HP Sauce to be made in Netherlands, not Britain
May 10, 2006

Preferred by the likes of the Royal Family, Britain's beloved "brown sauce" will soon be manufactured in the Netherlands... MORE»

murmur categories: brands/logos, food, miscellaneous

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, HP Sauce, Britain, food, Heinz

posted by Tessa | 10:58 AM (ET) | Permalink

Subliminal advertising (read this post) debate resurrected
April 28, 2006

Just when you thought it was safe to watch television again... MORE»

murmur categories: advertising, miscellaneous

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism television TV advertising subliminal advertising research communications

posted by Tessa | 10:52 AM (ET) | Permalink

Watch this ad ... or else
April 20, 2006

Just as consumers cozy up to the idea of having near-complete control over when they watch their favourite television programs (like, say, Marketplace), along comes a technology that would force viewers to watch ads and prevent channel-surfing during commercial breaks... MORE»

murmur categories: advertising, technology, miscellaneous

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism television TV technology pvr dvr Tivo

posted by Tessa | 12:24 PM (ET) | Permalink

Termite mulch warning dismissed as e-hoax
March 30, 2006

I've received a few e-mails from folks wondering about a warning they received in their inbox about termites infesting mulch from Louisiana. The e-mail is a hoax. (Not sure why people go to the trouble of creating these kinds of hoaxes, but I'm constantly amazed by the human capacity for weirdness)... MORE»

murmur categories: home, miscellaneous, scams

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism hoaxes urban legends e-mail hoaxes folklore Hurricane Katrina New Orleans gardening

posted by Tessa | 10:28 AM (ET) | Permalink

IKEA's frugal founder leads by example
March 27, 2006

The guy who brought you the "Billy" bookcase -and probably most of the furnishings for your university apartment- isn't just the fourth richest man in the world... MORE»

murmur categories: money, miscellaneous

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism money IKEA

posted by Tessa | 10:02 AM (ET) | Permalink

Drowning in plenty: The cost of going cheap
March 20, 2006

The Guardian has a fascinating article about how Britons are drowning in a glut of cheap consumer goods – similar to their North American Wal-Mart shopping brethren, only on this side of the pond our gluttonous shopping habits have coincided with the ballooning footprint of the average suburban American home... MORE»

murmur categories: environment, miscellaneous

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism products shopping cheap deals

posted by Tessa | 11:01 AM (ET) | Permalink

Movie industry launches study to analyze consumer habits
March 16, 2006

Apart from glitzy awards shows and the ever-churning celebrity gossip mill, the movie industry has always been preoccupied by the problem of putting bums in theatre seats – particularly of late, with spectacular blockbuster flame-outs and the growing trend of budget-gobbling movies bypassing the theatre altogether and heading straight to DVD... MORE»

murmur categories: miscellaneous, marketing

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism movies film Hollywood movie industry

posted by Tessa | 10:32 AM (ET) | Permalink

Not all rims rrroll up equally
March 16, 2006

The odds of winning a big prize when you roll up the rim on a cup of Tim Hortons coffee depend on where you live, CBC News Online has learned... MORE»

murmur categories: miscellaneous, food/drink

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism coffee retail Tim Hortons Canada contests

posted by Tessa | 9:12 AM (ET) | Permalink

"Behavioural economics" explains all
March 14, 2006

Why do you procrastinate? Why did your sister buy that unfortunate pair of aquamarine pants? Why are more and more Canadians borrowing money they don't have a hope of paying back before retiring? Why did I grab that chocolate bar at the grocery store checkout?... MORE»

murmur categories: miscellaneous

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism shopping business retail science economics psychology behavioral economics

posted by Tessa | 1:50 PM (ET) | Permalink

Loblaw launches new fashion line
March 14, 2006

Loblaw Companies Ltd. launched a new line of designer fashions yesterday as it beefed up its range of offerings to meet competition from uber-retailer Wal-Mart... MORE»

murmur categories: miscellaneous, logos/branding

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism Loblaws business Canada fashion Wal-Mart retail fashion style design

posted by Tessa | 9:18 AM (ET) | Permalink

Loose lips sink sales
March 13, 2006

Gossip can be a retailer's nightmare, a U.S. study says... MORE»

murmur categories: services, miscellaneous

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism customer business customer service CRM customer experience

posted by Tessa | 2:14 PM (ET) | Permalink

Microsoft takes wraps off new PC
March 10, 2006

Microsoft Corp. unveiled a new computer yesterday that's about the size of a paperback novel, weighs just over a kilogram and runs a full version of the same operating system used by larger notebook computers... MORE»

murmur categories: technology, miscellaneous

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism products Microsoft origami technology tablet computers PC notebook laptops

posted by Tessa | 9:21 AM (ET) | Permalink

50 per cent of products are returned because consumers can't figure them out: research
March 8, 2006

