Who needs a new pair of jeans when there’s TV watching to be done? The demands of shoppers has led to Sears dropping clothing from 10 of its stores in order to fit in more mattresses and recliners. [More]
Retail Services
Worst Company In America Round One: Netflix Vs. GameStop
By 3.16.12
Everyone else might be thanking God it’s Friday, but not the companies that had to start off their weekend by beating the ever-loving crud out of each other in the Worst Company America Thunderdome. [More]
Service Makes It Easier To Rent Out Your Driveway Parking Spots
By 3.15.12
We’ve already got online services for renting out our apartments or homes when we’re gone, or even borrow a strangers’ car — so why not use the Internet to rent out your driveway for parking? A new site does just that, giving people who live near airports, stadiums, movie theaters and more a chance to make some cash from their conveniently located homes. [More]
Worst Company In America Round One: Walmart Vs. Sears/Kmart
By 3.15.12
Just judging by appearances, this match-up has the feel of a strapping young heavyweight going up against a past-his-day bruiser who is clinging on to memories of his days as champ. But you never know if that elder fighter might have packed some bird shot and ball bearings in his boxing gloves. [More]
Judge Certifies Class-Action Status For Abercrombie & Fitch Gift Card Lawsuit
By 3.15.12
Abercrombie & Fitch could soon learn a huge lesson in bad marketing practices. A federal judge has given the go-ahead to a class-action lawsuit against the retailer that alleges it handed out gift cards with no expiration date only to later tell customers that their cards had expired. [More]
Gettysburg Gift Shop Decides Against John Wilkes Booth Bobbleheads
By 3.14.12
Doesn’t matter if it’s a silly bobblehead doll, it seems some might find it odd to buy a figurine of the man who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. The Gettysburg National Military Park visitors’ center removed the John Wilkes Booth bobblehead from its shelves recently, after a reporter asked about them. [More]
Nike To The Irish: Sorry We Named Black And Tan Sneakers After A Violent Paramilitary Group
By 3.14.12
Nike’s gone and stuck its Black and Tan foot right in its mouth where the Irish are concerned, naming a new sneaker after a drink popular in the U.S. and Britain that also happens to be the name of a violent paramilitary group in 1920s Ireland. [More]
Ladies, For The Last Time: That Bra Doesn't Fit You Right At All
By 3.14.12
We’ve heard it from Oprah Winfrey and your mother-in-law that 80% of women are wearing the wrong bra size. Perhaps you’ve seen it in action when you just can’t get the perfect fitting bra that makes everything lifty, happy and slenderizing. That’s why Consumer Reports ShopSmart magazine took statistics to the test and held a professional bra fitting. [More]
Walmart Will Turn Your DVDs & Blu-Rays Into Digital Movies For $2
By 3.14.12
If your shelves are getting cluttered with DVD and Blu-Ray boxes, Walmart has a (legal) solution: Starting April 16, customers can bring in their physical copies of movies and get a digital version stored in the UltraViolet cloud for $2 each. [More]
Feds Probing Chase On Credit Card Collection Practices
By 3.13.12
Following the lead of whistleblowers, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has reportedly been investigating JPMorgan Chase over allegations that, over the course of at least two years, the bank used inaccurate records when suing thousands of delinquent credit card customers. [More]
Worst Company In America Round One: Bank Of America Vs. Chase
By 3.13.12
It hasn’t been a banner year for either of these banking bruisers. But has12 months of settlements over fraudulent mortgages, along with all that planning/canceling/reinstating of fees, left these fighters exhausted, or has it hardened them into true WCIA warriors? [More]
Thumbs Up For The Economy: Retail Sales Are At A Five-Month High
By 3.13.12
Americans really got out there in February, opening wallets and throwing cash around without practically a care in the world. Not literally, but still, we did a really good job, as retails sales had their largest uptick in five months. Even the high price of gas didn’t keep us out of the stores. [More]
Worst Company In America Round One: Target Vs. Best Buy
By 3.13.12
Go make some popcorn and gather the family by the glow of your data-receiving device of choice — It’s Worst Company In America time! And it looks like the first blood to be spilled in the WCIA 2012 Octagon of Shame will come from the veins of one of these two retail titans from Minnesota. [More]
Tiffany & Swatch's Marriage Doesn't Work Out So They're Suing Each Other
By 3.12.12
Time’s up for the marriage of Tiffany & Co. with Swatch Watches, as the two companies aren’t only ending their partnership but are going into full-on bitter divorce mode with suits and countersuits abounding. One might say their timing was just off. Oh, zing! [More]
Here It Is, Your Lineup For Worst Company In America 2012!
By 3.12.12
Welcome to Consumerist’s 7th Annual Worst Company In America tournament, where the businesses you nominated face off for a title that none of them will publicly admit to wanting — but which all of them try their hardest to earn. So it’s time to fill in the brackets and start another office pool. That is, unless you work at one of the 32 companies competing in the tournament. [More]
Posting A Photo Of Peyton Manning's Large Tip Costs Waiter His Job
By 3.8.12
We bet when Peyton Manning left a $200 tip on a dinner bill that already included an 18% gratuity, his server was feeling pretty darn lucky. That is, until the owner of the restaurant fired said server after photographic evidence of Manning’s generosity showed up on the Internet. D’oh. [More]
Dollar Shave Club Lures Customers With Cheap Razors & Cheeky Ad
By 3.8.12
We get it — the YouTube ad for Dollar Shave Club is sweeping the Internets, popping up on the Facebook page of everyone you know. While it’s not the absolute funniest or most original ad of its ilk (remember the Old Spice Guy’s continuous shot thing?), it’s causing quite a stir. Oh and yes, you can actually get razors for a dollar(ish) every month. [More]
No, Walmart Is Not Sending You A $1,000 Gift Card On Your Cell Phone
By 3.8.12
Think it’s your lucky day because a text message shows up on your phone offering you $1,000 in cold hard spending card cash at Walmart? It’s a scam, says the company, so don’t follow any of the directions given and don’t expect that gift card. [More]
