision by Samsung executives turned the Galaxy Note 7 from a big but manageable product defect to a brand-destroying disaster. Reports from all over the world were coming in of Galaxy Note 7 fires, along with pressure from mobile carriers and from customers to do something about it. Yet the company didn’t know exactly what was causing the batteries to explode. [More]
Man Arrested Over “Meth” That Was Actually Krispy Kreme Glaze Files $15K Lawsuit
By October 24, 2016
Do you remember the guy who was arrested for having what police thought was methamphetamine in his car, when really, it was just the flaky remains of a Krispy Kreme doughnut he’d chowed down on earlier? Of course you do, because meth and doughnuts. He said a few months back he was planning to sue over the incident, and now he’s doing exactly that. [More]
Why AT&T Is Buying Time Warner, And Why So Many People Aren’t Happy About It
By October 24, 2016
The time from new rumor to signed deal was only about two days, and yet here we are: AT&T is putting the moves on Time Warner, planning to bring the content powerhouse under its roof. This proposal will now, of course, have to grind its way through the gears of government approval. But while this proposal is a giant deal for two giant companies, the name that’s likely to come up more than any other in all the comments back-and-forth is neither Time Warner nor AT&T, but rather a competitor: Comcast. [More]
Facebook Relaunches “Safety Center” Anti-Bullying Hub With More Resources
By October 24, 2016
Six years ago Facebook launched The Safety Center as a way to address bullying and provide users with copies of the social network’s community standards to ensure that anyone using the site can do so safely. Today, the company relaunched the Center and updated its Bullying Prevention Hub in order to reach more of its 1.7 billion users. [More]
Sen. Elizabeth Warren: $465M Mylan EpiPen Settlement Is “Shamefully Weak… Shockingly Soft”
By October 24, 2016
Earlier this month, drugmaker Mylan disclosed a $465 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over allegations that the company had defrauded the Medicaid system by mis-categorizing its high-priced EpiPen allergy treatment. The DOJ has still yet to confirm this settlement or provide any details, and critics of the deal say it looks like Mylan is getting off easy. [More]
Video Seems To Show Man Instructing Boy To Swipe Package From Homeowner’s Porch
By October 24, 2016
It’s bad enough to steal a package from a stranger’s porch, but enlisting the help of a kid to do your dirty work? That’s even worse. [More]
REI Tells Everyone To Go Play Outside On Black Friday Again
By October 24, 2016
While other retailers debate whether they should open on Thanksgiving Day or not, last year outdoor gear co-op REI had a novel idea: it wouldn’t just keep its doors closed on the holiday, but it would close on the biggest shopping day of the year as well. That apparently worked out for them, and the retailer is doing the same again this year. [More]
One Airline Now Offers Kid-Free “Quiet Zones” On Flights
By October 24, 2016
For years airlines have toyed with the idea of separating sometimes fussy, loud children from adults on flights, either through flying nanny services or the ever-popular, but seldom instituted “kid-free zones.” Now, one airline is taking the plunge, offering separate “quiet zones” where passengers under the age of 12 aren’t allowed to sit. [More]
Rumor Has It: Instagram Testing Live Video Feature
By October 24, 2016
Remember the days when social media apps were all totally different? Neither do we. To that end, there are some rumors floating around that Instagram is taking a page from parent company Facebook’s playbook with tests of a new live video feature. [More]
