PlanetFeedback's ShopperCast

It's The Economy, Stupid

So....  are we in a recession or what?  Whoops.  Perhaps we shouldn't say the "R" word.  Economists and talking heads have their various graphs and models that tell them whether the country is in a recession.  We're not that high-falutin'.  We look at our list of unlawful detainer actions for non-payment of rent at one of our local trailer parks as a good indicator of what's going on out in the real world.

Like the Magic 8 ball says, all signs point to yes.  J.D. has taken to dumpster diving in order to collect aluminum cans and he's annoyed with Walgreen's for not letting him into their refuse.  Walgreen's says they have people who toss used syringes in the trash (ouch) and that's why they don't want J.D. in there.  Makes sense to us.

Whether it's to keep the cans out of landfills or to make a few bucks is unclear.  But as commenter dawniedawn67 sagely points out ~ $5 is a gallon of milk or gas.  It's a loaf of bread and a dozen eggs.  Or bus fare for a couple of days.  Every little bit helps.

Combine dumpster diving with this news:  sales of Spam are up.  As groceries cost more and more (bread alone is up 13%), consumers are going back to their old reliables to save a few bucks wherever they can.  Over the past 12 weeks Hormel Foods Corp., the manufacturer of Spam, has seen sales jump by 10.6%.

It certainly looks to us here at ShopperCast that people are scrimping and saving wherever they can.  They're staying home more and eating out less.  So Spam probably is something "new" that they can add to their diet that's affordable and gives them some much needed variety.

We haven't had a Spam sandwich (with mustard, of course) in years and wonder.... does it still make that slurping sound when it comes out of the can?

--Contributed (frugally) by Deb

Uh Oh Delta You're In Trouble Now

Hell hath no fury like a lawyer scorned, or in this case stranded.  Richard Roth is suing Delta Airlines for $1 million dollars, for not only being stranded at the airport for days but also for being treated rudely and with disdain by Delta employees, one employee reportedly even walked away chuckling after leaving the family stranded.

One Million dollars, maybe that will get Delta and the other airlines attention.  There seems to be a trend of cancelling, delay or rescheduling flights with little or no regard for how it affects the passengers.  There might be an award in this case, but if there is it will be passed on to future passengers in the fare increases and services decreases. 

Richard Roth and his family finally made it to their destination (Argentina) 3 days late via another airline, but they lost $21,000 in unused hotel rooms that they were not able to use because of the delay.

Looks like Delta may have picked the wrong family to strand, we will have to wait and see how this shakes out.

--Contributed by Renee

Dude, You're Not Getting A Dell

Dell, Inc. has been busted by a New York court.

A judge has ruled that it engaged in repeated false and deceptive advertising of its warranties and promotional financing arrangements.  It offered promotions promotions like free flat-panel monitors, additional memory, rebates, instant discounts and financing with no interest or no payments for a period to “well qualified” or “best qualified” customers.

However, most people who applied for credit financing didn't meet Dell's criteria (estimated to be only 7%) and ended up financing a computer with an interest rate between 16% and 30%.  Ouch.  Let go of my arm. 

Consumers also didn't get the tech support they paid for and expected.

The judge faulted Dell for claiming to offer next day repair service.  Prosecutors supplied the judge with many affidavits from people who waited weeks, months, or even years for parts to be replaced.  Others complained of paying $300 for an in-home service plan and then told to open up the computer themselves to try to isolate a problem. 

If you've purchased or financed a Dell computer in New York state, we recommend contacting the Attorney General's office to see if you're entitled to restitution from Dell.  The attorney general has until December 1 to identify all injured parties.

--Contributed by Deb

Bringing Sexy Back

For the record, we are not selling haircare products, okay.  So don't sue us.

In April 2007, a trademark board ruled that Victoria's Secret use of the name "So Sexy" for its line of hair care items violated the trademark of another hair product manufacturer who calls its line Sexy Hair Concepts.  The ruling basically states that the name "So Sexy" is too similar and is likely to cause confusion among consumers.

Victoria's Secret appealed the ruling this past Friday arguing that most consumers don't associate "sexy" with any one brand of hair care product.  (We wonder ~ would they make the same argument if another company introduced a line of bras called So Sexy?  Or would Vicky's be howling the it causes confusion between it and it's own Very Sexy line of lingerie?)

Okay, we're only going to say this once.  It's.  An.  Adjective.  Admittedly, it's one that's tossed around all over the place.  Women have been inundated with the use of this term ~ use this product or wear this item of clothing to feel sexy.   The unspoken message is, of course, that if you don't, you're not. 

And it's grown to the point where companies are suing each other over a trademark on this word.  A mere descriptive word.  Hey, we know sex sells, but isn't this carrying it a little TOO far?

The people who are really funding these idiotic lawsuits are the purchasers of both these lines ~ what?  You didn't think they were going to take the money to hire the lawyers out of the CEO's salary or bonus this year, didya?  And they probably couldn't care less.

So not only is it going to cost you more to fuel up your car to drive to the store to buy these overpriced overrated products (which will probably be increasing in price with just about everything else), but now you get to help pay lawyer's fees on top of it.  Funny ~ that doesn't make us feel sexy at all.   It's more like nauseous. 

No, thank you.  We'll stick with our tried and true non-sexy named brand of shampoo. 

