Using payroll cards to pay employees is an increasingly popular replacement for traditional checks. In fact, 19 states now use these cards to pay state workers who don’t use direct deposit. And while some of these cards provide employees with easy and affordable access to their funds, most are merely adequate, and some exorbitant fees that can eat into users’ finances. [More]
plastic fantastic
Feds: Don’t Say Your Plastic Shopping Bags Are Biodegradable If You Can’t Prove It
By 10.21.14
While cities and states around the country crack down on the overuse of plastic shopping bags, the Federal Trade Commission is warning manufacturers of these bags to refrain from making eco-friendly claims about their products unless those claims can be proven in the real world. [More]
Sports Illustrated To Feature Actual Barbie Doll On Swimsuit Issue
By 2.12.14
Sports Illustrated will have a difficult time living down accusations that the models featured in its annual Swimsuit Issue are too plastic, after it was announced today that the magazine will include photos of an honest-to-goodness Barbie doll. [More]
Banks Say Target Hack Has Cost Them $153 Million In Replacement Cards
By 1.29.14
It’s not just Target’s sales figures that are feeling the sting of the massive data breach that affected more than 100 million customers at the height of the holiday shopping season. According to a group representing the nation’s retail banks, financial institutions have had to spend more than $153 million to replace credit and debit cards in the last six weeks. [More]
Trio Charged With Running “One-Stop Shop” For Blank Bogus Credit Cards, Holographic Overlays
By 1.24.14
All that credit and debit card information that gets stolen when criminals hack places like Target and Neiman Marcus is only worth so much to an ID thief. Sure, one could use that info to place online orders, but you’re just asking to be tracked down and caught that way. The real prize comes when you take that information and create real-looking credit cards with it. [More]
Ex McDonald’s Employee Sues Because She Doesn’t Want Her Paycheck On A Prepaid Debit Card
By 6.17.13
Earlier this year, a woman in Pennsylvania was expecting to get her first paycheck from her new job at McDonald’s, but rather than an envelope containing cash or a check, she received a prepaid debit card from Chase. This did not go over well. [More]
Portland (The One In Oregon) Jumps On The Plastic Bag Ban-Wagon
By 7.22.11
In recent years, a growing number of cities all over the country have been moving to put an end to — or at least curb — the use of plastic shopping bags. Last night, in a unanimous vote, the Portland, OR, City Council approved legislation that bans the use of these bags at larger grocery stores and big-box retailers. [More]
Still Have A Sharper Image Gift Card? It Might Actually Be Worth Something
By 7.7.11
When gadget galleria Sharper Image stopped accepting gift cards only days after filing for bankruptcy protection in February 2008, consumers were left holding an estimated $19 million in useless plastic. But a class-action case against the company has managed to wrest some money from the shuttered company for those who were screwed over three years ago. [More]
How One Couple Dug Out From $83,000 In Credit Card Debt
By 4.26.11
It’s pretty easy to amass a mountain of credit card debt, especially if you’re a married couple with nine credit cards on which you only pay the minimum. But there’s no simple way to bulldoze that mountain once it’s reached Everest-like heights. As one couple in Atlanta learned, erasing $83,000 in debt requires time, determination and humility. [More]
How Many Ways Are There To Reuse A Plastic Shopping Bag?
By 7.30.10
While the debate rages about the merits of reusable grocery bags vs. plastic shopping bags, stores like Walgreens are pushing the many ways shoppers can reuse plastic bags with this handy list printed on the bag’s side. [More]
"Four Breast" Plastic Surgery Patient Wins Almost $1 Million Per Boob
By 3.11.10
A few weeks back, we wrote about a woman in Staten Island who filed a lawsuit against her plastic surgeon, claiming her breast enhancement surgery was so botched that she effectively ended up with “four breasts.” Well, her case must have been convincing, because a court has awarded her $3.5 million. [More]
Woman Goes In For Boob Job, Comes Out With "Four Breasts"
By 3.2.10
No, this isn’t the story of a Martian lady of the night. A 47-year-old woman from Staten Island, NY, is suing her plastic surgeon for a cool $5 million over a breast augmentation procedure she says went so poorly she “came out of that operation with essentially four breasts.” [More]
