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marriott
Best Buy has apparently launched a new "woman-friendly" store where the "Home Theater" section is marked "Family Room" and there is a "lower sink for children in the bathroom, lotion near the paper towels, and a private room for new mothers, with carpeting, a rocking chair, free diapers and softer lighting." [Minneapolis Star-Tribune]
bad packaging
This Shaw's Pizza Box Is Conflicted
Someone in marketing really wanted to show the handmade goodness of Shaw's house brand pizza, despite the fact that there is no handmade goodness to the product at all. But not to worry! A little fine print takes care of any legal issues, and you're good to go. More »
corn refiners association
High Fructose Corn Syrup Research Paid For By HFCS Industry
CBS says that they took a look at the research cited by the marketing campaign from the Corn Refiners Association — which features "people-in-the-know" rolling their eyes and scoffing at befuddled anti-corn-syrup zealots — and realized that "three were sponsored by groups that stand to profit from research that promotes HFCS. Two were never published so they’re funding sources are unclear. And one was sponsored by a Dutch foundation that represents the interests of the sugar industry." More »
weirdvertising
Extended Stay Hotels Must Smell Really Bad
Okay, we got the bathroom humor of Kellog's All-Bran commercial last year. We're not sure if this commercial for Extended Stay Hotels, which shows guests so relaxed that they pass gas—or what the French call un petit éclatement—is quite as effective. Maybe they should change the tagline at the end to, "Our windows can be opened." More »
personal finance
Citi Credit Card Cautions You Against Spending
Citi's been burned enough by its cardholders' profligate spending, apparently. Check out the message on this activation sticker on a new card. We like the inclusion of a sort of Yin-yang background, as if to remind us that debt and repayment are equal elements of the consumer credit world. A balance must be maintained! Just, you know, not so high a balance that you can't make your monthly payments.(Thanks to Jerry!)
marketing
Food Makers Want To Sell You Cheap Food For Big Profits
Gone are the days of pushing "premium" food offerings, says the Wall Street Journal— big food manufacturers like Kraft and Campbell are going to be pushing "cheap" foods like tomato soup and cheese singles — foods which are thought of as "easy on the wallet" but are still hugely profitable for the manufacturers. More »
grocery shrink ray
Gorton's Wants To Know If You Noticed Anything Fishy About Their Fish Sticks
Reader Dave was doing an online survey about Gorton's Fish Sticks packaging — and it looks like something fishy is going on... More »
freecreditreport
FreeCreditReport Hires Ed McMahon To Rap In "Viral" Videos
We're warning you now, so that you won't bother to fall for the "you-gotta-see-this!" absurdity of an 85-year-old former talk show announcer and sweepstakes pitchman reduced to self-mockery in order to make some money. We don't begrudge McMahon his career, but as you know we deeply begrudge "free"creditreport.com for its misleading name, commercials, promises—well, pretty much everything. More »
Pricing Errors
Best Buy didn't want to honor the sale price of the 2GB flash drive Matt ordered through their website, so when Matt arrived to pick-up his purchase, the store's assistant manager called customer service and, pretending to be Matt, asked to cancel the order. Let's read Matt's story and see how it violates Massachusetts law, inside...
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Best Buy Cancels Your Order As You Stand There Shouting "Stop!"
Best Buy didn't want to honor the sale price of the 2GB flash drive Matt ordered through their website, so when Matt arrived to pick-up his purchase, the store's assistant manager called customer service and, pretending to be Matt, asked to cancel the order. Let's read Matt's story and see how it violates Massachusetts law, inside...
More »
