If you’d like fast food and chain restaurants to post calorie information on menus and menu boards, Jim Skinner, the CEO of McDonald’s thinks you’re a “naysayer” and a “CAVE person,” — meaning Citizens Against Virtually Everything, says theChicago Tribune.
NEW YORK
Man Tries To Buy From "The Camera Professionals," Fails
By 5.20.08
“The Camera Professionals” are not actually that professional, nor do they have cameras to sell you. That’s what ZDNet reporter Josh Taylor discovered when he decided to take their Google AdWord bait and buy a camcorder they were offering for nearly $300 less than other stores. He didn’t expect much success, and he was richly rewarded:
Dunkin' Donuts Won't Give You A Cup Of Iced Coffee Because You Look Under 18
By 5.15.08
Coffee lovers, rejoice! Dunkin’ Donuts is giving away free 16 oz. cups of iced coffee today—unless you look under 18 and don’t have identification. Tipster Carolyn watched with disbelief as workers at the Dunkin’ Donuts at 1433 2nd Avenue on New York’s Upper East Side refused to serve two high school seniors who didn’t have identification.
Chase Refuses To Shut Down Broken ATM Until You Threaten To Report Them To The FDIC
By 5.14.08
Reader Keith tried to get $120 from a downtown NYC Chase ATM, but the money door never opened. When he went inside to report the malfunction, the teller told him to go outside and wait. Keith thought he was waiting for someone to come fix the ATM or take his personal information. It turns out that he was just being ignored.
Walgreens Thanks Nurse For Rescuing Comatose Diabetic By Sending Her Glucometer Bill
By 5.8.08
A woman went into a potentially fatal diabetic coma while in line at a New York-area Walgreens. Two nurses and an off duty sheriff’s officer happened to be in line. They grab a carton of OJ, some sugar, and a glucometer and manage to raise her blood sugar a little bit. According to their reports, after the paramedics took the patient away, the Walgreens manager came out to demand that the merchandise be paid for, otherwise it’s shoplifting. Good thing they were there, otherwise he might have tried to fine the diabetic for blocking the checkout line.
9 Foods You're Not Allowed To Buy
By 5.2.08
Fortune magazine has compiled a list of 9 “forbidden’ foods that have been banned (for some reason or another) in the US. Trans fats in NYC, foie gras in Chicago… Here’s the list:
By 5.1.08
../../../..//2008/05/01/there-is-a-man-in/
There is a man in Brooklyn who is investigating everything he purchases.
The Mission: A year-long effort to meet the laborers and craftsmen who build what I buy – and put a human face on consumption. For every transaction, there must be a personal connection with someone along the production chain.
Sounds tiring. [Gothamist]
What Makes Vodka360 An "Eco-Luxury" Vodka?
By 5.1.08
My first thought when I saw spotted this ad for…
Stingy Ben And Jerry's Manager Cuts Off Free Cone Supply, Ruining "Free Cone Day"
By 4.30.08
Karen is breaking up with Ben & Jerry’s because…
Landlord's Crappy Boiler Costs Us Big Time
By 4.25.08
Marcie writes:
I live in a 750 square foot apartment in Brooklyn, NY. Per the lease agreement, my roommate and I signed to pay the heat separate from the rent. The first gas bill we received was $750, and the following gas bill was roughly the same amount. We knew that the price of gas was expensive, but for two people who make great pains to use the heat only when absolutely necessary, and occasionally use the stove to boil a pot of water, this seemed ridiculous. For all of 2007, we owe roughly $2000 in gas costs.
FedEx Kinkos Is Confused By Your Request To Overnight A Letter
By 4.19.08
The workers at the FedEx Kinkos in Astor Place didn’t know how to react when reader Eric asked to overnight a letter. They were apparently trained to handle only the Kinkos side of the store, and weren’t sure how to ship Eric’s parcel—a school board election ballot—to Hackensack, New Jersey. Their solution was both innovative and idiotic: they told Eric to write his credit card info on a slip of paper, and promised to take care of everything the next morning.
Cablevision: Techs On-Time Or You Get $20
By 4.18.08
A Cablevision tech support rep told us that if your Cablevision tech arrives past the service window, you’re entitled to a $20 credit (this press release supports it). And if you’re in the Bronx or Brooklyn, you can get a free month of cable TV if the tech shows up late (this is applied on a case-by-case basis but it is possible. Should the tech pull a noshow, call customer service and speak to a supervisor, who may offer you credits (usually $40-$50) or a free month depending on your customer history. Inside, Which customer service number to call, based on the first four digits of your account number:
It's Been 4 Months, GEICO, Where's My Money?
By 4.15.08
Jonathan writes:On January 1st, a friend of mine went to visit another friend in CT (I am from NJ), and unfortunately hit black ice, and proceeded into a guardrail.
New York State To Start Taxing Amazon Purchases
By 4.15.08
One of the budget-related changes voted in last week by New York State’s politicians included a new “Amazon tax”:
“Another $50 million will come from requiring online retailers like Amazon that do not have a physical presence in New York to collect sales taxes on purchases made by New Yorkers and remit them to the state.
New York’s argument, based on a reading of the 1992 Quill vs. North Dakota U.S. Supreme Court ruling, is that because Amazon makes sales through affiliates who live in the state, it can be considered to have a physical presence there—which means the new law wouldn’t apply to retailers who don’t use affiliate programs.
Verizon Claims You Weren't Home, Decides To Grab Lunch At Applebee's?
By 4.14.08
I waited all morning for Verizon to come fix our landline (our cell phones barely work in our apartment), and around 11:30 I had Sam call them from work, and they told him they had come by the apartment and no one was there so they left, and that they had called my cell phone.
Verizon Won't Install Your DSL, But Wants $79 To "Disconnect" It
By 4.8.08
If you can’t free up any time from 9-5 on a weekday to have your Verizon DSL installed, the company will still bill you for the “service” you’re not receiving says reader Joshua. If you’d like them to stop doing this, they’ll charge you a $79 disconnect fee.
