It’s not often that a retail store becomes an icon even before it opens for business, but Apple managed to pull off this weird architectural/cultural feat with its glass box Apple store in NYC in 2006–it’s the 5th most photographed landmark in the city and 28th worldwide according to a new study of Flickr images. The man who designed it, 70-year-old Peter Bohlin, has been awarded the 2010 gold medal from the American Institute of Architects for his entire body of work, and he doesn’t like computers and had never designed a retail environment before the Apple store. [More]
Retail Services
America's First Legal Male Prostitute Quits After Three Months
By 3.29.10
Markus, the first legal male prostitute in the U.S., hung his shingle at the Shady Lady Ranch in Nevada in January. Since then he’s had “fewer than 10 paying customers” according to the Associated Press (which seems to imply there were some free samples maybe?), so he’s quitting and going back into porn. In other words, there’s a new opening at Shady Lady, gentlemen. Wait, that totally didn’t sound right. [More]
Best Buy PS3 Bundle Comes With Overpriced HDMI Cable?
By 3.29.10
Reader Chris sends in a link to a (backordered) bundle Best Buy is offering. It contains a 120 GB PS3, a wireless controller, and a “Rocketfishâ„¢ – 8′ HDMI Digital Audio/Video Cable for PlayStation 3”. For all of this, you pay only $394.97. Trouble is, the controller and PS3 usually go for $300. See update. [More]
Why Everyone Loves Costco: Small Selection, Good Quality, Low Prices
By 3.29.10
ABCNews took a look inside the mysterious world of Costco. Why does everyone love it so much? Turns out the secrets are simple: Small selection, good quality, low price. [More]
RadioShack & Best Buy: Marriage Made In Mobile Phone Heaven?
By 3.29.10
According to a recent report, the folks at RadioShack are looking to either sell themselves off to the highest bidder or find another retailer to merge with. Among the companies being discussed, the one getting the most attention is Best Buy. [More]
The Baseball Card Bubble — Swallower Of Childhood Dreams
By 3.29.10
Slate excerpts the Dave Jamieson book Mint Condition, which details the rise and fall of the baseball card futures market of the 1980s and 1990s. [More]
Texas Woman Awarded $9 Million In Walmart False Arrest Lawsuit
By 3.28.10
After being accused of cashing counterfeit money orders and arrested at a Walmart in 2008, a Houston woman has won $9 million in damages in a civil lawsuit against the retailer. 24-year-old Nitra Gipson spent two days in jail…and the money orders turned out to be genuine. [More]
Amazon.com Rep: "Your Package Has Been Eaten By An Alligator"
By 3.28.10
Sometimes calling customer service just leads to theater of the absurd. Earlier today, reader Will blogged about his recent interaction with Amazon customer service. He writes that when he called up Amazon to find out the location of a missing package. The rep informed him that the package had been eaten by an alligator. [More]
This Computer Game Is On Clearance At Walmart Because It's Now Defunct
By 3.27.10
Kain tells Consumerist that he was searching the clearance section at his local Walmart for deals when he discovered something that was an unbelievably bad deal. Ten “collector’s edition” copies of the multiplayer game Tabula Rasa marked down to only $25! Too bad that the servers required to play the game shut down on Feburary 28, 2009. [More]
Congressional Audit Shows That EnergyStar Label May Be Meaningless
By 3.26.10
Does an EnergyStar label change your perception of a product? Maybe it shouldn’t. Last year, an audit showed that Energy Star gave its rating to products that misrepresented their energy usage. This time, auditors posed as companies and submitted completely absurd appliances for EnergyStar ratings, like a gasoline-powered alarm clock the size of a portable generator, and a space heater with a feather duster on top claiming to be an “air purifier.” Is the study meaningless because no actual products were sold, or a warning that the program is sloppy and susceptible to fraud? [More]
Worst Company In America 2010: Chase VS Capital One
By 3.26.10
Another banking showdown. CapitalOne, notorious for shady fees and now for raising interest rates ahead of the CARD Act, and Chase… well, we suppose this sums up how people feel about the banking giant. [More]
This Bottle Of Salad Dressing At Target Only Expired Five Months Ago
By 3.26.10
Paul Newman (who died in 2008) may have still been alive when this bottle of salad dressing was manufactured. Bridget in Minnesota told Consumerist that sge purchased it at her local Target. She got a refund from the store, but she’s still a little alarmed that they would sell her such a thing. [More]
Police: Racist Walmart PA Prankster Had Done It Before
By 3.26.10
Remember the New Jersey teen who was recently busted for announcing over a Walmart PA system that “all the black people should leave the store now”? Well, you probably won’t be shocked to find out it wasn’t the first time he’d done it. [More]
FTC Catches 30% Of Funeral Homes Violating Consumer Laws
By 3.25.10
Thanks to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers have certain rights when it comes to funerals. Consumers have the right to purchase only the products or services they need, to use the services of a funeral home while declining embalming, to see written price lists before they begin to make decisions, and the right to purchase a casket or urn elsewhere. An undercover FTC investigation, however, discovered that in 30% of the funeral homes they visited, at least one part of the Funeral Rule of 1984 was violated. [More]
Best Buy & HP Make Both Worst Company & Most Ethical Company Lists
By 3.25.10
This week, Ethisphere issued its annual list of the World’s Most Ethical Companies, and while there are several recognizable names (Starbucks, Gap, Ford, Nike, American Express), two of the 100 companies listed — Best Buy and Hewlett Packard — also got enough nominations from Consumerist readers to make it into the 2010 Worst Company In America tournament. [More]
Kmart Settles Age Discrimination Suit For $120K
By 3.25.10
Kmart has agreed to a $120,000 settlement in an age discrimination lawsuit filed by a former employee at one of their stores in Hawaii. [More]
