Santa Exists, Dropped $20K To Pay Off Toys ‘R’ Us Layaway Accounts

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(Nicholas DiMaio)

News stories about “layaway angels,” people who stop by a retailer’s layaway counter and pay off the balances of strangers, became very popular during the holiday season of 2011. They’ve since become a recurring tradition, and this year we have mostly heard about people spending five-figure amounts to pay off everyone’s balance in a show of generosity.

This week, staff at the Toys ‘R’ Us in Bellingham, MA had the tedious but completely amazing task of calling layaway customers and letting them know it was time to pick up their purchases: they had been paid off in full by an anonymous stranger. The benefector, who gave out plenty of hugs at the store but didn’t provide her name. We choose to believe that she is, in fact, Santa. Toys ‘R’ Us confirmed that she paid around $20,000 to close out all of the store’s layaway accounts.

While she didn’t talk to the media, one store employee says that the woman said that making sure local children would have toys for Christmas would “help her sleep better at night.” One local mother was stunned, having put $50 worth of toys on layaway for her sons and struggling to make the payments. “I almost wanted to cry. It was only $50, but to me that’s a lot of money, and that someone would go and do that gave me chills,” she told the Milford Daily News.

Santa also lives in Ohio, where a man visited Walmart and paid off $15,000 worth of layaway accounts, asking to focus on accounts containing toys or other items for kids.

Toys ‘R’ Us is a popular store for layaway angels to visit, which makes sense. Another shopper in Massachusetts paid off the accounts of everyone standing in line behind him in the customer service line, which cost about $1,500.

You don’t need massive stacks of money to play Santa if doing this appeals to you: a few years ago, one Consumerist reader declared paying off one family’s layaway account to be the best $100 she had ever spent.

Touched by a ‘layaway angel’ [Milford Daily News]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

The LEGO Female Scientists Are Back, Maybe Indefinitely

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Earlier this year, LEGO introduced a limited-edition set of minifig female scientists along with essential work equipment like a telescope and a dinosaur skeleton. They sold out quickly, and many female fans of LEGO and/or science were disappointed that the set wouldn’t become permanent. Just in time for Christmas, LEGO quietly put the set back up for sale, and they may be available permanently in the company’s retail stores.

The site says that the set will ship on December 21, but is available only in “limited quantities,” so hurry up if you want a miniature research institute of your very own. The more important piece of information on the page is the second sentence, which says:

It is coming soon to LEGO® Brand retail locations and is expected to be available within two weeks.

Could it be that the petition worked, and the Lego Research Institute will be a permanent institution? LEGO representatives didn’t get back to the New York Times, but it looks like the set will be revived for now. We might not be able to get them in time for Christmas, but life can’t be perfect.

Take it away, Jesse:

LEGO’s “Research Institute” Female Scientist Set Is Back In Stock And Going Fast! [The Mary Sue]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

Report: Americans Are Poorer Since The Recession Ended, Wealth Inequality Continues To Increase

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The wealth gap between races continues to widen despite recession recovery.

While it could be debated to no end whether or not the Great Recession is over, a new report points out that consumers are still worth less money than they were before the bottom fell out of the economy.

A new analysis from Pew Research Center found that even as the economy has recovered, many households still face financial disparity and wealth inequality continues to widen along racial and ethnic lines.

According to the report, the net worth of American families – the difference between values of their assets and liabilities – fell 39.4% from the start of the recession to the purported end. Back in 2007, families had a net worth of $135,700, while they currently have a net worth of $81,400.

There has been significant decreases in consumer wealth since the recession ended.

In addition to the different in wealth from year to year, Pew’s analysis of Federal Reserve data found a stark divide between the experience of different races during economy recovery.

From 2010 to 2013, the median wealth of non-Hispanic white households increased from $138,600 to $141,900, or by 2.4%, while median wealth of non-Hispanic black households fell 33.7%, from $16,600 in 2010 to $11,000 in 2013.

Among Hispanics, median wealth decreased by 14.3%, from $16,000 to $13,700.

Pew points out that difference in wealth can, in part, be attributed to difference in median income between races and the use of financial assets such as stocks.

Still, since the recovery started all families have faced the same issues, including the reduction of ownership of key assets, such as homes, stocks and business equity.

