Two teens in New Mexico are now reporting to juvenile probation after they were snagged allegedly attempting to swipe $2 worth of bracelets from a local Walmart. Does this mean that the retail giant has changed its policy of not pursuing charges against minors for thefts under $25? [More]
Retail Services
Man Files Suit Alleging Sam's Club Ruined His Love Life
By 9.17.10
It’s not surprising to hear that a woman in Illinois has filed a lawsuit against Sam’s Club after she slipped and fell inside one of the warehouse stores. But it’s not every day we read about that woman’s husband also filing a lawsuit against the discount chain, all because he can no longer consort with his wife. [More]
DirectBuy Extends Their 'Not Without Your Spouse' Policy To Lesbians
By 9.17.10
While it’s refreshing to learn that DirectBuy — which apparently won’t let women into their showroom without their husband present — recognizes same-sex couples, it’s disappointing to discover the company is equally a-holish to them as it is to everyone else. [More]
Groupon Responds To Cafe Owner Who Says Using Service Was "Single Worst Decision"
By 9.17.10
Earlier this week, the owner of Posie’s Cafe in Portland, OR, made headlines when she said that her decision to try advertising with Groupon was the “single worst decision I have ever made as a business owner.” [More]
NY Lottery Goes After Chase MasterCard Over 'Illegal' Fees
By 9.17.10
A couple weeks back, we brought you the story of a reader who found out that Chase now considers playing the lottery as internet gambling — but only after they nailed him with exorbitant fees and sky-high interest. Now, the New York Lottery has turned the tables on Chase MasterCard, alleging that these extra charges are illegal. [More]
Norton SystemWorks 2006 On Sale At Walmart For Only $59.72
By 9.16.10
James spotted a copy of Norton SystemWorks 2006 on sale at his local Walmart for the must-have price of $59.72. Maybe it’s a collectible. [More]
Reader's Digest Wants Me To Renew 4 Months Into a 2-Year Subscription
By 9.16.10
As magazines continue to struggle, some are treating subscribers the way Tommy Boy does biscuits that represent Callahan brake pad sales contacts. Take Rick, who was good enough to pay upfront for two years of Reader’s Digest, and now must field offers from the company to renew the four-month-old subscription: [More]
Update: I No Longer Need To Drive 1,500 Miles To Close My Dead Mother's Bank Account
By 9.16.10
Yesterday, we brought you the story of a man in Pennsylvania who was told by Bank of America that he would need to travel all the way to Texas just so he could close out his recently deceased mother’s account at Bank of America. Well, after someone at BofA spotted the story on Consumerist, the reader received not one, but two (2) positive responses from the bank. [More]
Chase Just Goes Ahead And Adds Overdraft Protection To Your Account
By 9.16.10
Lori called up Chase to tell them that she was traveling internationally in the next few weeks. She wanted them to note her account so there wouldn’t be any blocks when charges from far-away countries started appearing. Then the fast-talking rep just sort of added overdraft protection to Lori’s account, just casually worked it in there, like she was doing her a courtesy. [More]
Would You Let A Station Attendant Hold On To Your License While You Pump Gas?
By 9.16.10
Larry tells Consumerist that when he tried to pay for gasoline with his credit card recently, the station attendant didn’t just ask to see his driver’s license. She asked to keep it while he pumped gas. Have you run across this in your own travels? What would you do? [More]
The Police Have Apparently Deputized This Sam's Club Receipt Checker
By 9.16.10
Julie calculates that her family has spent at least $2.4 million at Sam’s Club over the last decade, buying supplies for their restaurants. That relationship is now over, she tells Consumerist, because someone at the store called the police on her father for having an expired registration. He left the store with two tickets and a healthy dose of humiliation. He’s concluded that Sam’s Club no longer needs his business. [More]
A Guide On Whether To Buy Stuff New Or Used
By 9.15.10
In the age of internet shopping it’s easy to opt for a cheaper used version of an item rather than its new, more expensive counterpart. The question is whether the savings on used stuff make up for the possible drop in quality. [More]
DirectBuy Won't Let Me In Their Showroom Without My Husband
By 9.15.10
Reader Stacy writes in to let us know that DirectBuy refused to let her tour their showroom without her husband.
Walmart Time Vortex Yields Overpriced Memory Device
By 9.15.10
Philip found this 2.5 gigabyte hard drive on his Walmart’s clearance rack. Maybe it’s an error, or maybe someone’s hoping a shopper mistakes the “g” for a “t” and thinks they’re getting a smoking deal on 2.5 terabytes. [More]
Witness: Target Worker Wrestled, Choked Female Customer
By 9.15.10
Yesterday, Cherie was shopping at a Target in Cincinnati when she claims she witnessed a Target loss prevention associate “brutally detain, wrestle, strike and choke a shopper for more than three minutes.” [More]
Hobby Lobby To Couple: Only Women Can Carry Bags
By 9.15.10
A Hobby Lobby employee asked Joe to leave his Maxpedition Versipack–I was going to call it a man purse, but it’s so aggressively utilitarian that I think it gets a pass–at the front counter before he shopped in the store. That’s unfriendly but not that weird, considering the loss-prevention strategies some stores use. However, they let his wife continue with the exact same bag attached to her hip, I guess because women can’t steal. [More]
Chase Bank Is Back Online
By 9.15.10
After more than 24 hours of complete uselessness, Chase’s website came back to life late Tuesday night. [More]
Walmart Admits Pricing Error On Iron Man 2 DVD, Attempts To Make Nice
By 9.14.10
Earlier today, we wrote about the numerous complaints we’d received about some shady dealings over at Walmart.com. Seems that many, many people had been lured into pre-ordering the Blu-ray/Standard DVD/Digital Copy combo pack of Iron Man 2 at the price of $15, only to then receive an e-mail from Walmart that their orders were canceled “due to limited availability.” This struck many people as odd, since Walmart was still taking orders for the same item, but at a much higher price. And guess what — you were right. [More]
