uIKEA Starts Serving Vegan Meatlessballs Tomorrow At In-Store Restaurantsr

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  (IKEA)

  
  
  
  Earlier this year, IKEA announced it would finally be serving up a vegan version of its popular Swedish meatballs in its in-store eateries. And starting tomorrow, IKEA shoppers now have the option of going vegan, eating Gröksakbullar meat-free balls while shopping for Ektorps and Kragstas.
  

  At launch, the vegetable-only balls can be purchased for chowing down at IKEA restaurants ($4.49 for 10), but they won’t initially be available as a frozen takeout item from the IKEA food stores. That will come in June, when IKEA plans to start selling take-home packages of both the vegan and chicken meatballs.

  
  

  “We will continue to serve delicious food, offering a taste of Sweden at affordable prices, but with increasing focus on the aspects of food that are really important to people: health and sustainability,” said Michael La Cour, Managing Director of IKEA Food Services AB in a statement. “We have high ambitions, and our journey in this direction has just begun. I am proud that we now take the first step and start serving veggie balls.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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by Chris Morran via Consumerist

uIn Memoriam: John “Tax Dad” Northrup (1939-2015)r

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  Today, the Consumerist family mourns the passing — and celebrates the life — of our own Tax Dad, John Northrup. He not only provided helpful tax advice to readers of the site, but was also the loving father of our Laura Northrup. He will be missed, but not forgotten.

  
  

  John H. Northrup, 75, passed peacefully of complications of a variety pack of cancer types. He had his family and a paperback book at his side on April 1, 2015 at Crouse Hospital. He was born in Lowville, NY on October 18, 1939. He grew up on the family dairy farm, attending a one-room schoolhouse and Lowville Central Schools. After graduating in 1957, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he learned the trade of accounting and served in the Cold War in Vitry-le-François, France.

  
  

  He moved to Central New York after completing his service in 1961, attending Mohawk Valley Community College and Syracuse University part-time, completing his B.A. in 1986. He worked for Syroco in Baldwinsville for 25 years, then Community-General Hospital for ten years, continuing as a tax preparer in retirement.

  
  

  He married the former Arlene Laramee in August 1965, and they settled in Baldwinsville in 1970. John was a gentle and quiet man who was full of wicked humor and hidden knowledge. He loved the outdoors, all books (and charity book sales), nature photography, hunting deer and turkeys, and the land, people, animals, and plants of the Tug Hill Plateau. He was a loyal New York Yankees and Syracuse Orange fan.

  
  

  He was predeceased by his parents, Leon and Evelyn Alley Northrup; siblings Francis, Richard, Patricia Burker, Kenneth, and Ronald, and cherished dogs Lady and Maggie. Survivors include his wife, daughter Laurie of Albany, grandpup Zoe, and siblings Marjorie Wenk, William, Elizabeth Szalach, Charles, and James.

  
  

  Memorial contributions may be made in John’s name to Beaver Lake Nature Center, 8477 E. Mud Lake Rd, Baldwinsville, NY 13027; and Baldwinsville Public Library, 33 E. Genessee St.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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by Chris Morran via Consumerist

uExec Who Created Ronald McDonald Says McDonald’s Can Figure Out All-Day Breakfastr

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  (fredboness)
  

  
  
  
  After years of teasing customers with the possibility of all-day breakfast, McDonald’s has finally begun small-scale testing of the concept in California. The former McDonald’s ad man who gave the world Ronald McDonald and the “You Deserve a Break Today” slogan says he’s sure that the fast food giant will figure out a way to make McMuffins at all hours of the day.
  

  In a post published on BurgerBusiness.com, former McDonald’s head of advertising Barry Klein acknowledges the challenge of making both burgers and breakfast all day — like trying to cook both eggs and meat patties on the same griddle — but points out that McDonald’s has had to work around similar issues a number of times.

  
  

  “Quarter Pounders took longer to cook… Filet-O-Fish sandwiches couldn’t be cooked in the french fry vats… McCafé drinks required totally new equipment,” recalls Klein, noting that the company still managed to figure out ways to make it happen.

  
  

  “Sometimes it was the engineers, chefs or operations people at headquarters that developed the equipment or production methods,” he explains, citing the Pittsburgh franchisee who both created the Big Mac and was responsible for adding scrambled eggs, sausage and pancakes to the McDonald’s breakfast lineup.

  
  

  “That was after Ray Kroc and the Santa Barbara operator created the Egg McMuffin. With all the resources at McDonald’s command, it’s hard to believe that they won’t be able to FIGURE IT OUT,” writes Klein.