Wealth inequality has widened along racial, ethnic lines since end of Great Recession [Pew Research Center]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

Gas Station Owners Aren’t Passing Their Savings On To Consumers

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(mightynine)

You may have noticed prices gradually falling at your neighborhood gas station over the last few months, what you may not know is that the price of oil has been falling even faster than that. Why aren’t station owners passing the savings on to drivers? They’re in a generally low-margin business, and we’re all still buying gas anyway.

Gas costs about a dollar less nationwide right now than it did a year ago, which is putting more money in consumers’ pockets for other things, and making drivers more cheerful in general. The problem is, while that’s a nice decrease, oil prices are down about 40% since earlier this year. The price that we pay for gasoline hasn’t kept up with that. During that same period, investment bank Goldman Sachs estimates that gas stations’ profit margins are 18.5% higher than they were at the same time last year.

Oil prices worldwide have been falling because oil production is up

Gas stations have been slow to pass along fuel savings [MarketWatch]

Consumers raking in $125 billion windfall from cheap gas [MarketWatch]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

Parents Of Four-Year-Old Say Son Got A Nazi-Themed Ring In Toy Vending Machine

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A Tulsa mother says her four-year-old son received a Nazi-themed ring from a vending machine at a local dollar store.

You just never know what might pop out of the small plastic bubble toy vending machines found at the front of many stores and restaurants. You could get a cute colorful dinosaur or a Nazi-themed plastic ring. The latter was reportedly the prize for a four-year-old at a Tulsa Family Dollar store earlier this week.

KOKI-TV reports the boy received a gold plastic ring adorned with an eagle sitting atop a small swastika after putting 25-cents into a toy vending machine at a local dollar store.

A quick search of the ring’s imprint shows that it appears to be reflective of the Nazi party’s official symbol, which also features an eagle grasping a wreath of laurels atop a swastika.

“We actually bought four things, and three of them were little dinosaurs or something,” the mother says. “And on the fourth one, it so happened this fell out.”

She tells the TV station that she always gives her son a quarter for the vending machine when the family goes shopping, but that she’s considering changing that practice.

“It was made just like the other rings they’ve got in there,” the mother says. “You can bend it up and shove it in here. So it was made for a vending machine. I just don’t understand why.”

The woman says she went to other Family Dollar stores in surrounding areas, but did not find the Nazi-thmeded ring in any other machines.

When KOKI visited the same Family Dollar location to find out how the ring ended up in the children’s toy machine, it found 10 to 15 additional rings waiting for purchase.

Officials with Family Dollar say they don’t maintain or stock the vending machine, but that they’d had issues with the third-party vendor in the past.

KOKI called a number located on the machine and the man who answered said the items inside the machine will be examined and removed in the next few days.

Child buys Nazi themed toy from vending machine for 25 cents [KOKI]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

Chick-Fil-A Loses Its Trademark Crusade Against “Eat More Kale” Slogan

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The Eat More Kale guy, as seen pointing to his himself on EatMoreKale.com.

The last we heard from the “Eat More Kale” guy in his battle to bring veggie-themed T-shirts to the masses, he’d lost a round to the Goliath that is Chick-fil-A after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office gave him a preliminary “no” in 2013. But it looks like David will still come out on top in this situation, as he was just granted the trademark for his phrase.

Chick-fil-A has been waging war against the kale guy since 2011, when the company threatened to sue the Vermont folk artist for using the slogan on his line of T-shirts.

The food fight seems to be over now, as the guy thanked supporters outside the Vermont Statehouse this week, saying the USPTO granted his application to trademark the phrase he says promotes local agriculture, reports the Associated Press.

When asked why he thinks the office decided to change course and approve his request after that first no, he said, “Your guess is as good as mine.”

“I’d like to think that maybe some persistence and polite defiance, you know, and proving to them that we were in it for the long haul,” he said. “If it took us a decade, we’re going to fight for a decade.”

Chick-fil-A had argued that the phrase was too close to its own — the company’s marketing materials often feature cow holding a sign that says, “eat mor chikin,” because that way, see, the cow won’t get eaten.

As such, a Chick-fil-A spokeswoman responded to the news by saying, “Cows love kale, too.”

Man celebrates his new ‘eat more kale’ trademark [The Associated Press]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

The Snuggie Is Back, Somehow Even Worse Than Before

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The Snuggie, a thin fleece blanket with sleeves, reached a special height of pop-culture relevance back in 2009, but they’ve never really gone away. (Though some may have dissolved into piles of Snuggie lint.) Sleeved blankets have remained on the market all this time, and now they’ve taken kind of a weird turn into costume territory. If you’ve dreamed of lounging on the couch while pretending to wear a tux, the new generation of Snuggies are for you.

