Lovers of lukewarm pizza, despair. Troubled pizza chain Sbarro is getting ready to file for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. The slice slingers are $365 million in debt and made the move after missing their interest payments. Part of the reason Sbarro has been suffering is because it has a lot of shops tied up in malls. Traffic to those dying down with the recession and the rise of online shopping has meant fewer patrons hitting the food court. The other reason is that their pizza is just sad. [More]
Food & Personal Care
FDA Lets Pharmacies Compete Against Price Gouging Company Making Pregnancy Drug
By 4.1.11
Reacting to a pharmaceutical company’s seemingly greedy ploy to jack up a premature birth-preventing drug from $10-$20 to $1,500 after the Food and Drug Administration granted it exclusive rights to produce the drug, the FDA shifted course and will allow specialty pharmacies into the market. [More]
Would You Like A Picture Of Yoda Riding A Tauntaun On Your Pizza Box? Just Ask
By 4.1.11
Domino’s is making an effort to win the hearts of American consumers by improving their food and their service. So what happens if you order online, adding a note that you would like a picture of Yoda riding a tauntaun on your pizza box? What you ask for is what you’ll get. [More]
Help, The Price Of My Life-Saving Drug Went Up 2000%!
By 4.1.11
Colchicine, a drug primarily used to treat gout, is an old drug. Very old. Extracts from the plant it comes from, colchicum, have been used in gout treatment for thousands of years. In pill form as colchicine, it’s been on the market in the United States since the 19th century and predates the Food and Drug Administration. A few years ago, the company that makes one brand of the drug, Colcrys, obtained FDA approval for their version, and the exclusive rights to sell it in the United States for three years. Who cares? Reader Nick does. He works in retail, isn’t wealthy, and the colchicine he takes twice a day for a serious medical condition shot up in cost from about $20 per month to closer to $400. [More]
Pizza Hut Put Kibosh On The Amazing Salad Towers Of China
By 3.31.11
Our post last week about “How To Game The Salad Bar” reminded commenter power lurker of the Chinese way of playing the game at Pizza Hut. See, in America when you tell people their salad bar is limited to one plate, they shrug because no American eats salad. But in China in the mid to late 2000’s, they turned into a competition to see who can create the tallest and most elaborate salad tower. [More]
Radiation Found In US Milk Supply In Trace Amounts
By 3.31.11
Great, now kids have a new excuse for not drinking their milk: US milk samples from Spokane, Washington have tested positive for a radioactive iodine blown over from Japan, the EPA announced Wednesday. The amounts are small, only 0.8 pico-curies, according to tests taken March 25 by the agency, and are 5,000 times below the FDA’s “intervention level.” [More]
Debunking The Creation Myths Behind 5 Huge Companies
By 3.30.11
It might be shocking to you to find out that some companies have lied about their own creation, but hey, who doesn’t like a good story? From eBay to YouTube, tall tales have been spun to consumers for various reasons. Let’s take a walk down liars’ memory lane, shall we? [More]
Lawsuit: Man's Monster Energy Drink Flavored With Dead Mouse
By 3.30.11
A man in Washington state hasn’t consumed a beverage from a can in more than a year. It’s hard to blame him: he claims that more than a year ago, he discovered a mouse at the bottom of his Monster energy drink. Now he’s suing Hansen Beverage Company, the maker of Monster. His lawyer and Monster’s insurer ran tests, and independent lab results prove the mouse’s identity. [More]
Starbucks CEO Laughs At The Notion That His Coffee Costs $5
By 3.29.11
Katie Couric recently interviewed Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz on CBS Sunday Morning and asked him if he thought the company had a “tin ear” to what people were going through with the recession. Perhaps, she suggested, they couldn’t afford to pay “$5 on their coffee every day.” Schultz’s response was to laugh. You see, Starbucks coffee only costs $1.50. [More]
CVS Doubles Down, Surpasses Rite Aid With 41" Receipt
By 3.29.11
A mere twenty-one inch long receipt? CVS isn’t about to sit back and let competitor Rite Aid soak up all of the ridicule from the Internet for comically long receipts. No way. The retailer brought its A game when reader Chris stopped by recently to pick up some things for his upset stomach, showering him with a 41-inch long receipt consisting mostly of coupons for junk food, cosmetics, and vitamins. [More]
Even More "Toxic Waste" Candy Lives Up To Its Branding
By 3.28.11
In January, the people behind the Toxic Waste Nuclear Sludge candy bars announced a not-that-surprising recall for possible lead contamination. And in keeping with the company’s brand message, more candy has been recalled for the same reason. [More]
Food Dyes May Exacerbate Hyperactive Behavior In Some Kids
By 3.28.11
It has long been suspected that kids with ADHD might be having some sort of reaction to common synthetic food dyes — but now the FDA is going to formally consider any links between the dyes and hyperactivity in children, including over 30 different studies on the topic. [More]
Bikini-Clad Burger King Customer Goes Wild On Customers & Staff
By 3.24.11
What in the world is going on with the Burger King customers in Florida. Earlier this month, there was the woman who climbed over the counter and chased employees out of the building. Now she’s been done one better by a bikini-clad customer who caused a wild scene — which was luckily all caught on video. [More]
Walgreens Does Some Online Shopping, Picks Up Drugstore.com For $429 Million
By 3.24.11
After taking over New York City with its purchase of Duane Reade drugstores last year, Walgreens has made a move to dominate the online market with its plan to buy Drugstore.com for around $429 million. [More]
Caremark Switches My Prescription To Name-Brand For No Particular Reason
By 3.24.11
Many people expressed surprise that drug retailer CVS is a participant in our Worst Company in America tournament. In addition to the everyday issues that a pharmacy/drugstore creates for consumers, though, CVS also owns prescription benefits administrator Caremark. Brandon is a Caremark customer who takes a venerable but still useful medication called Synthroid. He recently ran into a weird situation with his refill, where he was switched to the name-brand medication for no discernible reason. Twice. [More]
Theater Owners Don't Want You To Know A Large Popcorn Is Like Eating 3 Big Macs
By 3.23.11
The FDA is reportedly set to announce a decision that would force movie theater operators to post calorie counts next to their items in the same way that restaurant chains must. Not surprisingly, the theater owners are popping mad about this possibility. [More]
Food From Four Japanese Prefectures Barred From Entering U.S.
By 3.23.11
Following the news that radiation has been detected in tap water and food products in areas closest to the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, the FDA has announced that many imported food products from prefectures near the plant will not be allowed to enter the U.S. [More]
Worst Company In America Round One: CVS Vs. Johnson & Johnson
By 3.22.11
Here’s an interesting battle between a drugstore chain and the drug company whose products line the chain’s shelves — or at least they used to before they were all recalled. [More]
