We’re sure American Apparel is just trying to be ever-so-adorable by making a play on the phrase “next big thing,” it’s not exactly cute to call someone a ” big thing” when you’re searching for a model to show off XL sizes of clothing. [More]
Retail Services
Donnie & Mark Wahlberg Do The Inevitable, Plan To Open Wahlburgers Burger Joint
By 8.25.11
The dream team that is brothers Donnie and Mark Wahlberg (AKA the bad boy from New Kids on the Block and kid brother, the former Marky Mark), are hoping their star status will be enough to power their new restaurant, dubbed “Wahlburgers” to success. [More]
Admission Party's Over At For-Profit Colleges
By 8.25.11
As the economy (sorta) bounces back and would-be students are able to find jobs, colleges trying to make money to teach business or technical skillsare having a harder time convincing new students to enroll and pay them the big bucks. [More]
Target Expands Step Stool Recall To Include 314,00 More Units
By 8.25.11
Earlier this month, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Target announced a voluntary recall of 206,000 of their wooden step stools. They’re now adding an additional 341,000 units to that recall, citing a potential fall hazard as stools may fall apart when weight is applied on them. [More]
GameStop Stores Ordered To Open 'Deus Ex: Human Revolution' Boxes And Remove Free Game Coupon
By 8.24.11
This news isn’t going to garner any love for perennial Worst Company In America contestant GameStop. The video game retailer’s Field Operations Manager sent out an e-mail — which has since gone public — demanding that stores open copies of the PC version of the game to remove a coupon containing a code that allows the buyer to play the game for free via the online gaming service OnLive. [More]
Groupon Uses Pretty Picture To Advertise Not As Pretty Reality
By 8.24.11
Being the savvy consumers that you all are, you’re probably no stranger to something not appearing in person as it does in a promotional photo. [More]
Silly Reader Thinks Appliances Should Last Longer Than A Year And A Half
By 8.24.11
Maura has figured out what the “cares” in “Sears cares” actually stands for: “customers are reliable suckers.” That was the subject line of the e-mail she sent us about the experience she’s had trying to get her Kenmore washing machine fixed. Her washing machine that is what we once would have called “new,” is broken at only a year and a half old. [More]
Man Pays Bank Of America Mortgage On Time, Still Ends Up In Foreclosure & Has Credit Ruined
By 8.24.11
Ever since the housing bubble burst, we’ve run a number of stories about homeowners who had been told the only way they could qualify for a loan modification was to stop paying their mortgage for a few months, only to end up in foreclosure because the lender had no record of a modification application. This is not one of those stories, though the ending is the same. [More]
Walmart Shopper Sacrifices Minivan To Stop Shoplifters From Fleeing
By 8.24.11
A customer at a Florida Walmart was one of several people who spotted two women run out the store’s front door with a cart full of allegedly stolen merchandise. And when he saw this pair try to escape in a car, he decided it was time to intervene. [More]
China's Demand For PCs Overtakes That Of U.S.
By 8.24.11
According to research firm estimates, China’s hunger for devouring PCs is finally surpassing that of the U.S. During the second quarter of the year, shipments in China rose 14 percent to 18.5 million while they fell 4.8 percent in the U.S. to 17.7 million. [More]
Can You Access BofA & Chase Credit Card Account Info With Just 4-Digits And A Phone Number?
By 8.23.11
Last week, ConsumerWorld.org claimed that anyone could access credit card account info for Chase and Bank of America customers armed only with the customer’s phone number and the final four digits of their credit card. That’s certainly alarming, so MSNBC tested it out. [More]
Vizio Takes Advertising Broken Amazon Streaming Very Seriously
By 8.23.11
Perhaps it was naive of Josh to assume that his Vizio Blu-Ray player came with free Amazon.com video streaming. It’s listed as a feature of the player, Amazon is one of Vizio’s “Internet apps,” and the Amazon logo is featured on the product box and on Vizio’s site for the product. All that doesn’t mean that Amazon streaming actually works, though. [More]
Save Money By Shopping Near Hot People So You Buy Less
By 8.23.11
The next time you go shopping for clothes, make sure there are no attractive people around wearing store brands, or you could end up never buying anything to wear. Or if you don’t want to spend money, look for the hot people in the store and make yourself feel bad. [More]
This Is Why You Avoid Buying The Cheapest Wine Even If You're Stingy
By 8.23.11
Maybe in college you can get away with bringing out a bottle of two-buck-Chuck, aka Charles Shaw brand wine at Trader Joe’s, but since no one likes to look cheap, even the most frugal shoppers will opt for a more expensive wine choice. [More]
Even 12-Year-Olds Are Obsessed With Extreme Couponing
By 8.23.11
Why start a babysitting club to save money when you can just turn to extreme couponing? Good Morning America met Jessica, 12, whose love of couponing has led to $4,000 in savings for her family over the last three years. Which means… she started at nine. [More]
Walmart Is Dying Because Its Business Model Is Strangling Itself
By 8.23.11
Make sure you read this in a spooky voice in your head: Wal-Mart is dooooomed! At least, the business model it relied on to reach such astronomical growth is now probably putting a choke hold on the company’s ability to grow and compete. [More]
SoCal Grocery Workers Agree To Strike If Terms Not Met
By 8.22.11
Grocery store checkout lines in the Los Angeles area could get a lot longer if unionized workers follow through with their plan to strike against employers. The United Food and Commercial Workers, which represents 62,000 workers at Vons, Ralphs and Albertsons in the area, say they will strike if they can’t work out a new contract. [More]
Beware Of Scams Arriving In The Form Of Fake Costco Checks
By 8.19.11
Yesterday, we discussed the fun that could be had at Costco with a fake shopping list. Today’s story involves a fake check that looks like it comes from Costco but is just a variation on a classic scam. [More]