Consumers have a heck of a time figuring out how to operate products, leading half of them to return items to retailers and claim they're broken, a researcher in the Netherlands has found ... MORE»

murmur categories: technology, miscellaneous

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism design technology customer service

posted by Tessa | 12:06 PM (ET) | Permalink

Weird products roundup
February 27, 2006

Because it's Monday and we all may be in need of a laugh (or at least a moment of distraction from the week ahead), a roundup of some weird products... MORE»

murmur categories: miscellaneous

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism products

posted by Tessa | 11:01 AM (ET) | Permalink

'Stupid' British businesses and how they're alienating their customers
February 14, 2006

I have to mention this report, if only because of its fabulous title: "The Stupid Company: How British businesses throw away money by alienating customers." But even beyond the title, it's a pretty interesting read... MORE»

murmur categories: services, miscellaneous

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism customer business customer service CRM customer experience

posted by Tessa | 9:58 AM (ET) | Permalink

New allegations surface in Sony rootkit saga
February 3, 2006

Michael Geist, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, blogs about a new class action lawsuit launched against Sony over its rootkit fiasco... MORE»

murmur categories: home, miscellaneous, technology

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism Sony rootkit DRM music copyright lawsuits

posted by Tessa | 10:10 AM (ET) | Permalink

Self-parking car in development
February 1, 2006

I have a few family members (who shall remain nameless) who would benefit enormously from this project currently under development in Germany: a car that can parallel park itself... MORE»

murmur categories: cars, technology, miscellaneous

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism car research cars auto design automotive technology

posted by Tessa | 10:35 AM (ET) | Permalink

Average desk harbours 400 times more germs than average toilet seat
January 20, 2006

Think a visit to the bathroom will expose you to the most germs you’ll encounter today? Think again. A new study from the University of Arizona says the average desk harbours 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat... MORE»

murmur categories: health, miscellaneous

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism germs bacteria work research

posted by Tessa | 10:39 AM (ET) | Permalink

Wacky labels contest salutes weird product warnings
January 12, 2006

The wonderful people at wackywarnings.com have handed out their annual award for its wacky warning label contest. This year’s big winner was a heat gun and paint remover that heats up to 1,000 and warns users “Do not use this tool as a hair dryer” ... MORE»

murmur categories: miscellaneous

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism labelling products warning labels lawsuits

posted by Tessa | 11:25 AM (ET) | Permalink

Chest doctors discourage use of most cough syrups
January 10, 2006

Time remains the only tried-and-true way to fight coughs from colds, but if you must use something, try older medications, says the American College of Chest Physicians... MORE»

murmur categories: health, miscellaneous

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, colds, flu, medicine, health

posted by Tessa | 9:49 AM (ET) | Permalink

Several lawsuits filed against Sony over rootkit fiasco
January 6, 2006

Lawsuits were launched in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia earlier this week against Sony BMG Music Entertainment over so-called spyware it deliberately included on some of its pre-recorded CDs... MORE»

murmur categories: home, miscellaneous, technology

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism Sony rootkit DRM copyright lawsuits

posted by Tessa | 9:52 am (ET) | Permalink

Old cellphones feed the hungry, says charity
January 3, 2006

[Happy New Year to all! I'm back, but frantic with lots of piles of work to catch up on. Blogging might be a bit sparse over the next few days.... Tessa]

A national charity is calling on Canadians to ring in the new year by recycling their old cellphones. ... MORE»

murmur categories: money, miscellaneous

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, charities, cellphones

posted by Tessa | 12:00 PM (ET) | Permalink

Not exactly what Mattel intended girls to do with Barbie…
December 20, 2005

A few years ago, when my parents were downsizing from my childhood home and cleaning up the place for potential buyers, my dad made a remarkable archaeological discovery: tucked in the back corner of our yard he found a Barbie graveyard... MORE»

murmur categories: marketing/advertising, brands/logos, kids, miscellaneous

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, Barbie, Mattel, toys

posted 10:08 AM (ET) | Permalink

If you can’t say something nice …
December 8, 2005

We focus a lot on complaining about products, customer service, advertising, etc., but tend not to give much thought to what happens when someone contacts a company with something nice to say... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 1:41 PM (ET) | Permalink