They’ve also fixed some of the more obvious design flaws, adding pockets to store things, and a sash that helps you tie your Snuggie closed. Of course, adding a sash just makes the Snuggie resemble a backwards bathrobe even more.

Snuggie Store [Official Site]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

Washington State Issues Emergency Shellfish Recall After Illness Reported

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(John Hanley)

Consuming raw seafood is always a gamble, and for a dozen people it turned out to be an unsuccessful wager. And so, Washington state health officials are ordering an emergency harvest closure and recall of shellfish shipped throughout the country.

The Seattle Times reports that state officials initiated the recall and harvest closure after at least 12 people who ate raw oysters from the Hammersley Inlet became ill.

Officials suspect norovirus in the illnesses, as laboratory tests have confirmed the infection in two people.

The recall includes 48,000 oysters and more than 3,000 pounds of Manila clams processed from November 10 to December 5. The shellfish was distributed to stores in Oregon, Nevada, Florida, Minnesota, Illinois, California, New York, Maine, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Virginia.

Health officials tell the Times they identified the issue using the state’s shellfish-tracking system, which tags commercial harvested shellfish with locations and dates.

While an investigation into the companies in Hammersley Inlet that harvest and ship shellfish did not find an apparent source of the contamination, a site visit to surrounding areas identified a leaking septic system that many be the source of the contamination.

A temporary fix was put in place, while a permanent repair is worked on.

Raw oysters sicken 12, prompt shellfish harvest closure and recall [The Seattle Times]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

Taco Bell Might Be Trying That Whole “Chips As A Taco Shell” Thing Again, This Time With Fritos

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As the saying goes, when at first you succeed at feeding people taco fillings inside a shell made from a popular brand of chips, try it again and see if you can get more people to buy your food. At least, that must be a motto at Taco Bell, which could be following the success of the Doritos Locos line of taco fare with a new Fritos shell.

Business Insider spotted the inclusion of what appears to be a taco inside a bag of Fritos, a design often used by the company to advertise its Doritos Locos Tacos using corresponding Nacho or Cool Ranch bags.

The image appears in yesterday’s presentation by Yum! Brands to its investors. When BI asked about whether or not we can accept to see some Fritos Tacos Locos or whathaveyou, a Taco Bell spokesperson played coy, saying only, “We’re always innovating and testing new concepts.”

Fritos are a natural choice of chip for fast food snacking — though it was Subway, and not Taco Bell that used them in a crunchy chicken enchilada last year, The Bell features Fritos in its new Beefy Fritos burrito, which is exactly what it sounds like.

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Macadamias Are All The Rage After Korean Air Exec’s Nut Rage

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(jessicafm)

While the Korean Air Lines executive who demanded that a flight crew member leave the flight she was on because she was served macadamia nuts in a bag instead of on a plate has since apologized for her behavior, there’s one party involved in the incident that is sitting mighty pretty right about now. The macadamia nut, of course.

Because any publicity is good publicity, the sales of macadamia nuts have spiked this week in South Korea, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Sales of the nuts in the first part of the week were up 14% over the same period last week at one of the country’s top online marketplaces, and sales overall jumped about 36%, reported Edaily.

The airline was the first to apologize earlier this week, while still noting that Cho Hyun-ah, the now-former vice president in charge of cabin services at the airline, was just doing her job.

Today she apologized to Korean media as well, reports Reuters, for behavior that critics in the country see as proof of her snobby, elite status in society as the daughter of the airline’s chairman.

“I sincerely apologize for causing trouble for everyone. I’m sorry,” she said, adding that she would also apologize in person to the cabin crew chief.

Macadamia Sales Take Off After Korean Air Nut Row [Wall Street Journal]

Korean Air executive apologizes after nuts incident sparks national outrage [Reuters]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Chrysler Expands Takata Airbag Recall By Nearly 209,000 Vehicles In Five Additional States, U.S. Territories

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(Ralph Krawczyk Jr)

Hot off the heels of several automakers heeding regulators’ suggestion to initiate nationwide recalls of vehicles with Takata-produced airbags that may spew shrapnel at passengers upon deployment, Chrysler is following suit – kind of.

The Detroit News reports that the manufacturer will expand its recall to five additional high humidity states and three U.S. territories by approximately 208,783 vehicles.

