There may still be a Subway sandwich shop on every other corner in every town in America, but they aren’t as busy as they used to be. Is it a case of over-franchising? Is the company still reeling from the 2015 death of founder Fred DeLuca and the ignominious downfall of longtime Subway frontman Jared Fogle? [More]
Hasbro Foresees Bad Holiday Season With Bankruptcy Of Toys ‘R’ Us
By 10.23.17
The holiday season is so crucial for Toys ‘R’ Us that the toy mega-chain made sure to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy well before the shopping season kicks off, yet promised not to close any stores before the end of that crucial season. However, in its quarterly earnings report, Hasbro, the country’s second-largest toymaker, says that the retailer’s bankruptcy will affect its own earnings for the rest of this year. [More]
Bagged Salad Recall Expands To Include Vegetables Sold At Walmart, Target, Others
By 10.20.17 — Updated: 10.25.17
This morning, we shared a recall notice from grocery chain Trader Joe’s that its kohlrabi salad mix had been recalled after a supplier let the company know about potential listeria contamination. It turns out that recall was much bigger, involving other retailers including Albertsons, H-E-B, and Walmart, and vegetables that are less fun to say than “kohlrabi.”
Updated 10/25/17 with information about recalls from King Soopers, City Market, Pacific Coast Fruit, and New Seasons.
Updated 10/23/17 with information about additional recalls for more brands: Albertsons, Alaska Carrot, H-E-B, Meijer, Ready. Chef. Go!, Safeway, Whole Foods, and Vons. [More]
For Some Reason, No One Wants Entry-Level Retail Jobs
By 10.20.17
With more commerce shifting online every year and a “retail apocalypse” at hand shuttering stores and malls, you’d think that there would be plenty of folks clamoring for the few retail jobs that remain. But even the stores that are actually looking to hire employees seem to be having trouble finding them, it turns out. [More]
How Did This Retiree Get A $184K DirecTV Bill?
By 10.20.17
Most of us have been hit with an unexpectedly high cable or satellite bill, but not like this. One DirecTV customer in Ohio says that after she signed up for service from AT&T and DirecTV, she was slammed with a bill for more than $184,000. [More]
Salad Mix From Trader Joe’s Recalled For Potential Listeria
By 10.20.17
Update: This recall has expanded to include many types of vegetables, including store-branded products from Target, Walmart, Albertsons, and other chains. Check your salad mix before you sit down to your next crunchy bowl of shredded kohlrabi, cabbage, and beets: Bags of that blend from Trader Joe’s that were distributed nationwide have been recalled because they may contain Listeria monocytogenes, a foodborne illness that can have potentially deadly complications. [More]
Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
By 10.20.17
Here are ten of the best photos that readers added to the Consumerist Flickr Pool in the last week, picked for usability in a Consumerist post or for just plain neatness. [More]
Report: Former GE CEO Brought Along An Extra Empty Plane On Some Trips
By 10.19.17 — Updated: 10.20.17
Have you ever stashed a spare shirt in your bag in case you spilled something, or brought along a spare pair of shoes in case you got a blister? Former General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt reportedly took similar precautions: According to company insiders, he brought an extra jet along with him on some business trips in case the first one broke down. [More]
Report: Chocolate Industry Paid For Research Showing That Chocolate Is Healthy
By 10.19.17
Chocolate isn’t just delicious (although it definitely is); according to some studies out there, it’s good for your health, too. But as you’ve probably guessed, the research supporting that idea isn’t exactly objective: It was commissioned by chocolate makers [More]
Most Eye Drops Are Too Big For The Human Eye, Wasting Money And Medicine
By 10.19.17
When you’re using eye drops and feel like you’re spilling half of each dose down your face, it’s not because you’re clumsy. You are, in fact, spilling what can be pricey medicine down your cheeks or into your sinuses, because most eye drop bottles dispense at least twice as much as you need. [More]
Amazon Takes Over Most Of The Macy’s Building In Seattle
By 10.18.17
What’s even more symbolic than Amazon building a warehouse on the site of what was once the world’s largest enclosed mall? In its hometown of Seattle, Amazon is gobbling up as much office space as it can, and now that includes the top six floors of the Macy’s building downtown. [More]
Stonyfield Farm Recalls Soy Yogurts That May Be Dairy Yogurts
By 10.18.17
If you’re buying yogurt made from soy milk, you’re probably trying to avoid dairy for health or ethical reasons, including potential allergies. That’s why it’s a problem that a batch of soy yogurt from Stonyfield Farms may actually be dairy yogurt, and the company has recalled the entire lot as a precaution. [More]
Kohl’s Launches Amazon Mini-Stores, Return Counters
By 10.18.17
Amazon wants a bigger retail presence in physical stores and for its customers to have an easier time returning things, and Kohl’s wants to shrink its physical stores and rent out some extra space. That sounds like a match, which is probably why Kohl’s and Amazon have teamed up to open their first 10 “Amazon Experience” mini-stores and return counters in Kohl’s stores in Los Angeles and Chicago this week. [More]
Charter Sues NYC Union, Accuses Striking Workers Of Sabotaging Cables
By 10.18.17
For six months now, union workers for Charter in New York and New Jersey have been on strike. Now the cable company has filed a lawsuit against the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 3, accusing union members of sabotaging customers’ cable installations to make Charter look bad. [More]
Amazon Sells Big Landlords On Package Hubs For Apartment-Dwellers
By 10.17.17
Online retail is very attractive to apartment-dwelling urbanites who may not have a car and whose nearby stores probably charge higher prices than the malls out in the suburbs. But this customer base has always posed a problem for Amazon and its ilk: Where do you leave the packages? [More]
Sears’ Former Second-Largest Shareholder Resigns From Board
By 10.17.17
When you own more than 25% of Sears, it gets you a seat on the retailers’ board of directors and gives you the opportunity to help steer the company in the right direction. So what does it say about Sears Holdings that its former second-largest investor has decided to liquidate the mutual fund that includes Sears, and vacate its seat at the table? [More]
Why Did This Store Falsely Claim There Was A $10 Fee For Apple Pay Or Samsung Pay?
By 10.17.17
In spite of what this sign at an Indiana retailer said, there is no $10 surcharge for using mobile payment apps like Apple Pay or Samsung Pay to make a purchase. But the fact that someone at this store believed this to be the case is a good example of how myths and misinformation can affect consumers. [More]
