The next time you go to do your 3 a.m. grocery and table saw shopping at your local Walmart, you may notice that the septua-, octo-, and nonagenarian greeters that used to stand between you and the brightly lit aisles of Walmart wares are no longer there. [More]
Retail Services
How I Sent A Stranger A Free PS3, Thanks To Amazon
By 1.26.12
Peter didn’t set out to send a stranger in a different state the gift of a 100% free PlayStation 3 this holiday season, but thanks to the policies of the Amazon Marketplace, that’s what he did. His customer had a problem with the console, and filed an A-Z Guarantee claim with Amazon, since it didn’t work. Except after Peter helped her with the problem and it was working again, she stopped communicating with him, didn’t close the claim, and promptly received a refund for the full purchase price without having to return the item. [More]
Michel Gondry Directs A Fantastically Weird Japanese Commercial Featuring A Giant Foot
By 1.25.12
Come on, Michel Gondry — why take your delightfully odd talents to Japan? Start directing commercials in the U.S. and we will gladly take them, comically over-sized feet and all. Just like George Clooney, Michel isn’t limiting himself to feature films, as his spot for a Japanese department store shows. [More]
George Clooney Makes Money Off Coffee Commercials And "F@!# You" If You Think He's Selling Out
By 1.25.12
Guess what, everybody? George Clooney is a big movie star (he was Batman once!) and he’s in it to make good films, not reap the spoils of a flash-in-the-pan money-making blockbuster. He’s got overseas coffee commercials to keep him living large, and if you think he’s a sellout because of it, he really doesn’t give a f@!#. [More]
PBS Gets In Trouble For Hawking "Downton Abbey" Jewelry Without Permission From Show's Creators
By 1.25.12
America has gone all Brit-crazy with Downton Abbey, airing on PBS after its triumph in the UK, but perhaps the respected TV station has gone one step too far in trying to appease the clamor for all things Downton. PBS got in a bit of hot water with the show’s creators after they started selling a line of Downton Abbey jewelry on their site. [More]
Public Citizen Calls For Breakup Of Bank Of America
By 1.25.12
Bank of America poses “a grave threat to U.S. financial stability,” according to watchdog group Public Citizen, which has called for the bank to be broken up. [More]
A Record Number Of American Consumers Are Single, Don't Really Feel The Need To Mingle
By 1.25.12
Begone, old stereotypes of sad sack singletons living alone and mourning their solo existence while covered in cats! New census data shows that there are a record number of singles in the U.S., and they’re spending a bunch of money all on their own. And they’re just fine with that single status, so stop asking what her sign is. [More]
Bank Of America To Do A Really Bad Job Of Offering Online Deals
By 1.24.12
Because between the existing glut of daily deals websites is apparently not sufficient, and because we aren’t already inundated with complaints about Bank of America, the nation’s second-largest but most-reviled financial institution has decided to branch out into the online deals business with BankAmeriDeals. [More]
Listen, Walmart — Slapping A Clearance Sign On An Item Without Changing The Price Doesn't Equal A Discount
By 1.24.12
Walmart clearly expects that its shoppers can read signs, which is why they’ve marked a stack of clothing with not only a display reading “Clearance,” but also have printed the same word on a balloon and affixed it to said arrangement of apparel. However it seems they think their shoppers aren’t so good at the whole cardinal numbers thing. [More]
$100 Cognac-Infused Bratwurst Takes Haute Hot Dogs To New Heights
By 1.24.12
It’s a wacky world of wieners out there in the restaurant business, and a new “haute dog” on the scene in Vancouver is shoving aside other fancy contenders to claim the title of most expensive hot dog. Diners can dig into a Dragon Dog at DougieDog Hot Dogs for just $100. [More]
Bank Of America Debit Card Fiasco Resulted In 20% Jump In Closed Accounts
By 1.23.12
Though Bank of America surely expected a certain amount of attrition when it announced it would begin charging a monthly fee for some customers to use their debit cards to make purchases, it probably didn’t expect that it would see a full 20% increase in the number of customers saying “bye-bye” to BofA. [More]
Big Banks Pinky-Swear To Overhaul Lending & Foreclosure Practices
By 1.23.12
Nearly a half-decade after the U.S. housing market collapsed like something that collapses really badly, the country’s five biggest mortgage providers — Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo, Citi and Ally — are oh-so-close to reaching a settlement with the states that could include overhauls to how they operate when it comes to the whole lending/servicing/foreclosing process. [More]
Target Asks Vendors To Help Combat Store-As-Showroom Problem
By 1.23.12
A quick skim through the response to any story about major retailers like Best Buy, Target, Sears and others will find a growing number of people talking about how they use these bricks-and-mortar stores as places to go check out a product in person before going to purchase it for less online. In an attempt to combat this trend, Target has written its biggest suppliers for help. [More]
Has Olive Garden Lost Its Way In A Forest Of Breadsticks & Cheap Gimmicks?
By 1.23.12
We can see it clearly: Olive Garden, alone and afraid, wandering around the the maze of casual dining, not knowing which way to turn, lost in a forest of unlimited, greasy breadsticks, as its sale slide and its customers turn a cold shoulder to their plight. Beyond all that, the chain needs to step up its game again, say industry insiders. [More]
Walmart Casts Itself As "Retail American Idol" In Search For New Products
By 1.20.12
Your dream of putting hard work into inventing a new product so that it can be sold for bargain prices at big box stores around the country is about to come true. Walmart is holding a contest for inventors to compete for a spot on their shelves. [More]
No Last-Minute Diaper Orders For You, Amazon Mom Members
By 1.20.12
Many of our readers with kids are fans of Amazon Mom, a program that provides some Amazon Prime free-shipping benefits and an additional 15% savings on subscriptions to products that babies consume a lot of, like diapers and wipes. That’s all ending next week, and you have to subscribe to Prime to continue with the program. Is that worth it? That’s up to you and your family, and depends on how much you spend at Amazon every year. Reader Krystal was surprised when she visited Amazon to get in one last diaper order before the program changes…and saw that the site wouldn’t let her. [More]
Target Doesn't Need To See Your Identification; Tries Anyway
By 1.20.12
Phil (not the one who works here) brought a game/controller bundle to the register at his local Target store. The cashier asked for his driver’s license to complete the sale, because the game was age-restricted. After a manager intervened, Phil got to buy his game with only a typed-in birthdate, but here’s the thing: the game was rated “Teen,” and Target’s own policies state that they don’t require birthdates for games with that rating. And besides: Phil is in his late thirties. [More]
During Trying Economic Times, Some Small Towns Turn To Their Own Currency
By 1.19.12
Who hasn’t grabbed a handful of Monopoly money and just wished it could be used to purchase things in real life? A few towns are doing that with their own currencies, and it’s helping to keep things bustling within their communities. [More]
