Today, it’s expected that JPMorgan Chase and various federal agencies will announce a settlement worth a total of $13 billion to put to bed numerous bank-related investigations tied to mortgages and mortgage-backed securities. And about 30% of that money is reportedly earmarked for some form of consumer relief. [More]
Retail Services
Raiders Of The Lost Walmart Find Surprisingly Relevant Technology
By 11.19.13
The Raiders of the Lost Walmart seek out the finest and most hilarious pieces of archaic technology still on the shelves in the nation’s discount stores. Only sometimes, the items they find aren’t so ancient. Sometimes they seem laughably old to our tech-savvy readers, but have a real use to some customers. [More]
NLRB May Prosecute Walmart For Alleged Retaliation Against Protesting Workers
By 11.18.13
For the last few years, a number of Walmart workers have pushed the nation’s largest retailer for higher wages and the right to unionize. During this time, some employees have alleged that management has retaliated against workers who have protested the store or walked off the job temporarily to strike. Today, the General Counsel for the federal National Labor Relations Board issued a statement saying he has investigated these claims and may have to prosecute the company. [More]
At Target, A “Free” Gift Card For Reserving A PS4 Actually Costs $25, Can’t Be Used For PS4
By 11.18.13
Everybody wants a piece of the valuable pie that is the new PS4, so how do retailers distinguish themselves from each other and make sure you buy the console from them instead of another store? For one, Target offered what at first seemed like a pretty good deal: Reserve a PS4 from Target and pay $25 to do so, and receive a $25 gift card when you pick up the system. Sounds great, right? Maybe not so much, as we’re hearing from some very dissatisfied readers. [More]
Sprint & Best Buy Go After Students With 1-Year Free Service Deal. Is It Worth It?
By 11.18.13
Brands love hooking in high school and college students because they’re getting those young consumers at a critical point in their lives, where they are making some shopping decisions that will last for a long time. High school and college students love free stuff because it’s free. Put those two ideas in a cocktail shaker, stir for a minute and you’ve got the new offer from Sprint and Best Buy that gives a free year of Sprint service to students who get their phones (at a price) from Best Buy. [More]
Ohio Walmart Held An Employee Food Drive…For Less Fortunate Employees
By 11.18.13
It’s not unusual to have a food drive at work for the less fortunate during the holiday season. At one Walmart, donation bins appeared in an employees-only area, gathering food for people who are struggling to pay for a nice Thanksgiving dinner. The problem? Those struggling people are their Walmart colleagues. [More]
Walmart: 32 Factories In Bangladesh Failed Initial Safety Inspections, Most Fixed Problems
By 11.18.13
In the aftermath of the factory collapse that killed more than 1,100 and a fire in November killed 112 people, retailers pledged to ramp up safety efforts with any factories that produce clothing for stores here in the U.S. As part of that increased attention to keeping the workers who make your clothing safe while they try to earn a living, Walmart says it identified safety problems at 32 Bangladesh factories it does business with. [More]
“Onesie” Is A Trademarked Term, Even Though No One Cares
By 11.15.13
What do you call a garment for infants and toddlers that’s a body suit with snaps at the crotch for easy diaper-changing? A “onesie”? No, no, gentle consumer, that’s not the case. Gerber (the baby stuff company, not the knife company) holds the trademark for the word “onesie.” [More]
Dallas Cowboys’ Dez Bryant Plays Santa, Buys PS4s For Local Walmart Shoppers
By 11.15.13
Last night, folks around the country lined up to get their hands on the new Sony PS4 gaming console when it was released at midnight. Among them was Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant, who got into the holiday spirit a bit early by footing the bill for several other shoppers’ consoles. [More]
Best Buy Accepts Check For $2,500, Rejects One The Next Day For $320
By 11.15.13
Believe it or not, some people still write checks for large retail purchases. And even with all the new-fangled technology that gives consumers and retailers nearly instant access to account balances, there is still some mystery about just how some checks get approved or denied. Take, for example, the Best Buy customer in Ohio who had no problem with a $2,500 check, but who couldn’t get approval on a $320 check from the same store the next day. [More]
Bank Of America Accused Of Neglecting Foreclosures In Non-White Neighborhoods
By 11.15.13
In 2012, a National Fair Housing Alliance survey of bank-owned properties in nine metro areas found that those buildings in predominantly white neighborhoods were more likely to be properly maintained by the bank while those homes in non-white parts of town were often being allowed to fall into disrepair, driving property values down for neighbors and causing public health and safety concerns. Since then, the NFHA has filed a federal discrimination complaint against the bank for what it alleges are violations of the Fair Housing Act. [More]
Target’s $200 iPad Trade-In Deal A Victim Of Its Own Awesomeness
By 11.14.13
Last week, there was a great promotion at Target. Target Mobile locations always accept electronics trade-ins, but they offered a special deal in order to move some iPads. Customers could trade in any working iPad, dating back to the positively ancient iPad 1 from 2010, and get a minimum of $200 on a Target Mobile gift card. That’s a good deal, and it was very popular. [More]
Costco, BJ’s Would Rather Have Their Employees Spend Thanksgiving At Home
By 11.14.13
This year, everyone from Kmart to Macy’s to Staples will be celebrating the time-honored tradition of ruining Thanksgiving by throwing open their doors early to shoppers eager to flee the company of their families in favor of door-buster deals on junk the stores are desperate to get rid of. But some retailers simply refuse to get into the spirit of Black Thursday and won’t open until — get this — the day after Thanksgiving. [More]
Walmart’s Nightmare Before Christmas: Cereal Edition
By 11.14.13
In practical terms, there isn’t much of a difference between one sugar-coated breakfast grain product and another. There’s even less of a difference between Cap’n Crunch products for different holidays. Somehow, though, we still find this combined cereal display spotted at Walmart just as amusing as an honest-to-Santa Halloween tree. [More]
Insider: Everyone At Best Buy Dreads 6 P.M. Thanksgiving Day Opening
By 11.13.13
We’ve been writing a lot about major retailers’ plans to open on Thanksgiving Day. In case it isn’t clear, we aren’t fans of this phenomenon. According to to our poll data, our mailbox, and comments left here on the site, neither are our readers. We received a lengthy rant from an anonymous Geek Squad agent about how things look right now at Best Buy, and what workers at Big Yellow and Blue have to look forward to. [More]
Walmart To Workers: Sorry You Won’t Be Home On Thanksgiving, Here’s A Turkey Dinner
By 11.13.13
There’s nothing like a home-cooked meal, surrounded by loved ones with the warmth and satisfaction that comes from a full belly and companionship. Walmart thinks it can replace at least parts of that experience by giving employees a turkey dinner with mashed potatoes, rolls and pie for anyone working on Thanksgiving Day. [More]
Geek Squad Will Come To Your House And Plug In Your PS4 Or XBOX One For Only $99
By 11.13.13
Do you plan to buy a PlayStation 4 or an Xbox One in the coming weeks, but aren’t sure how to operate an HDMI cable? Best Buy is ready to help you out. Their Geek Squad will come to your house, add your new console to your home wireless network, update the device, set up user accounts, and most important of all: plug it in for you. All for only $99. [More]
What Do You Shop For In November?
By 11.12.13
Our power-shopping colleagues over at Consumer Reports don’t just test every product you can think of: they also keep track of what’s on the market and when is the best time to buy certain things. Looking over their November list, we wondered: what do Consumerist readers shop for during this month? [More]
