While you might be used to the sight of Customs and Border Protection agents checking the passports of travelers arriving in the United States from abroad, passengers on a recent domestic Delta Air Lines flight had the unusual experience of having to show identification before they could leave the plane. [More]
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Immigration Fraud Reports Increasing Amid Deportation Fears
By 2.15.17
Four months after New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and a number of immigration advocates warned of a potential increase in immigration scams following the November election and the uncertain status of many consumers, the office says it has seen an uptick in fraudsters preying on immigrants uncertain about their status. [More]
How To Find The Best Tools To Dig Out From Snowstorms And De-Ice Your Property
By 1.21.16
Depending on where in the country you are, you’re most likely dealing with the aftermath of a winter storm, preparing for a winter storm, or sneering at your friends in other regions saying, “What’s snow?” While local governments handle ice melt and snow removal for the roads, you’re in charge of clearing and treating your own driveway and walkways. What’s the best equipment to use? [More]
There’s Now A Thing Called Artisanal Ice, It Melts Slower But Costs You More
By 10.21.14
Depending on where you live, you may be hard-pressed to find a cocktail under $10 nowadays. Drink prices have increased over the past several years thanks in part to more creatively crafted drinks and…ice? Yes, you read that right, artisanal ice is real and apparently expensive. [More]
Wegmans Recalls Bagged Ice Because Metal Machine Fragments Aren’t Great For Cooling Beverages
By 6.12.14
In what may be a first for us, we bring you the news of a supermarket chain — specifically Alec Baldwin fave Wegmans — recalling thousands of pounds of bagged ice that may contain little bits of metal from the machine that produces the frozen water. [More]
Homeland Security Looking To Build Massive License Plate Tracking System
By 2.19.14
In news that is both disturbing and not at all surprising, the Department of Homeland Security is currently asking private contractors to bid on a system that would create a National License Plate Recognition database that could allow various forms of law enforcement to track the movements of drivers, whether they are suspected of a crime or just going to buy a Big Gulp at 7-Eleven. [More]
How Do I Melt Ice If The Store Is Out Of Salt?
By 2.1.11
The big batch of winter wrath this week has caused a run on basic supplies at the hardware stores. So what if the shelves are empty where the salt usually sit? Grab a bag, box, jar or bottle of one of these alternative ice and snow melting supplies instead. [More]
How To De-Ice Your Driveway
By 1.18.11
It’s a lot easier to prevent ice from freezing on your driveway than it is to chip it off, so the first thing you want to do is get the precipitate off before it has a chance to harden. Once the rain/sleet/wintry mix stops, bust out the shovel and start getting as much slush off as possible. [More]
Make Ice In The Shape Of A Giant Diamond
By 8.3.10
A great way to beat the heat and recession depression: an ice mold that creates ice in the shape of a gobstopping diamond. Yours, only $6.95. Drape some scotch over that bad boy and m-m-mmmm, class in a glass. [More]
Is Ordering Drinks Without Ice Just A Scam To Get More Delicious Beverage?
By 7.28.10
I like to order my cold drinks (especially soda) without ice, because–shocking revelation–I don’t really like ice. I didn’t realize that all of these years, I’ve been running a massive scam on the eateries of America, weaseling extra beverages out of them with my innocent request. That’s what a barista at a Borders store accused JD of doing when he ordered an iced chai with no ice. She gave JD what he describes as “half a cup of lukewarm chai” (pictured). New Borders policy, or was she a vigilante anti-ice crusader? [More]
McDonald's 10 lb. Bags of Ice Contain Less Than 7 lbs.
By 7.2.09
Did you know McDonald’s sold bags of ice? It seems like ice-vending is just the start of that slippery slope down into the pit of conveniencestoredom, presaging the horrific day when you can buy McNuggets and deodorant at the same place.
LG Refrigerator Causes Flash Floods, Mini-Glaciers
By 5.4.09
Jason’s refrigerator wouldn’t work correctly, no matter how many times it was repaired. Eventually, Best Buy had to intervene. Yes, that Best Buy.
Iowa Town Uses Garlic Salt To De-Ice The Roads
By 12.17.08
The roads in a certain Iowa town are deliciously garlic-y. They’ve been using garlic salt to de-ice the streets.
McDonald's Charges More For Sweet Tea With Anything Less Than A "Full" Cup Of Ice
By 8.11.08
Reader Greg had his first run in with the notorious “no ice” fee, something we’ve been hearing about more and more lately. This time the culprit was McDonald’s and they got around the “Ok, fine. I’ll just have one cube of ice” tactic with a sign that specified a “FULL” cup of ice. Clever, McDonald’s. Very. Clever.
This Frozen Publix Chicken Was "Never Frozen"
By 1.7.08
Reader Richard writes to tell us that he found the “never frozen” label hilarious…
Free Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream On Tax Day, April 17th
By 4.5.07
Tax Day is April 17th, but don’t be depressed. It’s also free cone day at Ben & Jerry’s. From 12pm to 8pm, at all participating Ben & Jerry’s, you, yes you, can be the recipient of free ice cream.
Free Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee Today
By 3.21.07
Yes. Today is the day! If you do decide to join the madness and get a free iced coffee, please take pictures of any incidents of depravity, murder, or coffee induced panic and send them to tips [at] consumerist [dot] com. Alternatively you can upload them to Flickr and submit them to our Flickr pool. Be sure to tag them with some variation of “dunkin donuts.”
Here's Your Half-Empty Glass
By 3.13.07
Five minutes later, our waitress returns. The drink doesn’t have ice. But it’s literally half full. That’s correct. They took out the ice but didn’t full up the glass. And there was so much ice that I now have about half a glass of juice. For $3.95.