-Contributed by Deb

Happy Memorial Day!

We hope that you have a happy and safe holiday.  Please don't drink and drive.  Also please take a minute today in between hitting all the big sales to remember the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice (and the ones currently fighting), to ensure our freedom, and allow you to lay your head down in peace each night.

Thank you for your service to our country, and thank you to the families that are in a way serving as well.  We at ShopperCast salute you!

--Contributed proudly by Renee

Are You Travelling For Memorial Day?

It's Memorial Day weekend!  It's the official kickoff to summer ~ nothing puts people in the mood to travel like a long weekend.  But this year it's going to cost more.

Some experts estimate that roughly one-third of us will be traveling this weekend, but that one-quarter changed their travel plans and about 12% have decided not to travel at all.  That's a record number of people staying home.  The ripple effect from not traveling is expected to pinch the hotel and restaurant industries as well.

Not only do you pay more at the pump, but you're going to feel the pinch if you're flying too.

Airfares are on the increase due to the price of gas.  Airlines are slashing food services and slowing down planes in order to save money on gas.

Plus, American Airlines just announced that it's going to be charging passengers $15 to check their first piece of luggage.  If you've been keeping up with the letters on PlanetFeedback, customers are outraged over this. 

Phoenix N. says he'd rather take his chances with bad service on Delta than pay the extra money.  Dave H. concurs and predicts much less cabin space for carry-ons as passengers try to stuff all they need into bags to avoid the fee.

Nevertheless, we expect we'll start seeing other airlines do this too.  Nobody keeps up with the Joneses better than the airline industry. 

Start thinking about packing light.

--Contributed by Deb

LifeLock

You have probably seen the commercial.  Todd Davis walks around a large city and tells his Social Security Number to anyone who will listen, or he has someone drive a large truck around with his SSN on the side.  If you want to see it go to you tube and type in LifeLock commercial.

This guy is so confident of the ability of his company to protect your identity that he is offering up his identity as proof.  Wow that takes some guts right?  Well as it turns out this may indeed be a self fulfilling prophecy.  It turns out that Todd Davis may have to eat his words, and pay his lawyers big money all at the same time.  Not only has his identity been used more than 20 times to obtain drivers licenses, someone successfully used his SSN to obtain a payday loan......whoops!  He is now being sued by numerous customers in a few different states alleging fraud.  They say that not only does this product not work, but that he knew it wouldn't because he has  been a victim of ID theft himself.

Note to self.....DO NOT POST SSN ON SIDE OF TRUCK OR PULL BEHIND ON AN AIRPLANE OVER THE BEACH.

--Contributed (Secretly) by Renee---shhhh!

Cheeseburger In Paradise

$50 (or more) to fill up your gas tank; $4 for a gallon of milk; $175 for a hamburger.

Yes, you read that right.  The price increased from $150 to $175 for New York's most expensive hamburger now found at the Wall Street Burger Shoppe.  And what's on such an indulgence?  Kobe beef patty, lots of black truffles, seared foie gras, aged Gruyere cheese, wild mushrooms and flecks of gold leaf on a brioche bun.  It's served with golden truffle mayonnaise.

Can you believe that they sell 20 to 25 of them per month, presumably to the Gordon Gekkos of the world? And they're not the only one out there with a highbrow burger.

DB Bistro Moderne also has a black truffle burger for $150, but it's only available during black truffle season (who knew truffles had seasons?)  It has a ground sirloin patty stuffed with red wine braised short ribs.  What?  $150 and no cheese on it?

Now we like a good burger as much as the next carnivore, but almost $200 for one?  We don't think so (seared foie gras - ewww).  Color us cheap if you want, but nothing beats a Five Guys burger ~ plus we have money left over in our wallet. 

--Contributed by Deb

Positive Feedback For A Change!

It actually does happen sometimes! A letter to a company that is glowingly positive, beautifully written, and only for the purpose of letting the company know that they did something right!  Deborah wrote about how much she loved the product, and how much it exceeded her expectations.  You could hear the enthusiasm jump off the screen, we smelled Cinnamon Rolls and really had to resist the urge to run right out to the store to buy some.

We think it is great when a customer not only loves a product, but cares enough to let the company know, especially when it is potentially a "limited edition".  Good on Deborah for telling them how she feels.  We wish more people let companies know when they did things they like or appreciate instead of just complaining when something goes wrong.  Thanks Deborah!

--Contributed by Renee

It's Not The Coffee That Has Them Steaming

Demonstrating that what's old can always be new again, Starbucks has temporarily changed its logo to make it look more like the original from back when the company started in 1971. 

The revamp is expected to run several more weeks but will stay on Pike Place bags of coffee permanently.

In case you haven't seen the "new" logo:

At least one religious cult organization has called for a boycott of Starbucks, because the mermaid is bare-chested and her split tail makes it appear as if her legs are spread in apparently a lascivious fashion.  (It's okay, we didn't see it either until we read the articles.)

With the economy being so tight, sales of Starbucks coffee are off.  Profits for the second quarter are forecast to be 15 cents a share, six cents lower than originally predicated.  In a tight market, that $4 cup o' joe might be one of the things consumers are cutting from their spending.

Perhaps a little bit of coffee controversy will perk things up. We take cream and sugar with our drama.  Thanks!

--Contributed by Deb