Children today: They still love video games, pizza, and music, but they aren’t as into animatronic animal bands as generations past. That’s why some locations of pizza and entertainment chain Chuck E. Cheese’s will experiment with taking the robots out and replacing them with humans in animal costumes. Not everything will change, though: Drunken brawls among adult guests are sure to continue. [More]
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Apple Puts iPod Nano And iPod Shuffle Out To Pasture
By 7.28.17
So long, old friends: After many redesigns and colors, Apple has dropped the iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle from its lineup. Why drop the teeny devices now? Their ancestor the iPod Classic is now gone, and the two devices were the only music players left that don’t use iOS. Worse, the iPod Shuffle doesn’t have Bluetooth. [More]
As Sears And Kmart Shrink, Amazon Grows
By 7.20.17
Earlier today, we shared the announcement that Amazon and Sears would be teaming up to sell Kenmore brand appliances, beginning with air conditioners. The retailers have more in common than you might think, though. [More]
Instagram Now Lets Users Auto-Save Content, “Mute” Others’ Stories
By 9.14.16
Last month, Instagram took a page from Snapchat by launching a “stories” option that allows users to compile photos or video for sharing on their profiles. Today, the company attempted to slightly differentiate its feature, enabling an auto-save function and mute option. [More]
Booze Industry Pushes Back Against Policy Changes For Moderate Drinking
By 8.22.16
It’s long been believed that the occasional drink doesn’t do any real harm to most folks’ health, and may in fact provide some benefits. However, as health officials increasingly question the validity of that belief, the industry that stands to lose the most is fighting back with its own research and lobbying dollars. [More]
Pepsi To Bring Back Aspartame-Sweetened Diet Pepsi By September
By 6.27.16
Weeks after it was rumored that continued falling sales would propel PepsiCo to once again change the sweetener used in its main calorie-free beverage, Diet Pepsi, back to aspartame, the company announced plans to do just that Monday. [More]
Staples Cuts Jobs In Preparation For Life With Or Without Office Depot Merger
By 1.26.16
It appears that Staples is adhering to the adage, “hope for the best, prepare for the worst,” when it comes to their challenged billion-dollar merger with rival Office Depot. This week, the retailer took steps to streamline its operation, changing its management team and reportedly laying off hundreds of employees at its headquarters. [More]
Report: Kohl’s Considers Going Private, Breaking Up Company To Prevent Takeover
By 1.11.16
Middle-class consumers just aren’t as into department stores as they used to be. Experts speculate that this is because off-price and outlet stores caught on during the recession, and shoppers simply don’t want to go back. Even staying open for 170 hours straight wasn’t enough to drag Kohl’s out of a slump, and the company’s leaders worry that they could be taken over while their stock price is low. [More]
United Airlines Revamping Boarding Process, Coffee Options
By 10.22.15
With a newly appointed interim CEO at the helm, United Airlines is moving forward with plans to win back customers’ trust: testing a new boarding procedure and revamping one part of its beverage menu. [More]
Next Up For McDonald’s Revamped Menu: McMuffins, Biscuits & Bagels With Real Butter
By 9.1.15
A month after McDonald’s officially beefed up its Quarter Pounder, the fast food giant is poised to make over a few other staples: the English muffin, bagel and biscuit, adding real butter to the ingredient list. [More]
Why Didn’t Dept. Of Education Find Problems With Loan Servicer Fined $100M?
By 8.5.15
Last May, investigations by the Department of Justice and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation into student loans servicing resulted in a $100 million fine against government-contracted servicer Navient for allegedly violating federal laws limiting the amount of interest that can be charged on servicemember student loans. Following those investigations, the Department of Education undertook a review that found its four servicers – including Navient – weren’t cheating military personnel. With such conflicting reports, members of Congress are now getting involved, calling for an investigation into the Dept. of Education’s review process. [More]
Panera Bread Dropping Nearly 150 Artificial Ingredients From Menu This Year
By 5.5.15
Panera Bread’s plan to remove food additives from its menu appears to be taking shape, with the restaurant announcing today that it plans to remove at least 150 artificial ingredients from its menu in the coming months. [More]
Google Reverses Content Policy Prohibiting Adult Content On Blogger Platform
By 2.27.15
In an abrupt about-face, Google announced early Friday morning that it would reverse a content policy change made just three days earlier that banned the users of the Blogger platform from sharing sexually explicit or graphic nudity on their sites. [More]
American Express Raises Interest Rates In Effort To Be Just Like Other Credit Cards
By 2.25.15
The bad news continues to mount for American Express customers, as the company announced plans Wednesday to raise the annual interest rates on a number of consumer credit cards. [More]
Google Changes Content Policy To Prohibit Adult Material On Blogger Platform Starting March 23
By 2.24.15
Starting next month all users of Google’s Blogger platform must adhere to a more stringent content policy, which includes banning users from sharing sexually explicit or graphic nudity on their sites. [More]
Regulations Help To Rein In Runaway For-Profit Colleges, But Schools Still Find Loopholes
By 8.15.14
If a company routinely charges more for its products than the competition and its product is often inferior to the more affordable option, that business won’t remain open for long. But thanks to deep-pocketed backers and a government that has handed over hundreds of billions of dollars in federal student aid without asking too many questions, the for-profit college industry continues to rake in the bucks while frequently leaving its students with subpar educations and faint employment hopes. Some federal regulators have attempted to make the industry more accountable, but these schools continue to take advantage of loopholes while legislators and consumer advocates scramble to make reform. [More]
Financial Reform Bill Oks Minimum, Maximum Credit Charges
By 6.27.10
The financial reform compromise may keep our financial system from reprising Chernobyl anytime soon, but it will also change the way consumers use their credit cards. Merchants will soon be allowed to refuse plastic for purchases of less than $10, a rate the Fed can boost as they see fit. Both the Fed and universities will also gain the power to set maximum credit charges. That means no more free flights to Europe after charging your kid’s tuition to your rewards card. The changes will go into effect the day after the compromise is signed into law. [More]
Delta Plays Airport Roulette When Flying Into D.C.
By 6.15.10
On Sunday, Andy emailed us from his seat on Delta Flight 2744 from Minneapolis to Washington, D.C., to let us know that he had no idea where his flight was going to land. The ticket he purchased said he was flying to Ronald Reagan National Airport, but Delta said it would all depend on whether they could beat their scheduled 10:19 arrival time and get there before the ten o’clock airport curfew–otherwise they’d have to land at Dulles. Strangely, they didn’t mention this 10 p.m. curfew to Andy before he bought the ticket. [More]
