The holiday travel season will be kicking off to a strong start over the Thanksgiving holiday this year, with almost 25 million travelers predicted to take to the skies on U.S. airlines, more than did so during the same period last year. And that’s not to mention train [More]
holidays
Target Baiting Holiday Shoppers With Free Shipping On All Items This Season
By 10.22.14
There’s nary a bit of frost on the ground and yet it’s time for retailers to start gearing up for the holidays. Getting off to a running start today is Target, announcing that starting today it’ll offer free holiday shipping on everything it sells online for the first time. [More]
Amazon Building Warehouses Everywhere, Hopes Christmas Gifts Actually Arrive By Christmas
By 9.26.14
Holiday time is shopping time in America, and millions of families turn to Amazon to get their gifts. But last year, Santa’s sleigh had some trouble getting where it needed to be on time: last-minute buying, bad weather, and snafus at UPS and FedEx meant plenty of presents were still in transit when kids went looking under the tree in the morning. Some Christmas delivery miracles occurred, but Amazon still had to issue plenty of apologies, refunds, discounts, and Prime extensions. But Amazon is determined not to see a repeat in 2014, if their year of planning and building pans out. [More]
Here’s Hobby Lobby’s Nightmare Before Christmas
By 9.8.14
We complain about holiday mashups and Holiday Creep, but we secretly love “Nightmare Before Christmas” displays, where retail necessity meets art, and cool holiday mashups ensue. Hobby Lobby puts out their Christmas merchandise early, even by craft store standards, and we have gradually grown to enjoy these Halloween trees, even as it’s fundamentally wrong to celebrate the coming of autumn with evergreens. [More]
Now Let’s All Address Stacks Of Thanksgiving Cards
By 9.2.14
Okay, everyone, did you get your Halloween cards addressed two weeks ago like marketers wanted you to? Good! Put those aside for the next seven weeks or so, because it’s time for your next occasion that requires cards: Thanksgiving. [More]
Was This Walmart Doing A Bad Thing By Being Closed On Easter But Asking Employees To Work?
By 4.21.14
When a store says it’s closed on Easter so its employees can spend time with their families, does that mean the entire store should be a ghost town? Or is it okay to have a volunteer skeleton crew in to keep things moving behind the scenes? And should the workers who do volunteer to come in be paid extra for giving up their holiday? These questions and more are being debated about a Walmart Supercenter in Maine. [More]
Stories You Might Have Missed Because You Were Too Busy Being Awesome
April 19, 2014
We post a lot of stories during the week, and we know that most of you have jobs, families, lives, hobbies, nagging itches and other more important things to do than read every single thing we write. So for those who might be playing catch-up on the weekend, here are some of the things you might have missed… [More]
National Animal Cracker Day & 15 Other Food “Holidays” That Have No Need To Exist
By 4.18.14
I found out yesterday that today, April 18, is apparently National Animal Cracker Day. Those who follow we writers of Consumerist on Twitter may have already heard of my reaction upon discovering this news. At the time, I was convinced that we’d finally located the least-important food “holiday” of the year, but a bit of research now has me doubting that conviction. [More]
Remember Those Late Holiday Packages? Don’t Blame The Carrier, Blame The Retailer
By 4.4.14
We may be a few months removed from the holiday shopping season, but some of us are still stewing over the broken promise of pre-Christmas Day deliveries from online retailers. And it appears we have reason to be disappointed with those retailers now that a study has found the majority of delays were their fault, not the postal carrier. [More]
St. Patrick’s Revelers To Rent $255 Million Worth Of Beer This Weekend
By 3.14.14
Sure, St. Patrick’s Day isn’t until Monday, but since most of the people that will be celebrating the event are not Irish and are just looking for a reason to wear lots of green and act irresponsibly, that means the bars of America will be full of shamrock-faced revelers for the next few days, to the tune of more than a quarter of a billion dollars. [More]
Yes, Your Valentine’s Day Flowers Might Be Late Because Of The Weather
By 2.13.14
Florists have a rare convergence of crappy conditions for this Valentine’s Day, typically their busiest day of the year. As snow and ice smack the East Coast, many businesses have concluded that they’d rather send their employees home safe to their loved ones than deliver dead plants to their customers’ loved ones. [More]
Some People Love Heart-Shaped Chocolate Boxes, Some People Love Beer
By 2.4.14
Reader Ben spotted something that didn’t quite fit in on the seasonal items shelf at his local Target. On the bottom of a shelving unit filled with pink and red stuffed animals and chocolate boxes, he noticed a 6-pack of Blue Moon beer. We all show our love in different ways, Ben. [More]
Varying Laws Allow Companies To Delay Notifying Consumers Of Hacks
By 1.16.14
It took Target mere days to notify consumers that their personal information had been breached. Not fast enough? Well, it could have taken months before the incident was made public, thanks to state laws that vary the length of time in which companies must announce cyber hacks. [More]
CVS Valentine’s Display “Keeps It Sweet” With Candy, Flowers, Condoms, Plan B, Toy Handcuffs
By 1.8.14
It surfaced on Twitter: a “romantic Valentine’s display” at a CVS store somewhere in southern New Jersey with a very pragmatic take on what customers might need for a special evening. On the shelf: cupcake-shaped bath bombs, roses, picture frames, condoms, a variety of personal lubricants, a dose of Plan B, some “male enhancement” supplements, and toy handcuffs. Hmm, some of those things don’t seem appropriate. [More]
Easter Creep Spreads To CVS, Looks Delicious
By 1.7.14
Since shortly after Christmas Day, we’ve been tracking the spread of Easter Creep across the country. That’s when chocolate eggs and plastic bunnies hit store shelves before all of the unsold Christmas decorations are off the clearance shelf.
All Americans Want For Christmas Is A Radio Station That Plays Holiday Tunes Constantly
By 12.5.13
While you probably work with that guy who just can’t wait to start blasting Christmas music right after Halloween, many radio stations switch to an all-holiday format right after Thanksgiving. And despite the inevitable Grinches bah humbugging* at the first strains of “All I Want for Christmas,” that trend isn’t going to change as it’s paying off for radio stations. [More]
Annual Survey Confirms: Yup, There Are Dangerous Toys On Store Shelves This Season
By 11.26.13
It’s a hectic time of year — shoppers dashing through the toy aisles in stores around the country, grabbing toys as they go to appease the mighty appetites of children who absolutely must have this or that source of entertainment. But this year’s annual survey of dangerous or toxic toys shows that it also pays to be aware of what you’re buying before you bestow it upon your kid. [More]
What Is It About Elmo That Makes Him The Reigning King Of Holiday Toys?
By 11.22.13
Whether you want to hug him or not or buy him for any of the children in your life, Elmo has been the reigning king of holiday toys for nigh on 20 years. But what is it about the fuzzy red Sesame Street monster that keeps him so popular? And why does he like being tickled so much? [More]
