The whole point of food advertising is to make you crave the product and buy as much of it as you can right then and there. But for this weekend’s Final Four of the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament, Coca-Cola is showing off a billboard that actually satisfies that craving by dispensing the beverage on the spot. [More]
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Cop Claims McDonald’s Served Him Toxic Tea
By 2.26.15
Most of us have had fast food that didn’t taste so great, but we don’t end up in the hospital because we unwittingly ingested a McDonald’s iced tea containing heavy-duty degreaser. [More]
Starbucks Testing Two New Seasonal Coffee-Flavored Sugar Bombs
By 11.14.13
Not satisfied with the current assortment of holiday beverages at your local Starbucks? You’re in luck, maybe. The chain is testing two new flavors of their traditional seasonal sugar bombs in different markets. [More]
Steak ‘n Shake Waitress Scores $446 Tip On $6 Check
By 5.16.13
It’s nice to ride toward the end of the week with a happy tipping-related story for a change. A waitress at a Steak ‘n Shake eatery in Indianapolis got the biggest bonus of her life when a diner left a 7,433% tip. [More]
Grocery Store Cancels Facebook Coupon Deal, Enrages Customers
By 8.3.09
Marsh, a grocery chain in Indiana and Ohio, made a special coupon available to their fans on Facebook. The coupon was good for $10 off a purchase of $10 or more. Great deal, right? Until the promotion got out of hand, and the store stopped accepting the coupon on Friday, with no warning to customers. Based on past similar experiences, you can guess how well this turns out.
NBC Stations Will Ditch Time Warner Cable Unless They See Some Cash
By 9.29.08
Cable companies compensate most of the channels they offer, sharing a portion of the money they get from subscribers with the individual stations– but apparently Time Warner Cable doesn’t share the wealth with broadcast networks — and Austin, TX NBC affiliate KXAN is having none of it. They want some money!
Great Moments In Commercial History: Don's Guns
By 3.6.07
He’s got everything you’d expect from a sleazy gun dealer – bright smile, slicked hair, cheesy slogan (“I don’t want to make any money, I just love to sell guns.”)
This is the sort of commercial that, unless someone had written in and nominated it, we’d have assumed was from Kentucky Fried Movie or something. All told, we’re glad Don sells guns and not food. We can’t really explain why, it’s just a feeling we have.
Mortgage Fraud Festered Under Housing Bubble, Feds Investigate
By 10.6.06
In ’05, a small company bought up run-down duplexes in northeast Indiana at $50,000 a pop. Less than a month later, they were selling them for $120,000 to church secretaries, truckers, retirees and factory workers.
Consumers Speak: Jimmy John’s Jimmies with Coupons
By 1.23.06
John B. writes:
I recently went in to Jimmy John’s (http://www.jimmyjohns.com/) in downtown Indianapolis. While some might consider them YASC (Yet Another Sandwich Chain), my wife and I love them. Their #6 is one of the few vegetarian items at a fast-food place I can order without changing the order. It is a delectable sandwich, and quite affordable. I walked in a few weeks ago to pick up dinner, greeted by the familiar wafting bread smell, anxiously awaiting my precious #6.
