More than 7 million candles are being recalled because of concerns the cup holding the candle could melt or catch fire. Get the full story »
Filed under: Consumer news
Visit our Filed page for categories. To browse by specific topic, see our Inside page. For a list of companies covered on this site, visit our Companies page.
Electronic eyeglasses could mean end of bifocals
Electronic eyeglasses being charged. (PixelOptics)
If you’re reading these words through bifocals or progressive lenses, your life could change in June. That’s when a company called PixelOptics in Roanoke, Va., plans to release emPower, a line of electronic eyeglasses that let wearers toggle between two prescriptions, with settings for close-up and distance vision. Get the full story »
State acts to protect car buyers when dealers close
A Viking Dodge dealership in Crystal Lake that closed in 2009. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois lawmakers are considering legislation that would protect consumers when auto dealerships close and fail to pay liens on trade-in vehicles.
In several instances, according to Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan, lien holders have sought payments from consumers who traded in their vehicles to buy new ones. At least 60 dealerships have gone out of business since 2000 without paying off trade-ins, according to Madigan. Get the full story »
Passwords obsolete under new security standards
The Obama administration urged the private sector Friday to develop methods that consumers can use instead of passwords to identify themselves online and, in some cases, in brick and mortar stores.
“The Internet has transformed how we communicate and do business,” said President Barack Obama in a statement accompanying release of a national strategy to safeguard identity on the Internet. Get the full story »
Thursday at 12:46 p.m.
Filed under: Cell phones, Consumer electronics, Consumer news, Internet, Retail Best Buys plans smaller stores, more online sales
A Best Buy store in Alexandria, Va. (Reuters)
Best Buy Co. Inc. plans to boost its Web presence and open a greater number of small stores in the United States targeting mobile customers in an effort to win back market share from the likes of Amazon.com Inc and Wal-Mart Stores Inc .
The news came after many investors had raised concerns about the retailer’s huge overhead costs and oversized stores at a time when many shoppers go online to buy gadgets. Get the full story »
Whirlpool closing call center
Appliance maker Whirlpool Corp. is closing one of its three U.S. contact centers because of a decreasing number of calls received from customers needing assistance. Get the full story »
Prices of cotton goods could jump 10%
Cotton prices have soared to record highs following a global supply shortage. (Reuters/Stringer/Files)
This summer, shoppers will be paying 10 percent to 15 percent more on all cotton products, according to a new industry survey.
“I can’t recall a time when we’ve seen this type of retail price [ increase ] on cotton products,“ said Andrew Tananbaum, CEO of Capital Business Credit, which provides financing to clothing and home furnishing suppliers. Get the full story »
U.S. consumer bureau to impose new rules by Jan.
The new federal agency charged with regulating U.S. consumer financial services will have at least some rules in place by early 2012, according to the White House adviser helping to set up the regulator. Get the full story »
Groupon launches deals for home, garden
Crain’s Chicago Business | To broaden its reach, Groupon has launched targeted daily deals with the first in the home and garden category. The category specific deals last more than a day, a departure for the coupon site.
Nightlife deals site Poggled gets $5.6M to grow
Poggled, a Chicago startup that provides deals on nightlife and bars, has raised $5.6 million in a round of funding that will let the company expand into new markets and build additional features for its mobile applications. Get the full story »
Gas prices up 20% in 2011, 41 cents from high
U.S. gas prices have risen for 15 days straight days and are now within 41 cents of the all-time high of $4.114 a gallon, reached in July 2008.
The average price of unleaded jumped 2.2 cents overnight to $3.707 a gallon, according to motorist group AAA. In the past three weeks alone, prices have jumped 4 percent. Year to date, gas prices are up a whopping 20 percent. And it’s not even summer driving season yet, when prices tend to peak for the year. Get the full story »
Consumer Reports: AT&T U-verse, Verizon FiOS tops
A new Consumer Reports survey rates AT&T U-verse and Verizon FiOS as the top choices for customers looking to buy bundled telecom services. Get the full story »
U.S. gas prices rise 9 cents, hitting April record
Chicago gas prices jumped 18 cents last week. (Joe Raedle/Getty)
U.S. gasoline prices soared nearly 9 cents over the last week to $3.68 a gallon, the highest pump price on record for April, the Energy Department said on Monday.
The national price for regular unleaded gasoline is up 86 cents from a year ago, based on the department’s weekly survey of fuel prices at service stations. Cleveland and Chicago had the biggest weekly gasoline price increases, rising 19 and 18 cents a gallon, respectively. Get the full story »
Most tax audits done by mail
Of the more than 1.6 million Americans who were slapped with audits last year, 78 percent dealt with correspondence audits, while only 22 percent were asked to come in for an in-person examination. Get the full story »
Feds probe data collection by smartphone apps
Music player Pandora's smartphone app for both iPhones (above) and Androids transmitted information about a user's age, gender, and location. (Reuters/Joe Skipper)
Federal prosecutors in New Jersey are investigating whether numerous smartphone applications illegally obtained or transmitted information about their users without proper disclosures, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The criminal investigation is examining whether the app makers fully described to users the types of data they collected and why they needed the information — such as a user’s location or a unique identifier for the phone — the person familiar with the matter said. Collecting information about a user without proper notice or authorization could violate a federal computer-fraud law. Get the full story »