The new recall covers passenger airbags in model year 2003 to 2005 Dodge Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks, model year 2004 to 2005 Dodge Durango, the 2005 Chrysler 300, 300C, SRT8 and the 2005 Dodge Magnum sold or currently registered in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, and the territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Officials with Chrysler say they are unaware of any injuries or accidents involving the expanded recall.

The manufacturer says the airbag inflators involved in the new recall differ in design and construction from inflators used by other companies.

Including the new recall, Chrysler has recalled nearly 617,000 vehicles with Takata airbags since June.

Chrysler officials previously said they were limiting its recall to vehicles sold or registered in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Just last month officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told Chrysler that limiting the recall was unreasonable.

In all, 10 manufacturers have recalled more than 13 million vehicles in the U.S. and 19 million globally.

Earlier this week, Honda and Mazda agreed to expand recalls of affected vehicles nationally. Honda added an additional 2.6 million cars, while Mazda did not have a specific number for the new recall.

Takata airbags have been the center of controversy since early summer when car makers began recalling vehicles after receiving reports that drivers and passengers were hit with flying pieces of metal when their airbags deployed.

In mid-November, NHSTA urged car manufacturers and Takata to issue nationwide recalls for the defective airbags.

Officials with the agency say the decision to call for an expanded recall was based on NHTSA’s evaluation of a recent driver’s side airbag failure in a vehicle outside the current regional recall area. The incident involved a 2007 Ford Mustang in North Carolina.

Investigators with NHTSA say that all other incidents of Takata airbag ruptures have occurred in areas of the regional recall.

Shortly after NHTSA’s request, officials with Takata said during a congressional hearing that they wouldn’t initiate a national recall, in part because they don’t believe that NHTSA has the power to order such an initiative and because testing hasn’t shown what’s really behind the issue.

It was previously reported that Takata uses an unusual chemical explosive – ammonium nitrate – for the chemical’s ability to make airbags inflate in a matter of milliseconds. Since then the company notified NHTSA of a change in its chemical compound.

Chrysler recalls 208,000 vehicles for Takata air bags [The Detroit News]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

Customers Complain Of Rashes From The Fitbit Charge

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Fitbit claims that only about 2% of the people who purchased its best-selling Force wearable fitness tracker experienced skin reactions, some of them extremely painful, itchy, or unpleasant. We don’t know yet what proportion of buyers of the company’s new Charge wristbands have complained of skin irritation, but we now know that it’s more than zero: including a reviewer for Yahoo Tech who otherwise liked the device.

The Force, as you may remember, was officially recalled in March of 2014, and taken off the market and recalled by the company before that. Unfortunately, keeping anything close to your skin, from a piece of jewelry to an iPad, can cause rashes if your body is sensitive to it. Sensitivities or allergies can develop even if you’ve been using an item for some time, but a few users reported immediate problems.

This includes Yahoo’s Alyssa Bereznak, who reported that the tracker was always a bit itchy, and she developed a noticeable rash that went away if she simply took the device off. If it weren’t for the rash, she liked the tracker, which did everything that it was supposed to. It’s just not very attractive: “It resembles an ankle monitor given to a criminal on probation,” she wrote. Except more visible. She finds the Jawbone Up to be a more attractive wrist-based tracker, and it doesn’t give her a rash. Double bonus.

Bereznak isn’t alone: other customers have reported minor rashes to the Fitbit user forums and on social media.

Starting to notice a rash under @Fitbit #Charge. Are you kidding me? This is after just a few weeks, Fitbit #Force took over a month. #fail

— Brian Guy (@tall_latte) December 8, 2014

anyone else getting a rash like this from their new @fitbit charge? @FitbitSupport any ideas? http://ift.tt/1BDXMdV

— James Hampson (@jthampson2) November 9, 2014

The Charge replaces the recalled Force, and is supposed to be made of better, less rash-inducing materials. As with the earlier product, the company will accept returns from customers who suffer rashes, and they also offer wearing and cleaning tips to help keep customers from itching.

Have you been suffering an itchy wrist since buying one of Fitbit’s new-generation trackers? If so, you know where to find us.

Reviewed: The Fitbit Charge Is Effective but Irritated My Skin [Yahoo]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

FTC Takes Action Against Auto Dealers For Violating Order Prohibiting Deceptive Advertising

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(frankieleon)

Here’s the thing, if the Federal Trade Commission tells you not to deceive consumers with your ads or you’ll have to pay a hefty fine, they mean it. That’s the case for two auto dealerships that allegedly violated FTC orders put in place in 2012.

