Consumer News and Links for Feb. 20th (Early Edition)
From the Out Of Work Piggy Banks department:
Mastercard is hyping a new program called the Allow Card, a pre-loaded debit card that costs $20 to activate, $3.50 a month and has no overdraft fee. The card is aimed toward children between the ages of 10 and 19 and purports to help teach them "money managing skills." How does a card with no overdraft fee teach money managing skills? "Okay Timmy, now that you've read your copy of X-Men #1, let's learn how to take a second mortgage out on mommy's house!" Steve Rosen over at the Times Argus shares his thoughts about the card and is subsequently too easy on this monstrous invention with no other apparent purpose than to drug kids with the world of immediate gratification and prepare them for mass credit card debt. Remember the days when you would get allowance in cash and then open a savings account to learn how money worked? I do... and I'm only 26 years old. (Times Argus)
From the Chinatown In China? department:
In Ha Noi, Vietnam, supermarkets are catching on. In the short period from 1995 to 2005, the number of supermarkets in the city grew from 2 to over 75. Soon, it seems that the corner Vietnamese grocery store will be as much of a novelty in Vietnam as it is to us here in the states. (Vietnam News)
From the Japanese Get A Jump On The Trends Again department:
In a related story, it seems that Japanese retailers are getting a jump on the supermarket invasion by sending some of their smaller convenience store chains to America. The upscale Famima chain is slated to open stores in Southern California where convenience shoppers will be able to buy sushi instead of burritos and noodles instead of... well... noodles. I wonder what the Japanese answer to the Slurpee is? (6ABC)
From the Stay On The Streets Where It's Safe department:
The UK is experiencing a surge in "queue rage," uncontrollable anger caused by waiting in line at the store. Retailers have been trying to rectify this disease by staying open later and offering more sales online. The article offers some pretty ridiculous statistics such as: 72% of people in Wales shop locally and are the most patient queuers only getting seriously annoyed after 15 minutes. All I have to say is, even the Wales residents in the top 1% better not ever try and eat at the Pizza Hut in Wicker Park. (24 Dash)
Mastercard is hyping a new program called the Allow Card, a pre-loaded debit card that costs $20 to activate, $3.50 a month and has no overdraft fee. The card is aimed toward children between the ages of 10 and 19 and purports to help teach them "money managing skills." How does a card with no overdraft fee teach money managing skills? "Okay Timmy, now that you've read your copy of X-Men #1, let's learn how to take a second mortgage out on mommy's house!" Steve Rosen over at the Times Argus shares his thoughts about the card and is subsequently too easy on this monstrous invention with no other apparent purpose than to drug kids with the world of immediate gratification and prepare them for mass credit card debt. Remember the days when you would get allowance in cash and then open a savings account to learn how money worked? I do... and I'm only 26 years old. (Times Argus)
From the Chinatown In China? department:
In Ha Noi, Vietnam, supermarkets are catching on. In the short period from 1995 to 2005, the number of supermarkets in the city grew from 2 to over 75. Soon, it seems that the corner Vietnamese grocery store will be as much of a novelty in Vietnam as it is to us here in the states. (Vietnam News)
From the Japanese Get A Jump On The Trends Again department:
In a related story, it seems that Japanese retailers are getting a jump on the supermarket invasion by sending some of their smaller convenience store chains to America. The upscale Famima chain is slated to open stores in Southern California where convenience shoppers will be able to buy sushi instead of burritos and noodles instead of... well... noodles. I wonder what the Japanese answer to the Slurpee is? (6ABC)
From the Stay On The Streets Where It's Safe department:
The UK is experiencing a surge in "queue rage," uncontrollable anger caused by waiting in line at the store. Retailers have been trying to rectify this disease by staying open later and offering more sales online. The article offers some pretty ridiculous statistics such as: 72% of people in Wales shop locally and are the most patient queuers only getting seriously annoyed after 15 minutes. All I have to say is, even the Wales residents in the top 1% better not ever try and eat at the Pizza Hut in Wicker Park. (24 Dash)
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