GM spends about $40 million dollars on its Facebook presence, but only $10 million of that goes to Facebook itself, in the form of ads. Unfortunately for Facebook, it turns out that their cut will soon be zero. [More]
Special K Chocolatey Delight Has More Calories Than Cocoa Puffs
By 5.15.12
Eating Special K to lose weight? Splurging on the chocolate version? You might want to read the label. Our sisters at ShopSmart (also published by Consumer Reports) took a look at a variety of “junk” health foods for the June issue and discovered that “Special K Chocolatey Delight” isn’t that different from Cocoa Puffs. [More]
Culinary Bill Shock: Beware The Secret $275 Truffle Pasta Special!
By 4.9.12
There’s a small, innocuous-looking cafe on Madison Ave that you may find yourself considering on your next meander through New York City. Watch out, says BoingBoing, whose Rob Beschizza wandered into the place on a lark, you’re about to get socked with hidden charges. How bad could it be? Behold: [More]
Let The Gouging Begin? Gas Prices May Have Finally Peaked
By 4.9.12
When people think of price gouging, they tend to think of people raising prices opportunistically. In fact, the most common type of gouging happens when gas prices stay artificially high after a spike. Still, we suppose the beginning of gouging season is better than nothing. But is it really here? [More]
How To Save On Laundry Without Having To Steal Tide Detergent
By 3.17.12
Tide has become a hot commodity lately. Law enforcement officials from around the nation say there has been an outbreak of thefts of the pricey-but-well-regarded detergent. One guy allegedly stole $25,000 worth of Tide before Minnesota police nabbed him. Why? Tide can be pricey (up to $20 a bottle), and, well, it’s in high demand. But how can you save on detergent without resorting to buying black-market-Tide? [More]
Goldman Sachs Executive Resigns Via Column In New York Times
By 3.14.12
Greg Smith, a Goldman Sachs executive, has resigned in a rather unique way, he’s written a very frank op-ed column in the New York Times, thereby fulfilling a fantasy held by every single person who has ever felt like quitting a job in a spectacular fashion. Mr. Smith, was head of Goldman’s United States equity derivatives business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He also managed the summer intern program in sales and trading. “I knew it was time to leave when I realized I could no longer look students in the eye and tell them what a great place this was to work,” he says. [More]
Pinkberry Co-Founder Accused Of Beating A Homeless Guy With A Tire Iron
By 2.27.12
Pinkberry, the chain of California-based yogurt shops that inspires cultish behavior in its followers, was co-founded by one Young Lee, a stylish 47-year-old entrepreneur with expensive taste (he apparently owns a bunch of fancy cars including a Rolls-Royce Phantom and a Ferrari) who is currently a defendant in a criminal proceeding in which he is alleged to have hit a homeless man with a tire iron. [More]
Court Halts Intimidating Debt Collector Calls From People Posing As Cops
By 2.21.12
The Federal Trade Commission announced today that a U.S. district court has stopped an operation that allegedly collected millions of dollars in payday loan debts that consumers did not actually owe. [More]
Why Wikipedia Decided To Join The Blackout And Potentially Threaten Your Homework
By 1.18.12
Wikipedia prides itself on being neutral… so why is it taking itself down to protest something political? According to their official explanation of the protest decision, the members of the Wikimedia Foundation feel that “although Wikipedia’s articles are neutral, its existence is not.” [More]
Yuengling Is Now America's Largest Brewer
By 1.17.12
Did Yuengling suddenly get bigger than Miller or Bud? Nope. Both are now foreign-owned. According to AdAge, Yuengling has recently surpassed Sam Adams’ Boston Beer Company as the largest U.S.-owned brewer that manufactures all its beer in the U.S. [More]
Have A Private Student Loan Horror Story? Today Is The Last Day To Tell The CFPB
By 1.17.12
We see enough horror stories about private student loans that we know there must be quite a few of them out there. If you’d like to contribute to the public good by sharing your experience, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would like to hear what you have to say. And if you actually had a good experience the CFPB would like to hear about that, too. [More]
Penis Tattoo Gives Man A Permanent Erection
By 1.10.12
Thinking of getting a penis tattoo? Apparently, they come with the risk of a permanent erection. Let’s see if we can get through this one without a Jason Stackhouse joke… Nope! [More]
Lose Weight By Eating In Restaurants?
By 1.10.12
Ah yes. The dream. To lose weight while eating in restaurants and thus maintaining needed contact with other humans. Can it be done? According to one study, yes, it can. [More]
TripAdvisor Gives Up On "Dirtiest Hotels In America" List
By 1.9.12
Well, this is depressing. Travel review site TripAdvisor has chosen to abandon the genius idea of releasing a “Dirtiest Hotels in America” list. Why? They want to “focus on the positive.” What the hell? Who wants to read about a bunch of clean hotels full of happy people? Bah humbug! [More]
Samsung Delighted To Announce Ads On Your Smart TV's Home Screen
By 1.9.12
Samsung was delighted to announce this morning at CES that they intend to place ads to the home screens of your fancy new Smart TVs. Does this annoy you? [More]
"Smart" LG Fridge Suggests What To Cook Based On What's Inside It
By 1.9.12
With each passing press conference, our inexorable path toward robot domination becomes ever more clear. LG has announced a series of smart appliances that will be “controlled” by your Smart Phone and can do things like monitor both their electrical consumption and your food consumption. They can even suggest recipes based on what is in the fridge. This will, of course, lead them to conclude that they are the more efficient lifeforms. So caveat emptor. [More]
Yes, Consumerist Is Going To CES
By 1.8.12
Yes, it’s that time of year again. Consumerist will be tagging along with Consumer Reports to the Consumer Electronics Show. How shall you follow our adventure? On Twitter, naturally. Follow @Consumerist. This account will be staffed by the inimitable Chris Morran, who will be continuing the fine tradition of making Best Buy uneasy with his presence. Be sure to say hello if you spot us on the floor. [More]
Consumer Reports: New Burger King Fries Are Better, But Still Not As Good As Wendy's
By 12.19.11
Last Friday, Burger King launched some new fries – offering free samples while supplies lasted. Our scientific sisters at Consumer Reports jumped in the car and headed to two Burger King locations near our shared Yonkers, NY, headquarters to see if they could detect any changes. [More]