The FTC announced today that it seeks civil penalties from two auto dealer groups violating orders banning the companies from deceptively advertising the cost of buying or leasing a car.

In the first action, Billion Auto, a chain of 20 family-owned automobile dealerships in Iowa, Montana, and South Dakota, and family-controlled advertising company, Nichols Media, Inc., have agreed to settle charges they violated a 2012 FTC administrative order.

That order prohibited Billion Auto, and any company in active participation with it, from misrepresenting material costs and terms of vehicle finance and lease offers and requires specific disclosures mandated by federal law.

According to the complaint against Billion and Nichols, the dealerships and advertising company violated the 2012 FTC administrative order by frequently focusing on only a few attractive terms in their ads while hiding others in fine print, through distracting visuals, or with rapid-fire audio delivery.

In some instances, dealership ads promoted low monthly payments or attractive annual percentage rates and finance periods, while concealing other material items, such as low payments were for leases, not sales; major limits existed on who could qualify for discounts; and offers often included significant added costs.

Billion Auto defendants agreed to pay $360,000 in civil penalties to settle the new charges.

In a separate action, the FTC charges that Ramey Motors, Inc., and three affiliated dealerships with locations in Virginia and West Virginia violated a similar 2012 order prohibiting deceptive advertising.

The FTC charges that Ramey Motors’ ads allegedly misrepresented the costs of financing or leasing a vehicle by concealing important terms of the offer, such as a requirement to make a substantial down payment.

According to the FTC complaint, Ramey Motors failed to make credit disclosures clearly and conspicuously, as required by the previous order. The FTC also alleges that the auto dealer group failed to retain and produce appropriate records to the Commission to substantiate its offers.

Ramey Motors and its affiliates are subject to $16,000 in civil penalties for each alleged violation of the FTC administrative order.

FTC Takes Action Against Two Auto Dealership Chains For Violating 2012 Orders Prohibiting Deceptive Advertising of Vehicle Costs [FTC]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

Krispy Kreme Celebrates “Day Of The Dozens” With Glazed Doughnut BOGO Deal

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A quick glance at the calendar and you will see that day is December 12 — or, if you’re into celebrating numbers and dates it’s 12/12. Krispy Kreme is celebrating this “Day of the Dozens” with free doughnuts, because who doesn’t like free fried dough and sugar?

To commemorate such an important occasion as numbers for months and days coinciding (though not years, see you in 2112), Krispy Kreme is offering a coupon for one dozen free glazed doughnuts for customers who buy one dozen glazed doughnuts. BOGO — or maybe B12G12?

In any case, customers can print out the coupon at DayOfTheDozens.com or simply show their mobile phone versions to staff at participating locations. The coupon is only good for today.

There’s a limit to the doughnut love, as well — one coupon per visitor, in case you were tempted to win everyone’s hearts at the office by buying three dozen and bringing in six dozen doughnuts. You sly fox, you.

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Facebook Is Considering Adding A “Dislike” Button

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I’m not an artist, but I do my best. (afagen)

You know you’ve had that thought — “I OPPOSITE OF “LIKE” THIS, FACEBOOK!” — whether it was on the eleventy trillionth gushing baby photo post or whatever ridiculous political thing that person from high school is posting this time. And while Facebook has long stood firm against a “dislike” button, it seems the negative Nellies out there have some sway with The Zuck, nevertheless.

Yesterday during a Facebook Q&A with Mark Zuckerberg, the head of the social network said the company is mulling over the addition of a “dislike” button — a thumbs down to go with that ever-present thumbs up, reports Business Insider.

“We’re thinking about it,” Zuckerberg said. “It’s an interesting question.”

The problem with a dislike button could be bullying or shaming other users, Zuckerberg notes, though it would work for when people wanted to express themselves but didn’t want to comment or use the like button. For example, when someone posts about losing a beloved pet — you want to show support without typing a message, but “liking” the death of a pet can feel just… weird.

“You can always just comment,” he said, though I would point out that many people don’t want to do that, if only for the fact that an endless stream of notifications from others who write after you that need to be silenced by taking action to turn off notifications. It’s annoying, Zuckerberg.

Don’t hold your breath/start flexing those thumbs downward already in your mind — if the “dislike” button happens, it won’t be just yet.

“We don’t have anything that’s coming soon,” Zuckerberg said.

