It’s one thing for a parking lot to simply offer a discount to people who choose to drive fuel-efficient hybrid and electric vehicles. But does that lot go too far when it charges a premium for people to park their SUVs and Jeeps? [More]
Retail Services
Etsy: Controversial Shop Isn't A Re-Seller, But A "Collective"
By 4.25.12
Earlier this week, a number of Etsy sellers and shoppers were upset at the website — which is intended to sell only handmade items, vintage goods, or crafting materials — for featuring a shop that some claim is merely a re-seller of mass-produced furniture made from reclaimed wood. But rather than pull the plug on that shop, Etsy has allowed the owner to attempt to clarify matters — and also told its users to stop being such meanies. [More]
Urban Outfitters Pulls Shirt That Reminds People Of The Holocaust
By 4.24.12
Urban Outfitters is in the middle of another scandal involving questionable imagery in its clothing. Jewish groups and other critics say a yellow t-shirt on their site last week seemed to resemble a Star of David patch. And since the last time a patch of that kind was used was by Nazis who forced Jews to wear it leading up to and during the Holocaust, well, it wasn’t a good move. [More]
Report: Feds Targeting Walmart With Criminal Investigation In Wake Of Bribery Claims
By 4.24.12
A new report says the U.S. Justice Department is taking allegations of Walmart bribery in Mexico very seriously, and have started a criminal investigation. And just as that news hits comes a story that the company has created a Global Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Compliance Officer. Coincidence? We think not. [More]
Amazon Agrees To Collect Sales Tax In Nevada
By 4.24.12
The number of states where Amazon shoppers aren’t charged sales tax continues to shrink, as the massive online retailer has agreed to begin collecting the tax on sales to Nevada customers starting in 2014. [More]
Some NY Gas Stations Adding $2/Gallon Credit Card Fee
By 4.24.12
It’s no secret that gas stations all around the country sometimes tack on the cost of credit card processing for fuel payments. And while you may be willing to pay a few cents more per gallon pumped, some stations in New York are reportedly charging credit card customers a few dollars more per gallon of gas. [More]
Whatever This CVS Has Planned Tonight, Count Us Out
By 4.24.12
It makes sense for a store to place small impulse-buy items on the shelf next to related merchandise. Say, cereal and bananas. Beer and Ping-Pong balls. Cold medicine and tissues. Tampons and chocolate. Those choices all make sense, but this impulse buy found at a New England CVS left us, and tipster Jena, scratching our heads. [More]
Reader's Story Of Lackluster Lawnmower Service Exemplifies Why Sears Is Sinking
By 4.23.12
It wasn’t that long ago that the Sears name actually stood for quality, service and all those other buzz words you hear in TV commercials. When people ask “What happened?,” it’s easy to point to the growth of big-box competitors like Walmart and Target, but that doesn’t paint the full picture of why the once-iconic Sears brand is now considered second-tier by many shoppers. [More]
Paying $60 For A Light Bulb That Lasts 20 Years Is Kind Of A No-Brainer
By 4.23.12
After months in development, Philips is finally ready to sell LED light bulbs that last 20 years. Could be quite a game-changer — after all, if you didn’t have to change a light bulb between now and when your unborn child graduates from high school, just think of all the precious minutes you could spend on other tasks. And the environment would surely thank you. [More]
Best Buy Will Never Tempt Me With 'Delivery' Siren Song Again
By 4.23.12
Brian could have brought his new washer right home from Best Buy after purchasing it, but let the salesman talk him into delivery. Old appliances don’t just haul themselves away, you know. Only after he took a day off work, Best Buy didn’t even manage to get his appliance on the truck for delivery. This hasn’t reached Sears proportions yet, but Brian is annoyed. [More]
Best Buy Celebrates Earth Day By Imagining A World Made Of Plastic & Wires
By 4.23.12
Oh, Best Buy. If only we could give you a gift card so you could buy a clue. Yesterday was Earth Day, when we globe-dwellers were supposed to stop, think and honor our planet. Maybe you started composting, or promised to stop keeping lights on in empty rooms. Over at Best Buy, they celebrated by imagining a world that does away with pesky natural substances, and is instead overwhelmingly comprised of electronics. [More]
Etsy Features Seller Who May Be Blatantly Violating Etsy Policy
By 4.23.12
While Etsy.com policy clearly states that the website is for people to sell handmade items, vintage goods, or crafting materials, the actual enforcement of those standards — especially in the “handmade” category — has always been a bit fuzzy, with the definition of “handmade” ranging from a hat you hand-knit out of yarn you spun yourself from the organic free-range alpacas on your farm to making a charm necklace by stringing together a bunch of charms you bought from China. While Etsy has shut down stores for reselling goods that are not handmade, the site drew the ire of the Internet over the weekend for featuring a shop that some feel blatantly violates the site’s policies. [More]
We Are Shocked, Shocked That Walmart May Have Been Bribing People In Mexico
By 4.22.12
Hold the darn phone — Walmart has been indicated in a bribery scandal in which the company’s Mexican arm was bribing people to the tune of $24 million to obtain permits, and then attempted to cover up the whole scandal? We shan’t believe it. Ha! Just kidding. That makes total sense. [More]
Someone Just Sold The Only Penny Worth Caring About For $1.15 Million
By 4.20.12
Now that it takes more than a penny to make a penny, many of $0.01 cent skeptics think the United States should just ditch those coppers (and yes, we know, they’re not all copper) like Canada did. But there is at least one penny worth finding in your change jar — a 1792 coin that just sold at auction for $1.15 million. [More]
Don't Mind Pictures Of Icky Fish: FDA Declares Gulf Seafood Safe To Eat
By 4.20.12
Despite photos of fish with sores or other unappetizing marks on them from the Gulf of Mexico, the Food and Drug Administration’s Gulf Coast Seafood Laboratory says seafood is safe to eat, two years after the BP oil spill. [More]
What Is The 'Original Price' After Kohl's Marks An Item Up?
By 4.20.12
When Scott found socks on “buy one, get one half off” sale at Kohl’s, he picked up a few packages. The sale signage stipulated that the discount was off the original price…but was that the original price, or the original original price? Scott noticed that a sticker had been placed over the original tag, raising the price from $12 to $14. So what’s the original price?
[More]
Bank Of America Has Gotten So Bad, It's Hard To Tell Satire From Reality
By 4.19.12
Bank of America may have avoided the stain of the Worst Company In America Golden Poo for the second year in a row, but the perennial runner-up still has plenty of haters out there, including some who put together YourBofA.com, a satire site that will probably be taken down any minute now. [More]
HSBC's Credit Card Policies Feel Like 1994 All Over Again
By 4.19.12
Victor knows that shopping at Best Buy isn’t a popular choice around here, but he really likes getting 4% back in Reward Zone points to spend on even more stuff at Best Buy. That does sound pretty sweet. In this situation, his actual beef is with HSBC, the bank that runs Best Buy’s credit cards. He made some big purchases, then made an electronic payment from his bank account to pay off the balance. Now there’s a mysterious hold on the account, and he can’t use the card. Turns out that large electronic payments are “held” for eleven days to make sure everything clears. Longer than it would take with a paper check. Unable to make any more purchases with his card, Victor just went and bought his iPad 3 somewhere else. Darn. [More]
