Kohl’s is joining the ranks of retailers like Target, Sam’s Club, IKEA, Costco, and countless others in bringing weary shoppers what they really want: something to snack on while traipsing down the aisles checking off items from their list. [More]
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Walmart Officially Launching Online Grocery Pickup With Expansion To More Cities
By 9.29.15
After testing the concept for months, Walmart plans to offer more shoppers the opportunity to order their groceries online and pick them up at the store later. [More]
BMW, Daimler Deny Manipulating Emissions Tests
By 9.24.15
Less than a week after regulators called out Volkswagen for using “defeat device” software to cheat on emissions tests for 11 million vehicles worldwide, the integrity of some other German automakers is being called into question. [More]
Marriott, Samsung Partner To Offer Hotel Guests Virtual Reality Headsets, Because Why Not?
By 9.9.15
Have you ever walked into a hotel and thought, ‘Man, this isn’t how I pictured things when I booked the room.’ While you can’t exactly change the layout or furnishings of the room – unless you switch hotels – a new partnership between Marriott and Samsung could let you escape the reality of your humdrum lodgings for a bit. [More]
Taco Bell Officially Testing Delivery Service At 200 Restaurants
By 7.8.15
Back in May, Taco Bell confirmed it was starting small tests that delivered chalupas, Doritos Locos Tacos and other grub in areas full of hungry college students. Now, the fast food company is taking things a step farther, beginning a pilot delivery option in certain areas of the country. [More]
Could Takata’s Replacement Airbags Be Just As Dangerous?
By 5.27.15
Generally when consumers take their vehicles to a dealer for a recall remedy, they leave with the peace of mind that the potential safety issue has been fixed. That may not end up being the case for more than 34 million recently recalled vehicles equipped with Takata airbags, as the parts manufacturer, automakers and federal regulators struggle to determine why the safety devices have the tendency to spew pieces of shrapnel upon deployment. [More]
Video Shows Galaxy S6 Edge Will Bend; Samsung Says It’s Misleading
By 4.6.15
You might remember a little controversy last fall called bendgate, in which Apple’s new-at-the-time iPhone 6 Plus was found to bend if you applied enough pressure. Following the flurry of stories and issues surrounding that device, it comes as no surprise that Samsung’s newest smartphone, the Galaxy S6 Edge, would be subjected to similar tests, thus introducing us to a possible bendgate 2.0. [More]
Physicians Say Rite Aid’s Early Alzheimer’s Detection Test Can Cause Needless Fear
By 6.10.14
A test being used at Rite Aid stores to test for early warning signs of Alzheimer’s may be doing more harm than good, some medical professionals say. [More]
Elementary School Decides To Stop Giving Kids A Dose Of Mountain Dew Before A Big Test
By 4.24.14
If I learned anything from spying on my brothers playing Dungeons & Dragons in the basement with their friends, it’s that Mountain Dew is often the preferred fuel of choice for staying awake and making sharp decisions. That being said, a Florida elementary school was getting a heck of a lot of criticism for giving kids a dose of the stuff before taking high-pressure tests. [More]
Toaster Ovens: Good Tiny Ovens, Bad At Making Toast
By 2.24.14
Do you eat toast? Our lightly browned colleagues down the hall at Consumer Reports spend a lot of time testing things that you might not think of to test. For example: the quality of toast produced in toasters vs. that produced in toaster ovens. Turns out that you’re better off with a plain old toaster, unless the “oven” part is important to you. [More]
College Board & ACT Sued For Selling Personal Info Of Test-Takers
By 10.31.13
As anyone who took the ACT or SAT tests remembers, shortly after you get your scores, your mailbox is flooded with brochures, pamphlets, and catalogs from schools that want your tuition money. This isn’t a coincidence, as The College Board and ACT, Inc. — the companies behind these tests — sells test-takers’ information to colleges. But a new lawsuit alleges that this practice is a breach of contract as it’s done without the test-takers’ consent. [More]
Want Only The Best Toilet Papers? Go To Walmart, Apparently
By 6.18.13
Toilet paper: almost everyone uses it, but do you put much thought into which brands you buy? Do you have a brand preference, or just pick up the biggest and cheapest package available at Walmart or Costco? Our colleagues down the hall at Consumer Reports put on their 2-ply lab coats and got to work stirring, pulling, and caressing various brands of toilet paper to find out which brands really are the best. [More]
Consumer Reports Puts Pledge Fabric Sweeper To The Test
By 9.10.10
It’s the problem that has vexed cat and dog owners for centuries: How the hell do I get all this damn fur off everything. There have been countless inventions that promise to lift animal hair off your furniture and carpet, but do they work? [More]
Need A Blender? Here Are The Ones Consumer Reports Likes
By 5.31.10
Consumer Reports recently tested the drink-making abilities of over 40 blenders, and then they passed out in a pool of frozen margarita. But seriously folks, you don’t need to spend $400 on a Blendtec “Total Blender”–there’s a $40 Oster model “did just as well.” [More]
Safety Commission Cracking Down On Cadmium In Kids' Jewelry
By 5.11.10
It’s a good thing summer camps are coming up, with their weird seminars on bracelet weaving and whittling rings, because the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has just announced a recall of 19,000 charms sold at Claire’s stores, and says that’s just the beginning. [More]
Wired Reviews Smart Mop, Says It's Dumb
By 5.10.10
The twistable, change-your-life-forever Smart Mop that’s sold via infomercial looks sort of handy, but does it work? Wired tested one out, and says no, it does not work. In fact, it leaves behind liquid instead of sopping it up, falls apart frequently, and scrapes across the floor if you don’t hold it just right. Wired wraps up the review with this very non-infomercial suggestion: “If you’re sick of taking paper towel to floor every time Junior dumps his milk, well, tough, that’s part of being a parent.” [More]
Toyota Stops Selling Lexus SUV After Consumer Reports Says "Don't Buy"
By 4.13.10
It’s a big deal when Consumer Reports awards a “Don’t Buy” rating to a vehicle, and when it announced earlier today that the 2010 Lexus GX 460 should be avoided because of safety risks, the story started popping up all over the web. Now only 12 hours later, Lexus has announced that it is asking dealers to temporarily stop selling the vehicle while it looks into the situation, and that it’s taking the Consumer Reports claim “very seriously.” [More]
Judge Says You Can't Patent Human Genes
By 3.30.10
A judge just invalidated the patents on two human genes whose mutations have been linked to breast and ovarian cancer. The genes were isolated by a biotech firm called Myriad Genetics, which argued that because it figured out how to isolate the genes outside of the human body then they were patentable. The judge called that “a ‘lawyer’s trick’ that circumvents the prohibition on the direct patenting of the DNA in our bodies.” The company sells a $3,000 cancer screening kit and has maintained a monopoly on the test because of the patents. [More]
