Need a new phone or a replacement SIM for an off-contract device? Need it right away? Want to avoid pesky human interaction? In a mall or airport near you, there may already be a Straight Talk vending machine. [More]
Retail Services
Coming Soon To A Mall Or Airport Near You: Straight Talk’s Prepaid Phone Vending Machines
By 3.28.13
Walmart Considers Paying Its Customers To Deliver Online Orders
By 3.28.13
So you’ve ordered something from Walmart.com, but when it arrives, it doesn’t come on a UPS/FedEX/USPS truck, or even in one of the vehicles Walmart currently uses for same-day delivery. No, it is handed to you by a fellow Walmart shopper getting paid to run an errand for the retailer. [More]
Meet Your Worst Company In America Not-So-Sweet 16!
March 27, 2013
Last week, 32 terrible titans of industry stepped on to the blood-stained mat of WCIA Death-and-Dismemberment Arena, but only 16 remain in this bestial battle royale to take home the treasured Golden Poo. [More]
4 Ways Retail Stores Are Monitoring Your Every Move
By 3.27.13
From the second you pull into a store’s parking lot, you can be relatively certain there are electronic eyes on you. But we’re way past the days of black-and-white monitors to discourage vandalism and shoplifting. Today’s retailers follow you everywhere and know lots about you. [More]
Walmart To Test In-Store Lockers For Pick-Up Of Online Orders
By 3.27.13
Since Amazon doesn’t have bricks-and-mortar stores, it has been rolling out a network of lockers at places like 7-Eleven and Staples, allowing customers to pick up their orders from safe, secure locations, instead of having to chase down FedEx, UPS, or the Postal Service. Now comes news that Walmart is getting into the locker game for its own online orders. [More]
Why Does Cinnamon Toast Crunch’s Whole Grain And Sugar Content Differ In A Smaller Box?
By 3.27.13
Reader IonicBurn noticed something kind of weird over his breakfast cereal this week. He had two different-sized boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, because it’s the best cereal in the world and that’s what his wife happened to pick up. With the boxes side by side, he noticed that the sugar and whole grain content different from one box to the other. Aside from the nutrition discrepancy, the boxes were identical. So how does being in a different box change the nutrition content? [More]
When Buying Music From Amazon, It Can Sometimes Be More Expensive To Only Buy Mp3s
By 3.27.13
In most cases, it will cost you more to purchase a new CD than it would to buy that same music as an mp3 download. Which makes sense, since digital files don’t have the high manufacturing, shipping, or storage charges that physical discs do. But sometimes, you could end up on the short end of the stick if you just assume that the mp3 will be cheaper. [More]
Walmart Workers: There Aren’t Enough Of Us To Keep Shelves Stocked
By 3.26.13
If you’ve been frustrated by finding empty or disorganized shelves during your recent visits to Walmart, some employees at the nation’s largest retailer say that disarray is due to a lack of manpower. [More]
Hey Kids… This Mystery Shopper Report Tells You Which Stores Will Probably Sell You R-Rated Movies & Games
By 3.25.13
When I was an adolescent, my friends and I had to rely on word-of-mouth about which stores would look the other way when it came to movie ratings and parental advisory warnings on music. But kids today, they have the benefit of the Federal Trade Commission, which periodically looks at how strict various businesses are about sticking to these ratings systems. [More]
Just Because Sports Authority Says It’s Having A “Sale,” That Doesn’t Make It True
By 3.25.13
Stephanie saw that there was a sale on Asics sneakers at Sports Authority, and she just happened to be interested in buying some. When she reached the store, she noticed that many of the shoes had “Sale” tags on them, but if you moved those tags aside, this didn’t actually represent a “sale.” [More]
Worst Company In America Round 1: Bank Of America Vs. Capital One
March 25, 2013
Your NCAA bracket might already be busted, but how are you doing with your WCIA predictions? Starting off today’s bloodshed is a showdown featuring the tournament’s perennial bridesmaid. [More]
Symbolic Senate Vote Demonstrates Support For Marketplace Fairness Act
By 3.22.13
There have been multiple attempts in recent years to push through some sort of federal law that would allow for state governments to collect sales tax on residents’ online purchases, but none have made it very far. However, a Senate vote this afternoon shows their might be some life in the latest iteration of the Marketplace Fairness Act. [More]
Worst Company In America Round 1: Sears Vs. JCPenney
March 22, 2013
To mark the halfway point in the first round of WCIA, we bring you this fight between two department stores that are wildly adored… in an alternate universe where it’s still 1985. [More]
Worst Company In America Round 1: Chase Vs. Wells Fargo
March 21, 2013
The tournament’s first banking battle gets Day Three of WCIA competition off with a bang! [More]
Target Sent Me Free Stuff! Too Bad It Was An Open Box Cutter
By 3.21.13
The good news, for Carmen, was that she received some free stuff in her Target order. Who doesn’t like free stuff? Carmen. At least, she doesn’t like free box cutters that nick her finger and make her worry that she will get some kind of Warehouse Plague. [More]
Amazon Is Very Concerned Someone Will Get Hurt Lifting This 4.65-Lb Box
By 3.20.13
Consumerist reader Charles might have thought Amazon had thrown in some barbells or maybe a spare anvil it had lying around the old warehouse when he received the above package. But that’s not what he’d ordered, and it wasn’t what was in the box. [More]
Worst Company In America Round 1: Best Buy Vs. Walmart
March 19, 2013
The first-round fisticuffs continue with today’s centerpiece bout that pits two big-box boxers to a fight to the death, all for the bloodthirsty enjoyment of WCIA fans around the world. [More]
Strictly Speaking, This Party City Sale Sticker Is True, But It’s Still Stupid
By 3.19.13
Shopping at Party City, Jeff noticed this odd sticker. It advertises discounts of “up to 75% off” and that the item retails at $9.99 and now costs $10. Only that’s not really the confusing part. [More]