Two U.S. groups suing Sony over spyware on CDs
November 23, 2005

Two U.S. groups have stepped forward to sue Sony BMG Music Entertainment over spyware it included on its prerecorded CDs... MORE»

murmur categories: home, products, technology

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, Sony, rootkit, DRM, copyright

posted by Tessa | 2:32 pm (ET) | Permalink

Sony releases list of infected CDs
November 17, 2005

Sony BMG has released a list of its CDs embedded with copy-retriction software. The CDs, when played on a PC, install an exploit-vulnerable rootkit on consumers' computers... MORE»

murmur categories: home, products, technology

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, Sony, rootkit, DRM, copyright

posted by Tessa | 9:37 AM (ET) | Permalink

More than half a million computers infected in Sony CD fiasco: researcher
November 16, 2005

At least 500,000 computers may have been infected by Sony CDs CDs embedded with copy-retriction software, according to analysis by a well-respected security researcher... MORE»

murmur categories: home, products, technology

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, Sony, rootkit, DRM, copyright

posted by Tessa | 10:31 AM (ET) | Permalink

Consumer conceit revealed: Study finds correlation between shoppers’ names and brands
November 15, 2005

It seems we’re full of ourselves when it comes to our shopping habits. A new study suggests that we pick certain brand names for an entirely narcissistic reason – because they contain letters of the alphabet that are in our own name... MORE»

murmur categories: products, branding

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, branding

posted by Tessa | 9:55 AM (ET) | Permalink

Sony recalling controversial CDs
November 15, 2005

Sony BMG Music Entertainment is pulling some of its most popular CDs from stores after a firestorm of criticism over its use of copy-protection software on the discs, USA Today reports... MORE»

murmur categories: home, products, technology

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, Sony, rootkit, DRM, copyright

posted by Tessa | 9:31 AM (ET) | Permalink

Virtual pets, $240 castle and rocking horse top toys list
November 14, 2005

A train set that talks and sings and a $240 play castle are among the top toys of the year, according to the Canadian Toy Testing Council... MORE»

murmur categories: kids, products

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, toys

posted by Tessa | 12:22 PM (ET) | Permalink

Tamiflu sales halted as personal stockpiles grow
October 26, 2005

Roche Pharmaceuticals has temporarily stopped sales of its patented antiflu drug Tamiflu in Canada, saying it needs to safeguard its supply before influenza season begins... MORE»

murmur categories: health, products

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, colds, flu, medicine, pandemic

posted by Tessa | 10:16 AM (ET) | Permalink

Ginseng-loaded ‘Cold-fX’ cuts frequency of common cold: study
October 25, 2005

It's not a cure for the common cold, but a Canadian company claims taking two pills throughout the winter can reduce the number and severity of colds... MORE»

murmur categories: health, products

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, colds, flu, medicine

posted by Tessa | 9:44 AM (ET) | Permalink

How toxic is your bathroom?
October 24, 2005

The Independent weighs in on what it calls a “chemical timebomb in your cosmetics cabinet,” a subject that was in the news in California last week with that state’s new law that aims to clamp down on the cosmetics industry... MORE»

murmur categories: products, health

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, women, cosmetics, phthalates

posted by Tessa | 11:35 AM (ET) | Permalink

Disney goes high-end with Mickey couture
October 21, 2005

Fashionata teens and adults are grabbing up Disney-inspired clothing, home décor and accessories, injecting the traditionally middle-class brand of Mickey and Co. with a dash of vogue... MORE»

murmur categories: products, advertising/marketing

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, toys, kids, products, Disney

posted by Tessa | 11:50 AM (ET) | Permalink

Top 100 toys of the 70s and 80s
October 21, 2005

Take a trip down memory lane with this catalogue of the top toys from the 70s and 80s... MORE»

murmur categories: kids, products

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, toys, kids, products

posted by Tessa | 11:50 AM (ET) | Permalink

Behold the new iPod, now with video
October 13, 2005

There’s much blog chatter this morning about Apple’s unveiling of its new iPod yesterday, which has a wee screen to allow users to watch video. It also comes with a video-out jack that you can hook up to your television (so you can watch programs you’ve downloaded on a bigger screen)... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 9:53 AM (ET) | Permalink