Facebook Is Going To Add More Engagement Options [Business Insider]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Thai AirAsia Flight Diverted Because Throwing Scalding-Hot Water On A Flight Attendant Is Not Okay

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(AirAsia)

There has been no shortage of stories about airline passengers’ bad behavior resulting in planes being diverted in 2014: from travelers arguing about reclining seats to those attempting to open doors mid-flight. And as the year draws to a close, we can add one more incident to the the disturbingly long list of passengers behaving badly after a traveler on a Thai AirAsia threw hot water on a flight attendant.

The Associated Press reports that the plane, which was traveling to China, returned to Bangkok on Thursday after the passenger allegedly assaulted a flight attendant.

According to a statement from Thai AirAsia, the Chinese passenger berated the crew member before tossing the scalding water and instant noodles at her.

Fellow crew members were able to administer first aid to the attendant while the flight changed course, heading back to Bangkok where there the passenger and her three friends were asked to disembark the plane.

The captain and crew for the flight invited the passenger to discuss the situation at the airline’s Bangkok airport office. According to the airline’s statement, officials deemed the woman’s action a flight risk and the group reached “an amicable conclusion.”

Officials with Thai AirAsia did not specify if the four passengers were allowed back on the plane when it departed five hours after its original departure time.

According to the AP, Chinese media reported in an online video that a man was also standing up in the plane’s cabin, making a threat to bomb the plane. The airline’s statement does not mention that alleged incident.

Flight diverted after passenger throws scalding hot water at flight attendant [The Associated Press]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds

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Here are seven of the best photos that readers added to the Consumerist Flickr Pool in the last two weeks, picked for usability in a Consumerist post or for just plain neatness.

(pjpink)

(Ξmpty s o u l s)

(Xavier J. Peg ☠)

(Offbeat Jersey)

(pjpink)

(Rich Renomeron)

(Chris Goldberg)

Want to see your pictures on our site? Our Flickr Pool is the place where Consumerist readers upload photos for possible use in future Consumerist posts. Just be a registered Flickr user, go here, and click “Join Group?” up on the top right. Choose your best photos, then click “send to group” on the individual images you want to add to the pool.

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

If You Plan To Steal $10,000 From Your Job, Don’t Use Your Employee Info For Transactions

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(Ben Schumin)

Several months ago Consumerist reported on what might have been Walmart’s worst employee: a worker arrested for stealing cash from a customer and food from the company’s deli. While that incident was indeed bad, a Tennessee employee who allegedly stole thousands of dollars in gift cards and cash by using her employee information might just take over the title.

The Tennessean reports that a 19-year-old Walmart employee faces 13 property theft charges after she allegedly stole nearly $10,000 in cash and gift cards from her employer.

According to court records, the woman stole the cash and gift cards, some of which were valued at more than $950 each, in just five and a half hours.

The Tennessean reports that in one instance a surveillance video caught the woman ringing up a gift card in the amount of $200, taking $60 from the register and then hiding the card and money on her person.

Unfortunately for the woman, her alleged plan to pilfer the cash and cards was foiled thanks in part to the fact that she entered her employee information during each transaction.

An arrest affidavit states that each time a gift card is entered, an employee must enter their information in order to complete the sale.

The woman was apprehended when she was observed leaving the local Walmart with the cash and gift cards.

“A check of the system, as well as the defendant’s register, matched the amount stolen by the defendant,” an arrest affidavit said.

Wal-Mart worker faces charges of stealing $10,000 [The Tennessean]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

Which Popular Holiday Gifts Are The Worst To Get?

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(lindacat)

The moment of dread has arrived: You have to open gifts in front of your loved ones, and pretend you like what they’ve given you, no matter if it’s a bottle of peppermint schnapps or a candle shaped like a Christmas tree that smells like a car air freshener. But this year, perhaps if we reflect upon the gifts people hate getting the most, we can avoid those items and bring more cheer than fear.

Our esteemed cohorts at Consumer Reports conducted a survey to find which gifts are the worst to get (not including like, four loose hangers you don’t need anymore, or a window scraper and wiper fluid from the gas station), and found that right on top of that list is whiskey, vodka, brandy, rum and other spirits, with 25% surveyed saying booze is the least desirable gift (everyone’s drunk uncles must not have been surveyed)

That is, however, not including wine — only 6% of respondents said they wouldn’t want a bottle during the holidays as a gift.