  
  

  And McDonald’s may indeed need to figure it out, as the company is fighting sagging sales in the U.S. If the company can sort out how to offer all-day breakfast, it could boost sales without having to resort to the now-tired trick of limited-time menu offerings that many franchisees say are more of a hassle than a boon to their bottom lines.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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by Chris Morran via Consumerist

uAirline Really Sorry For Telling Cancer Patient She Couldn’t Fly Without Doctor’s Noter

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  Alaska Airlines is blaming a “communication breakdown” for an embarrassing incident that resulted in a 51-year-old cancer patient and her family being removed from a plane to San Jose, CA, by an employee who said the woman could not fly unless she had a note from her doctor.
  

  On Monday, the family was at the airport in Hawaii, seated in the handicap section of the boarding area.

  
  

  According to the passenger, who is being treated for multiple myeloma and was wearing a surgical mask, an airline staffer repeatedly asked her if she needed anything. Eventually, the passenger said she might require a bit of extra time to board because “sometimes I feel weak.”

  
  

  “Because I said the word weak, the Alaska Airlines employee called a doctor,” wrote the passenger on her Facebook page, along with a video of her and her family being removed. “After we board the plane. An Alaska representative boarded the plane, and told us I could not fly without a note from a doctor stating that I was cleared to fly.”

  
  

  In an interview with NBA Bay Area, the passenger acknowledged that cancer patients may be at a higher risk during a long transoceanic flight and that she didn’t have a note from her doctor clearing her for travel.

  
  

  However, she points out that she e-mailed her oncologist during the incident and that the doctor then cleared her for travel. This was not enough for the airline, which she claims would not allow her to reboard.

  
  

  Instead, she and her family had to spend another night in Maui before ultimately departing for California on a Hawaiian Airlines flight.

  
  

  The delay in getting home means the passenger will have to reschedule her chemotherapy appointment.

  
  

  “They need to polish their policies, apply some common sense,” the passenger told NBC. “A simple mask, a word, shouldn’t be enough to pull a whole family off an airplane.”

  
  

  In a statement to KTLA, an Alaska Airlines rep said the carrier is “very sorry for how the situation was handled,” noting that the “family’s tickets have been refunded and we’ll cover the cost of her family’s overnight accommodations… While our employee had the customer’s well-being in mind, the situation could have been handled differently.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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by Chris Morran via Consumerist

uApple Retail Chief: The Days Of Waiting In Line At The Store Are Overr

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  (Paul Fidalgo)

  
  
  
  Camping out in line days in advance of the newest Apple product is so 2014, y’all, to the point where the company’s retail chief is reportedly pushing workers to nudge customers seeking out the Apple Watch or new MacBook to order online instead of waiting it out at physical stores.
  

  In a memo Business Insider says it obtained from Apple’s retail chief, Angela Ahrendts says the days of waiting outside stores only to have customers disappointed when their product is sold out are behind the company, and it’s time to take the experience online.

  
  

  According to BI, the memo reads in full:

  
  

  
  

  Get in line online

  
  

  The days of waiting in line and crossing fingers for a product are over for our customers. The Apple Store app and our online store make it much easier to purchase Apple Watch and the new MacBook. Customers will know exactly when and where their product arrives.

  
  

  This is a significant change in mindset, and we need your help to make it happen. Tell your customers we have more availability online, and show them how easy it is to order. You’ll make their day.

  
  

  
  

  Though in the past it seemed like Apple embraced the long lines as free publicity, not having enough products for customers isn’t fun for retailers, either.

  
  

  Customers won’t be able to just walk in and touch the Apple Watch without an appointment anyway, according to BI’s source, so some planning will be necessary regardless how they buy.

  
  

  Another image leaked to BI shows the Apple Watch display with devices kept beneath glass, without any dongles or security chains like in-store iPhone examples or iPads, which means no casual browsing.

  
  

  Angela Ahrendts has told Apple employees ‘a significant change in mindset’ is coming to the way the company launches products [Business Insider]

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uMcDonald’s Launching Line Of Bigger Burgers For A Limited Timer

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  In the latest in a series of changes announced by McDonald’s as it tries to win its way back into the hearts and mouths of consumers, the chain is launching a line of larger burgers starting later this month, for a limited time.

  
  

  A set of three “Sirloin Third Pound” burgers will hit menus for $4.99, reports the Chicago Tribune, though franchisees will have the power to set their own prices.

  
  

  The burgers will come in three varieties: Lettuce & Tomato, Bacon & Cheese and Steakhouse, which comes with grilled mushrooms and onions, white cheddar and peppercorn sauce.

  
  

  These beefed up sandwiches will be the biggest beef patties on the chain’s menu, echoing its previous attempt at beef abundance with its Angus Third Pounders. Those were dropped in 2013, with experts pointing to its higher price as the reason for its failure to catch on.

  
  

  Fewer people have been eating at McDonald’s in recent years, bringing down sales for the last two years in a row. In an attempt to compete, McDonald’s has issued a slew of changes in how it operates, including cutting down the number of ingredients in its grilled chicken; dropping the use of controversial antibiotics in its chickens and giving workers employed directly by the company and not franchisees a pay bump (accounting for about 10% of U.S. restaurants).

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uHBO Now: Our Initial Hands-On Thoughtsr

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  Earlier today, HBO finally released its HBO Now standalone streaming service, and because we’d be remiss in not trying the service out for you, we gave it a shot.

  
  

  Here are the most important things to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to consider HBO Now:

  
  

  1. You Can Get It On Your TV Without Apple TV

  
  

  While Apple TV is currently the only set-top streaming device authorized to bring HBO Now directly to your TV screen, we had no problem getting the stream running on the Consumerist Cave’s TV. Rather than use a mobile device, we accessed HBO Now through HBOnow.com, connected our laptop to the TV with an HDMI cord, mirrored the screens and changed the audio output on the computer to HDMI.

  
  

  It wasn’t as crystal-clear as watching HBO from a pay-TV provider, but if you want to watch Silicon Valley on the big screen this Sunday, you don’t need an Apple TV or a cable subscription.

  
  

  2. No Live Streaming

  
  

  HBO has said since the service was announced that HBO Now would not offer live access to the premium network, but a number of reports have perpetuated the myth — especially in the wake of Sling’s announcement that it will carry live HBO access — that HBO Now would be a 1:1 replacement for the channel.

  
  

  This probably won’t matter to many people, so long as HBO adds new content to HBO Now in a timely manner. If users have to wait too long for new episodes of Game of Thrones to be added, there will be very angry cord-cutters in King’s Landing.

  
  

  We expect that, like HBO Go, HBO Now users can expect same-day posting of new episodes.

  
  

  3. It’s Basically HBO Go

  
  

  Speaking of HBO Go, anyone familiar with that service will not be surprised by anything they see here. The interface is nearly identical and we couldn’t find any differences in terms of available content. The library of HBO shows is there, as is the selection on non-HBO movies. Heck, even the “Late Night” content is included.

  
  

  The only notable difference we encountered during our brief hands-on is the size of the in-browser player. If you’re watching HBO Now content on the HBOnow.com site, the player is much smaller than the one used in HBO Go. That said, both services allow you to go full-screen with a click.

  
  

  4. Signing Up

  
  

  We accessed HBO Now through iTunes. The app itself is free (so your kids can’t accidentally subscribe you to a $15/month plan just by knowing your password), but you’ll then have to provide some basic info for the purposes of registration.

  
  

  It was painless, as such things go. We can’t comment on the Cablevision registration process as we didn’t go that route (because we don’t have Cablevision service).

  
  

  In terms of accessing the service through the HBOnow.com website, users who registered through iTunes will just enter whatever e-mail address and password they used when they set the account up. Users who registered through Cablevision go through an authentication login process similar to the way HBO Go users login.

  
  

  5. Cancellation

  
  

  We haven’t cancelled the subscription yet, if only because we want to see how it holds up this weekend. However, the HBO Now terms confirm that subscriptions are sold on a month-to-month basis, so you can cancel whenever you want, though you won’t get any refund because you’ll continue to have access until the end of the month you’ve paid for.

  
  

  You also can’t cancel your subscription through the HBO Now site; it has to be done through whichever provider sold you the subscription to begin with.

  
  

  The Bottom Line

  
  

  HBO Now is really exactly what most cord-cutters have been asking for since HBO Go launched — a version of that service that doesn’t require a pay-TV subscription.

  
  

  What remains to be seen is how well the service will hold up under high demand. That test will come Sunday night when millions of people crash the Internet trying to watch the season premiere of Veep.

  
  

  But considering that HBO doesn’t need to deal with those high-traffic concerns 99% of the time, the future of HBO Now will ultimately come down to whether or not all those millions of people who said they would pay for standalone HBO Go will part with $15/month for HBO Now.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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by Chris Morran via Consumerist