Did you know that a kid invented the Popsicle®?
October 12, 2005

Just a little oddity to slurp on during your day… I came across this site, which tracks down interesting product inventions. It tells the story of how an 11-year-old boy came up with the idea for the Popsicle® by accident... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 2:54 PM (ET) | Permalink

Hey ladies: this phone thinks you’re fat
May 20, 2005

Crazy. I don’t know what to say. So I’ll let the tactful folks at Samsung Malaysia explain it themselves... MORE»

posted 10:40 AM (ET) | Permalink

Gadget promises to decipher baby’s babbles
May 10, 2005

The Japanese toy maker behind the “Bowlingual,” which claims to decipher a dog’s bow-wows, is developing a new device that will translate a baby’s babbling... MORE»

posted 10:56 AM (ET) | Permalink

Washing machine aims to mollify battle of the sexes
May 2, 2005

A designer in Spain has developed a new washing machine that he hopes will bring equality to the sexes when it comes to the dirty laundry... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 10:43 AM (ET) | Permalink

Homemade cleaners made easy
April 18, 2005

An oldie but a goodie – here’s a list of easy-to-make, easy-to-use safer alternatives to store-bought household cleaning products, brought to you by the people at the Michigan State University... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 12:41 PM (ET) | Permalink

Repair or replace?
March 18, 2005

My dishwasher has been making a horrible noise lately – a rat-a-tat-tat grumble that lasts throughout the washing cycle, unless I stand in front of the machine and press the door firmly in two spots near the top of the thing... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 11:40 AM (ET) | Permalink

Candy bars unwrapped: Thesis unpacks history of candy bar design
March 14, 2005

Here’s an interesting thesis from Syracuse University on the history of candy bar wrappers... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 9:55 AM (ET) | Permalink

Barbie undergoes yet another makeover
March 4, 2005

Mattel, the maker of Barbie, is hoping to reinvent the long-limbed doll through a partnership with Fox TV's wildly popular American Idol franchise... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 10:30 AM (ET) | Permalink

Update: Haven’t you always wanted a monkey?
March 3, 2005

Last month I told you about an auction to sell the naming rights of a species of "Titi" monkey recently discovered in the Madidi National Park in Bolivia. (You may have heard this story discussed on As it Happens earlier this week). Well, today’s the last day of that auction... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 7:08 PM (ET) | Permalink

Why you can’t buy WKRP in Cincinnati on DVD
March 1, 2005

Wired News has an interesting article on the way copyright licensing is keeping a number of old boob tube shows from having a second life on DVD... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 10:14 AM (ET) | Permalink

Consumer gadgets under threat of extinction
February 21, 2005

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has compiled a list of gadgets under threat of extinction, the BBC reports. The EFF’s project, Endangered Gizmos, highlights the grip industry holds over technologies, making the case that pressure from the entertainment industry for legal action over devices and technologies stifles innovation... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 10:47 AM (ET) | Permalink

Inside the not-so-cushy business of Beanie Babies
February 17, 2005

A lawsuit battle in Chicago over the trademarking of plush toys has taken a twist, the Chicago Tribune reports... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 9:32 AM (ET) | Permalink

Environmentalists take Apple to task over iPod
February 9, 2005

The enormous popularity of the iPod isn’t music to the ears of some environmentalists. The Christian Science Monitor reports that environmental advocates are putting pressure on Apple to redesign the slender white device of choice for music fetishists... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 10:18 AM (ET) | Permalink

Spot the fake products: Counterfeit industry is booming
February 7, 2005

In the counterfeit biz it’s not just Gucci handbags and Rolex watches that are being copied... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 11:06 AM (ET) | Permalink

Dell begins distributing “green” machine
February 4, 2005

Dell has announced that it’s begun shipping a new “environmentally friendly,” almost unleaded desktop. The company says its greener computers consume less energy and less lead is used in their construction... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 10:47 AM (ET) | Permalink

The Virtual Toilet Paper Museum and other online oddities
February 3, 2005

Every day, Marketplace’s email inbox is filled with story ideas from you, our faithful viewers... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 10:15 AM (ET) | Permalink