Also high on the list of least desirable holiday loot: 23% named flowers and plants as the worst to get, and 13% put the kibosh on candles, picture frames and other home decor items.

There’s still time to correct your shopping mistakes, too — as of Dec. 2, a full 30% of Americans said they still hadn’t started shopping yet.

Socks — when in doubt, go with socks. There’s a magical age at about 18 when you realize that getting socks as presents instead of buying them is pretty awesome.

The worst holiday gift you could give [Consumer Reports]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Struggling SeaWorld Ousts CEO As Part Of 11-Park Restructuring Plan

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(Bob Reck)

Struggling theme park and Worst Company in America contender SeaWorld appears to be attempting to revamp its image – starting at the top by replacing its CEO.

Bloomberg Businessweek reports that current CEO Jim Atchison will leave his post effective January 15 as part of a new restructuring program.

Atchison – who won’t be leaving the company, but instead will be moved to vice chairman of the board – is being replaced by company chairman David D’Alessandro until a permanent replacement is named.

According to a statement from SeaWorld, the ousting is part of a “restructuring program across its entire 11-park enterprise” that will seek to “reduce duplication of functions and increase efficiencies.”

The decision by SeaWorld’s largest shareholder, Blackstone Group, to oust Atchison comes as the parks continue to record flat attendance and declining revenues. Bloomberg reports that attendance at the parks has been flat since 2008, with the most recent revenue down about 8%.

While there are surely a number of reasons for the park’s bleak performance, the company’s negative publicity surrounding the documentary Blackfish likely has something to do with it.

SeaWorld Dumps Its CEO: Don’t Just Blame Blackfish [Bloomberg]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

Tokyo Restaurant Banning Couples On Christmas Eve So Singles Don’t Have To Remember They’re Lonely

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Are you in the mood for love? Simply because you’re near the reason for that pitter-patter of delight and that longing ache to caress the face of your significant other, as if you could soothe the worries of the world from his/her dear brow? Well cut it out. No one needs to be reminded they’re single, especially on Christmas Eve, and one Tokyo restaurant wants none of it this year.

A restaurant in Tokyo has announced by way of a sign in its window that it’s not going to serve couples on Christmas Eve, reports The Telegraph, because their happiness will make any single patron in the room remember how gut-wrenchingly alone they are, how they’ve always been alone, how they were fools to think THIS year would be different oh god oh god.

You get the point — here’s the sign on Twitter:

店長くっそわらったwww http://ift.tt/1yxm3zS

— まりか☻ (@nmura_mka) December 5, 2014

If you can’t read that, it says: “We will be refusing entry to all couples on December 24, with no exceptions!”

I take exception to the “no exceptions” part though — perhaps unhappy couples should be allowed, thus reminding singles that hey, at least they don’t have to deal with constant nagging and a stubborn refusal to do even the simplest things for anyone else.

It’s also bad to have couples around when restaurant staff have to work on Christmas Eve, as the sweet-talking twosomes “would cause severe emotional trauma to members of our staff.”

A worker who spoke to The Telegraph seems to be on board with this campaign against romance.

“To start with, someone said we should ban couples as a bit of a joke, but then we realized that it’s true,” he said. “If you are single on Christmas Eve, then it’s easy to get down.”

Though Christmas isn’t traditionally celebrated in Japan and is just another working day, recently Christmas Eve has become a time for young couples to give each other gifts and have a meal together.

Japan restaurant bans couples on Christmas Eve [The Telegraph]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

It’s Your Last Chance To Nominate The Worst Ads Of 2014

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(Mark Amsterdam)

Just in case you missed it when we posted the original call for nominations, we’re currently seeking your thoughts on the worst commercials to stain your TV set this year. With the deadline to nominate looming, here’s a helpful reminder.

E-mail us your suggestions for the year’s worst commercials at WCIA@consumerist.com by 5 p.m. ET on Monday, Dec. 15.

As mentioned before, the most successful nominations are specific, not just about which ads they hate, but why they hate them. And we will love you forever (NOTE: not a legally binding promise) if you include links to YouTube clips (or other video sources) of the specific commercials.

Feel free to come up with your own categories for awards beyond the mere worst of the year. We’ve already had some ideas for categories like Worst Fake Family and Person You’d Never Want To Spend Even A Moment Alone With, but we know y’all have even better award ideas that you’re aching (common side effects are dizziness, tired feeling, and new or worsening depression) to share.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist