We can see it now — no more salt shakers in New York City. That probably won't happen (right, Mayor Bloomberg?) but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in a new study that American kids are eating way too much salt, just like their grown-up counterparts. Children are ingesting around 1,000 milligrams of salt more than they should be, which is the sodium equivalent of a Big Mac. More »
(Eva_Deht)
Do you plunder and pillage? Do you favor parrots, eye patches and fancy hats? If so, then you might be able to score a free donut -- or maybe even a free dozen donuts -- from Krispy Kreme this Wednesday. More »
Disobedient children everywhere, rejoice! That is, if you're reading this site in the first place. Scientists in Japan may have found a way around that whole "not brushing your teeth regularly will cause tooth decay." The breakthrough is a super thin film that can be put on teeth to prevent decay or just to make them look shiny and whiter. In other words, a patch that basically mimics tooth enamel. More »
A Virgin Mobile customer claims that it's easy for hackers to access customers' accounts via the wireless provider's website -- and not only is there nothing customers can do to defend themselves, the folks at the Virgin don't really seem too concerned about it. More »
Walmart just has the worst luck at trying to get set up in New York City. The mega-chain recently failed to come to economic terms for what would be its first store in the city, but it is refusing to give up the fight. Opponents of Walmart have been successful so far at keeping it out of the city, however, so that battle is going to be a tough one for biggest of big box stores. More »
For our younger readers who aren't familiar, a newspaper is sort of like Google News, but all printed on a piece of paper, and it doesn't update automatically. Newspapers don't automatically appear on your doorstep, though. It might seem like magic, but there's a real person who bundles up those papers and drives around in all kinds of weather to get them on your doorstep before you wake up. Reader Auron, a newspaper carrier, responded to our call for readers to tell us what they wish the general public knew about their jobs. More »
In 2011, when AT&T convinced the Supreme Court that the inclusion of a mandatory binding arbitration clause buried deep in a contract effectively precludes customers from filing a class, it was immediately obvious that more and more companies would begin including such clauses in their terms of service. The latest company is eBay, which has given users until Nov. 9 to opt out -- in writing -- of the clause. More »
Walmart just loves bragging about how it's rolling back prices on items, you know, because that's so much different than just calling something a sale. But perhaps the company and its handy little rollback sign needs a refresher course on the definition of "back," as Consumerist reader Ben points out in this pic snapped at his local Walmart in Plano. More »
Like a lot of older actors who just assumed had died years ago, we didn't realize until recently that the frozen veggie-shilling Jolly Green Giant had gone missing for most of the last decade. But after eight years of lying dormant in the back of the freezer with that block of peas you don't remember buying and never quite feel like eating, General Mills has decided to bring back the 84-year-old character in a move to get kids eating vegetables. More »
Manoj has a very important piece of advice for Consumerist readers: don't carry a large balance in your Skype account. We actually published a post last year entitled, "Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Carry A Large Balance In Your Skype Account," but it's an important lesson that bears repeating, like "keep your receipts for major purchases" or "don't shop at Sears." More »
(Eva_Deht)
Ah, the cherished dinner hour. Peace, quiet and if that stupid telemarketer doesn't stop calling I am seriously going to throw my fork really violently at something. If that sounds like you, you aren't alone. Even with the "Do Not Call" registry, there's been a spike in complaints against telemarketers, especially those pre-recorded phone calls that always seem to come when you don't want them to. Although, does anyone ever really welcome a telemarketer's call? Doubt it. More »
Anyone who has paid for a purchase with a $100 bill is probably familiar with the various methods that stores have for validating the authenticity of the note. But one Texas woman says she was publicly humiliated at her local Walmart when a cashier ripped up two of her C-notes -- and then detained her on allegations of trying to pass counterfeit bills -- without properly checking to see if the money was the real deal. More »
It used to be that retailers and district attorneys' offices faced the same problem, but from different angles. People write an awful lot of bad checks. They might be trying to commit fraud, or they might have just forgotten to carry the one the last time they balanced their checkbook. Stores send the bad checks on to district attorneys' offices if they think there might be fraud, and the DAs can end up overwhelmed with bad-check cases. They also hire collection agencies to recoup the money owed from their customers, but the rate of return on that isn't so great. The not-so-obvious solution, which 300 district attorneys take part in: lend their names and letterhead to collection agencies, who in turn threaten check-bouncers with prosecution and prison. More »
If big banks weren't at the root of so many problems, maybe we'd be starting to feel the tiniest bit bad for all the trouble they've been getting into lately with authorities. But yeah, we don't feel the slightest twinge of sympathy that regulators are reportedly about to start cracking down on a few big banks for money-laundering. More »
Here's what Tim wants: to turn on his TV and watch football games in high definition. That's pretty simple, and seems like a reasonable enough request. At least he thought so. His cable company, Bright House, advertises that they offer HD for free to their subscribers. Wow, that's great! They quoted Tim a $29.99 rate, but failed to mention that he wouldn't be able to receive HD without renting a cable box. You know, the HD channels that were the entire reason why he got cable in the first place. More »
Petco had a really fun promotion this past Saturday. Customers printed out a coupon from the retailer's site, and scanned it at the checkout. Customers wouldn't know the total value of their coupon until it was scanned. This sounds really fun, doesn't it? Only there was a flaw. Only four barcodes for the coupons existed, and customers who clicked on the "mystery" coupon link would receive one of the four. It didn't take long for customers to figure out which of the codes was for a 50% off coupon and head to Petco to stock up on essentials for their critters. Thus began a very, very bad day to be a Petco employee. More »
More than one Consumerist reader has heard the siren song of the John Varvatos Converse sneakers. Not long ago we shared the story of Tim, who bought two separate pair that each fell apart in less than a year. Meanwhile, Riley isn't able to tell us anything about the durability of the shoes because Converse won't take his money. Converse.com ships using the U.S. Postal Service, useful since he uses an APO address. They shut down his transaction because his billing and shipping addresses don't match. That's because he's a contractor working in Afghanistan, and his bank accounts and credit cards are all registered to his actual home, back in the U.S., where his wife and kids are. More »
(pdxmac)
Today's Comment of the Day requires familiarity with the Target is Crazy meme. This site has argued for years that Target's random pricing schemes signify that the store has had a break with reality and doesn't understand the concept of numbers. More »