Apple has top brand appeal
February 2, 2005

Apple Computer has edged out Google to become the world’s most influential brand, says the online magazine Brandchannel.com... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 10:08 AM (ET) | Permalink

Best wishes for your green-thumbed loved ones
January 27, 2005

A new product to add to the tomb of weird things you can buy... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 9:22 AM (ET) | Permalink

Costco Picasso update
January 21, 2005

Looks like someone bought that Picasso drawing from Costco that I mentioned earlier this week... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 1:21 PM (ET) | Permalink

A Picasso and a tub of olives, please
January 19, 2005

Over at the Costco website, I see the discount retailing giant has more to offer than litres of olives and super-sized crates of clementines. Check out this “Original Crayon Drawing by Pablo Picasso” on offer for the wee sum of $39,999.99 US... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 10:15 AM (ET) | Permalink

For sale: The meaning of life
January 17, 2005

Another item to file under the "weird things you can buy" category... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 9:52 AM (ET) | Permalink

Cosmetics companies dump phthalates
January 14, 2005

Three major cosmetics manufacturers say they’ve stopped using chemicals known as phthalates in their products... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 9:52 AM (ET) | Permalink

Stating the obvious
January 6, 2005

An entry for a toilet brush with the warning, "Do not use for personal hygiene" won first prize in the eighth annual Wacky Warning Label Contest... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 9:34 AM (ET) | Permalink

Another weird product
January 5, 2005

File this under the "moments of weird products zen" category: the Arkon LavNav... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 12:58 PM (ET) | Permalink

Remember this when assembling Christmas toys
December 16, 2004

Hilarity abounds over at the Hall of Technical Documentation Weirdness, a site put together by a fellow out in Vancouver who collects strange graphics from instruction manuals and such. Since a picture is worth a thousand words (whether it makes sense or not is another matter), head on over and take a look: http://www.darrenbarefoot.com/hall/index.html

posted by Tessa (Online Producer, Marketplace) | 05:14 PM (ET)

More weird stuff you can buy online
December 15, 2004

Because people will try to sell anything, and there always seems to be someone to buy it - check out this website: Who Would Buy That?

WWBT is a blog run by a pair of online auction trawlers, Drue and Shauna, who surf sites such as eBay and Yahoo Auctions for peculiar items.

Drue and Shauna used to swap emails about the odd things they found for sale online. Now they share the weirdness by posting the curious details with anyone who cares to drop by http://www.whowouldbuythat.com.

Recent contributions include: a full set of acrylic teeth, 28 authentic human gallstones, and a larger than life mosaic of George W. Bush made entirely from lego blocks.

posted by Tessa (Online Producer, Marketplace) | 4:46 PM (ET)

Cats are already weird enough, aren't they?
December 13, 2004

You might remember a story Marketplace brought you last season about a company that was producing "GloFish" -- genetically modified pet fish that glow.

Recently, a Los Angeles company announced that it will create its own genetically modified pet - a critter it claims will be "the world's first hypoallergenic cat."

Allerca Inc. says by 2007 it will begin selling cats that are genetically engineered to be nearly free from the allergy-causing proteins that plague millions of people.

While some wonder if the plan will run up against federal regulators in the U.S., Allerca's president, Simon Brodie, says he doesn't expect there will be any problems. Brodie figures a precedent was set in the GloFish case (neither the Department of Agriculture nor the Food and Drug Administration stepped into regulate GloFish because the fish weren't meant for human consumption).

"Obviously, things can change," Brodie told the Associated Press. "But as long as people don't start eating cats and they don't enter the food chain, then we should be handled like the GloFish."

posted by Tessa (Online Producer, Marketplace) | 10:19 AM (ET)

Keeping track of the kids ... with RFID
December 13, 2004

'Gotcha!' is a 'child monitoring system' based on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. Basically, a palm-sized unit is clipped on the child and a second on the parent. If the curious kid wanders "beyond the adjustable, predetermined safety perimeter," the system alerts the parent with a shrill alarm.

It all sounds fairly innocuous, but if you do a web search under "RFID" and "privacy" you'll see RFID technology -and the ubiquitous applications being developed for it- is piquing the concern of privacy watchers and putting its advocates on the defensive.

posted by Tessa (Online Producer, Marketplace) | 12:40 PM (ET)

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