Have a happy turkey day! We’ll be too busy stuffing our face to make any posts unless we happen to fall across the keyboard in a tryptophanic haze. So if you see some that are all like al;sdkn;aj’lfdkknsm knamldmmmmmm gravy… you’ll know what’s up. Otherwise, don’t buy anything Friday because it sucks out there and we’ll see you Monday! Woo! (Photo: The Joy Of The Mundane)
thanksgiving
TV Dinner's Genesis: Industrial-Sized Leftovers
By 11.26.08
TV dinners were invented during Thanksgiving in 1953 when the Swanson Company overstocked and was left with over a half-million pounds of turkey they handn’t sold. So a salesman tweaked an airline serving tray, put turkey dinner inside, and told Swanson to tie the marketing to the latest fad of television. [US Census Bureau] (Thanks to Michael!)
New York Times, 1908: 100 Years Of Christmas Creep!
By 11.12.08 — Updated: 10.17.13
Reader Annie spotted this early Christmas ad while browsing through the New York Times Machine. It’s from November 11, 1908.
By 12.18.07
../../../..//2007/12/18/over-thanksgiving-five-united-airlines/
Over Thanksgiving, five United Airlines workers had to go the hospital for nausea and vomiting after eating the company-provided turkey dinner. “There were questions about whether the turkey smelled quite right,” said Don Wolfel, the president of Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association Local 4, “The popular opinion was that it didn’t.” [AP]
By 12.3.07
../../../..//2007/12/03/i-was-going-through-old/
I was going through old posts and realized that on “Delta Wants Me To Rebook For A Later Flight Because I’m One Minute Late,” I never said why I got there only 44 minutes before departure instead of 45. So here it is: the car service was 20 minutes late, and we hit traffic. Cheers.
Fry's Employees Sell Opportunity To Cut Black Friday Line
By 11.25.07
Fry’s employees in Renton, Washington sold Black Friday aspirants the chance to cut to the front of the pre-dawn line for between $108.79 and $200, including tax. Puzzled shoppers were assured that the money went to Fry’s, not the employees. A Fry’s worker explained the situation with disarming naiveté:
When KING 5 asked about this at the customer service desk, one employee said: “Oh they stopped doing that. They weren’t supposed to.” The employee said the store manager put a stop to it.
Anyone who paid the advancement fee will receive a full refund. The rogue salesmen will be sent to the back of the unemployment line.
A Bunch Of Ideas For Turkey Leftovers
By 11.23.07
If you are like us, you like turkey leftovers more than you like Thanksgiving dinner, but don’t have a ton of creative ideas for turkey and stuffing.
Happy Thanksgiving
By 11.22.07
The Consumerist will take a break from posting on Thursday, in celebration of Thanksgiving. Friday will be a half-day of posting. Enjoy your turkey and your families. From all of us at Consumerist, gobble, gobble.
By 11.21.07
../../../..//2007/11/21/advice-for-people-now-traveling/
Advice for people now traveling for Thanksgiving: check in online, get to the airport early, try not to check bags, and more. [Today on the James front]
5 Ways To Help Your Local Food Bank
By 11.21.07
Agonist has put together 5 ways that you can help your local food bank this Thanksgiving as they struggle against more demand and higher prices in their mission to make sure that everyone has a happy Thanksgiving.
39 Million People Are Traveling Today
By 11.21.07
If you’re traveling today, you’ll have some company: 39 million other people, according to USAToday:
Delta Wants Me To Rebook For A Later Flight Because I'm One Minute Late
By 11.20.07
“Sir, if you go inside and to the right, one of our agents will be happy to assist you with rebooking for a later flight.”
Buy Nothing Day Is This Friday
By 11.20.07
Some wily retailers would have you think the day after Thanksgiving is some sort of “Black Friday” where you’re supposed to get up before the roosters and claw with other shoppers over “amazing” deals. Actually, it’s really “Buy Nothing Day,” where, in solidarity with anti-consumers around the globe, you don’t spend any money at all. Some might argue you’re swapping one mob mentality for another, but at least one costs less.
Consumer Reports Recommends Electric Turkey Fryers Rather Than Propane
By 11.20.07
Consumer Reports recommends that consumers try new, safer electric turkey fryers this Thanksgiving. Propane powered fryers have this nasty habit of setting themselves on fire—a feature that tends to annoy Consumer Reports, the fire department and the burn unit at your local hospital.
By 11.20.07
../../../..//2007/11/20/there-was-a-live-turkey/
There was a live turkey trade deficit of $4.9 million for the first half of this year. But we had a $9.4 million surplus of cranberries, and $15.3 million of sweet potatoes. [WSJ]
Food Bank Shortages In NYC
By 11.19.07
The New York Times is reporting barren food banks in NYC this Thanksgiving season, so if you were planning on donating some food to the hungry, now would be a good time to do it. Don’t live in NYC? There are hungry people everywhere.
Holiday Travel Season Off To A Rough Start
By 11.19.07
Technical problems, fog, rain and other weather issues are already causing delays at several airports says USAToday.
Alternatives To Fire-Prone Turkey Fryers
By 11.17.07
A turkey fryer has never really sounded like a safe way to cook—there’s just something inherently stupid about the act of dropping a dead bird the size of a basketball into a vat of boiling oil, no matter how tasty the outcome. According to TheStreet.com, “Turkey fryers are a known cause of many fires, so much so that the National Fire Protection Association advises against their use.” TheStreet test-drives an alternative, the $129 Char-Broil Big Easy oil-less fryer, which Char-Broil describes as “Just like a turkey fryer, minus the boiling, hot oil and visits from your local firefighters.” According to TheStreet, it doesn’t leave the skin as crispy as a real fryer would, but otherwise works great.
