Sure, saving $1,000 on a car that may cost you far in excess of $70,000 might seem like a minor victory, but it’s still better than nothing. But now that Tesla is becoming more of a household name and hoping to reach a more mass-market car-buying audience, it’s getting rid of even this relatively small savings program. [More]
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Jet.com Launching “Uniquely J” House Brand Targeting Millennials
By 9.29.17
Walmart already has a slew of house brands that it sells in stores and on Walmart.com, but rather than try to sell brands like Great Value or Sam’s Choice through its recently acquired Jet.com, the company is coming up with new house brands specifically for Jet that it hopes will appeal to a younger buyer. [More]
Nike Cutting Jobs, Reducing Production Of Some Products
By 6.15.17
There might be fewer styles of sneakers, sweatpants, and other Nike apparel to choose from next time you go shopping, as the athletic company makes plans to cut back on its workforce and product lines. [More]
Anova Ticks Off Customers By Requiring Accounts To Cook Food Using The App
By 4.12.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Being able to control devices in your kitchen via your phone is convenient, at least that was the case for owners of the Anova Precision Cooker. But many of those consumers say a recent update to the sous vide cooker’s app requires them to create an account and share personal information with the company in order to use all of the features of the device. [More]
Irish Burger Chain Goes After McDonald’s For Trademarking Every ‘Mc’ Or ‘Mac’ Name
By 4.12.17
Names beginning with “Mc” or “Mac” are incredibly common, but selling food using some variation on either of these could result in a cease-and-desist demand from McDonald’s. Now one Irish burger chain is challenging McDonald’s ability to claim a trademark on every Mc/Mac eatery everywhere. [More]
Lawsuit Claims LuLaRoe Misrepresents Quality Of Leggings
By 3.28.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
It’s not just sales consultants who are unhappy with multi-level marketing clothing business LuLaRoe: A pair of customers have filed a class-action lawsuit claiming LuLaRoe knowingly sold defective leggings that can tear after their first use. [More]
Grocery Shrink Ray Strikes Cascade Complete Pods, Febreze Air Effects
By 3.15.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
When companies slightly reduce the size of a product instead of raising the price, that’s called the Grocery Shrink Ray. It’s often deployed at the same time as a packaging redesign to make the shrinkage harder to notice. Two brands from Procter & Gamble, Febreze and Cascade, have done this with their products recently, and our observant readers noticed. [More]
Target Unveils Policy Aimed At Removing Potentially Harmful Chemicals From Products
By 1.25.17
The ingredient lists dotting the aisles of Target could soon get a makeover, one aimed not only at making the lists easier to read, but reducing the amount and types of chemicals used. [More]
3 Tips To Avoid Buying Counterfeit Goods While Holiday Shopping
By 12.9.16
It’s hard enough to buy perfect, thoughtful gifts for everyone on your holiday shopping list without having to worry that your hard-earned money is going toward a counterfeit product. But with more and more consumers looking for a good deal online, the likelihood that you’ll eventually come across a bogus-brand coat, tablet, or other gift increases.
[More]
10 Questionable Movie & TV Tie-Ins That No One Asked For
By 8.3.16
No cultural phenomenon would be a complete success without its own line of merchandise attached to it, and it makes sense: fans of popular TV shows, comic books, and movies will often seek out products that tie-in with those franchises, providing a great way for a lot of people to make a bunch of money. But when it comes to some infamous product tie-ins, we’ve got to wonder if it all that effort was worth it. [More]
Taco Bell Bringing Version Of Its Canadian Cheetos Crunchwrap Slider To The U.S.
By 7.28.16
Between Taco Bell’s Doritos Locos Tacos and Burger King’s Mac ’n Cheetos there is no lack of chips — or chip-like flavor — infiltrating fast food fare. Now, Taco Bell is upping its game, bringing a version of its Canadian Cheetos Crunchwrap Slider to the states. [More]
Amazon Adds Kickstarter Products To Launchpad Store
By 7.27.16
A year after wading into the world of startups by partnering with more than 25 crowd-funding platforms and venture capital firms to offer up-and-coming sellers a place to showcase their unique products, Amazon announced today that it has finally partnered with the most prominent name in the crowd-funding arena, Kickstarter, to bring more than 300 products to the masses. [More]
Spammers Used Hacked Email Accounts To Push Bogus Weight-Loss Products
By 6.6.16
Word-of-mouth is a great way to promote a weight-loss product, as you’re more likely to trust a passed-along recommendation from a friend than some ad you see on the internet. That’s why the operators of an alleged spam scam hijacked hacked email accounts to spread the word about a slew of unproven weight-loss products.
[More]
An Oversupply Of Cheese & Meat Hurts Producers; Means Better Prices At The Store
By 5.17.16
Supply and demand: the push and pull of time, money, materials, and desire that influences the price and availability of all commodities. An overreaction to a shortage today can result in a glut a few years from now, and vice versa. So how did we end up with the current overabundance of cheese, meat, and grains in the U.S.? [More]
Pepsi’s New Hello Goodness Vending Machines Offer Only “Healthy” Options
By 12.14.15
PepsiCo wants consumers to know that it is taking their health seriously, and to demonstrate that, the company says it plans to install vending machines offering only healthy products around the country. [More]
Home Depot Continued To Sell 28 Products After Safety Recalls
By 11.19.15
When a product is recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, it becomes illegal for a retailer to continue to sell that item. But Home Depot apparently wasn’t following that rule for the past three years, selling 28 different products after they were recalled. [More]
Study Claims 43% Of “Wild” Salmon In Stores & Restaurants Isn’t Wild At All
By 10.28.15
That wild salmon entrée calling to you from the menu at dinner might not be all it’s advertised. In fact a new study released Wednesday found evidence of mislabeling in nearly half of all salmon sold in restaurants and grocery stores. [More]
RJ Reynolds Ordered To Stop Selling 4 Cigarette Brands
By 9.15.15
The nation’s top cigarette manufacturer must stop selling four products after federal regulators determined RJ Reynolds failed to show the brands did not pose increased health risks compared to items already on the market. [More]
