People come in different sizes. This is particularly true for children, whose bodies are constantly growing and changing. Standard sizes meant for all kids don’t fit all kids, especially with an increasing percentage of overweight children. Boys’ clothing cut larger with the designation of “Husky” have been around for a while, and some kids and parents find them embarrassing. But what about girls? Some retailers of children’s clothing have introduced larger cuts of clothing for girls as young as 3, but have designated these clothes “plus size,” just like clothes for larger adult women. [More]
Retail Services
Bank Of America Dispenses Phantom Cash, Uberbank Bureaucracy Doesn't Seem Too Worried
By 9.7.12
Sometimes, our mailbag reads like some kind of reality-based personal finance version of the Penthouse Forum. “I never understood why people are so angry with big banks,” our readers type, “until one of those horror stories happen to me.” That’s sort of what happened to Kestris. She and her husband are longtime Bank of America customers who never really had any problems with the bank. Until they did. It was a big one: when they withdrew their rent from an ATM, the machine made bill-counting whirring noises, but dispensed no cash. [More]
Not To Be Outdone By Toys 'R' Us, Sears & Kmart Also Drop Layaway Fees
By 9.7.12
UPDATE: A rep for Kmart and Sears tells us that the report we cited has it kinda wrong — right now the free layaway is only on for Kmart, and not Sears. Bummer! [More]
Best Buy, Where A Used TV Without A Remote Is Worth $20 More Than A New TV
By 9.6.12
If you’re looking for a bargain on a 55″ TV, you might think that choosing an “open-box” item would be less expensive than a brand new one, especially since the used TV lacks a remote control or owner’s manual. But then you might never have looked at the shelves at your local Best Buy. [More]
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Suing Ben & Cherry's Pornos Because, Well, Duh
By 9.6.12
Perhaps some companies might not mind sharing similar names with a porno series, but when you’re America’s ice cream sweethearts, that’s just not gonna fly. Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is suing the company behind “Ben & Cherry’s” X-rated DVDS for besmirching its reputation with its “hardcore pornographic” fare. [More]
Walmart Has An Incredibly Generous View Of What "Locally Grown" Means
By 9.6.12
Back in Oct. 2010, Walmart vowed to double the amount of locally grown produce it sells at its stores by 2015. But judging by these bags of “Locally Grown” apples, the retail behemoth appears to be embracing a very global view of the term “local.” [More]
Study Says We're Done Being Stingy & It's Time For A Crazy Nationwide Spending Spree
By 9.5.12
Have your fingers unfurled from their tight grasp on those pennies you’ve been pinching? A new report seems to indicate as much, finding that we’re all plain sick of being stingy after years of recession scrimping and dollar-watching behavior. The research says we’re done avoiding restaurants, driving around used clunkers and staying put where we live. [More]
Californians Rush To Buy Before Amazon Starts Collecting Sales Tax
By 9.5.12
Starting September 15, Amazon.com will start collecting sales tax on purchases made by residents of California. So with the clock counting down, a number of shoppers in the state are buying what they can in the next week and a half. [More]
Strip Club Claims Lap Dances Are Just As Arty As Other Dances & Should Be Tax Exempt
By 9.5.12
Is there a difference between bumping and grinding to the beat while sort of sitting on someone’s lap, and creating art through dance? One strip club in New York doesn’t think so, and as such, wants to be exempt from state taxes just like any other artistic venue. The club is on the line for $124,000 in unpaid taxes and is heading off to the Court of Appeals to face the state tax department with lap dances at the center of the fight. [More]
Amazon Sellers Engaging In Price Wars, Shift Prices Multiple Times Each Day
By 9.5.12
While some people who shop on Amazon are only looking for items sold — or at least fulfilled — by Amazon, lots of you are also buying things from the many, many third-party sellers who use the site as an online storefront. And these sellers are getting increasingly savvy about having a price that will position their item in a space ideal for bargain-hunting shoppers. [More]
New Best Buy CEO To See What It's Like To Actually Work For Best Buy
By 9.4.12
New Best Buy CEO Hubert “Don’t Call Me Q*bert” Joly is settling into his comfy new digs at the company’s HQ this week, but the former hotel & restaurant chain exec says he plans to jump into the Best Buy pool with both feet by finding out what it’s like to work for the retailer he now runs. [More]
Just In Time For Labor Day: Christmas Trees At Sears
By 9.4.12
Michael was wandering a midwestern Sears when he saw it: a small, bright forest in the seasonal section. A shimmering flame-retardant mirage beyond the flimsy plastic appliances. Yes, his local Sears has already put up their Christmas tree display. [More]
Does It Matter If Organic Food Isn't Actually More Nutritious Than Conventional Products?
By 9.4.12
Clutch your kale close, organic food lovers — a new study says organic products aren’t any better for you nutrition-wise than conventional foods. The four-year project looked at 240 other studies covering nutrients in foods as well as potential contaminants like pesticides and found that even though we might pay more for our organic veggies, fruits and meat, they’re no better for us than regular food. [More]
Walmart Testing App That Allows Customers To Scan As They Shop Then Pay Quickly At Self Checkout
By 9.4.12
What’s the worst part about shopping? Well, besides not finding what you want on the shelf or having to pay more than you want to, many people would answer that long lines at the checkout are the bane of any retail experience. Walmart is trying to carve into those wait times with a new iPhone app it’s testing that would allow customers to scan their items in the aisles as they shop, and then simply pay at a self-checkout counter when they’re done. [More]
A Chase Bank Teller Makes A Mistake, I Spend The Long Weekend $2,300 Overdrawn
By 9.4.12
Jason began his holiday weekend with an unpleasant surprise. When he checked his bank account on his iPad, he saw that it was overdrawn. It was overdrawn by a lot. More than two thousand dollars. Jason hadn’t made any huge withdrawals from his account, and neither had any other authorized person. Was he the victim of identity theft? Fraud? ATM skimmers? How could someone take out money that wasn’t there? It turns out that it was quite easy: it just required a one-digit error in the account number. [More]
Wells Fargo Working With Daughter To Make Her An Authorized Party On Late Mother's Loan
By 8.31.12
We’ve been closely following the case of a woman who was trying to save the home she inherited from her late mother, only to be confounded when Wells Fargo refused to deal with anyone but the dead woman. Earlier this week, Wells Fargo announced that they’d placed the foreclosure on hold and had reached out to the woman. In the latest update, both the woman and Wells Fargo have confirmed that negotiations are underway. [More]
Wells Fargo Fires Customer Service Rep For Using Cardboard Dime At Laundromat 50 Years Ago
By 8.31.12
Big banks are under a lot of pressure these days not to mess anything up — but in the case of firing employees for crimes they committed decades ago, are they overreacting? A Wells Fargo customer service worker says his recent termination stemming from an incident in 1963 is totally unnecessary. His crime? Using a cardboard cutout of a dime in a Laundromat washing machine. [More]
Teavana Needs To Teach Its Employees That Disabilities Exist
By 8.31.12
Some disabilities telegraph themselves pretty obviously: think of someone using a wheelchair, or a blind person walking around guided by a guide dog. Other disabilities don’t. Rosalie is deaf. When she visited her local Teavana and broke an item on the shelf, she tried desperately to point out to the salesperson that just talking at her wasn’t effective communication. The employee wouldn’t listen. When she tried to follow up with Teavana corporate later, no one would answer her. [More]
