uReminder: A Balcony Is Not A Safe Place To Use Your Barbecue Smokerr

4 4 4 9

• 

  (Great Beyond)

  The residents of a New Jersey home learned an important safety lesson about outdoor cooking recently, albeit in a very unfortunate way: police say a house caught on fire after someone used a barbecue smoker on a balcony.

  Local fire crews arrived on Thursday to fight what one official told the Springfield News-Leader was a “pretty extensive” fire. Four children were home at the time, and were safely removed without injuries (it’s unclear if any adults were there as well).

  It seems that the cooking smoker was being used in the back of the house, in a spot directly beneath a balcony. The balcony then caught fire, and the flames spread up the back of the house and across the roof.

  Though it’s awful that this lesson had to come by way of destruction, but it does bring out an important safety point: Experts advise people to keep any kind of grill or outdoor cooking equipment like a smoker a good distance away from your house or dwelling — 10 feet is a good number to stick with.

  The fact that the roof has wooden shingles made things worse, officials said. It’s known as “shake shingle,” a material that has been banned in the town on newly constructed house. The house in this case is in an area of Springfield that was annexed after the house had already been built, however.

  Fire officials: Barbecue smoker causes fire in east Springfield [Springfield News-Leader]

  
• 
  

ribbi

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uToyota Reportedly Set To Buy 13 Million Airbag Inflators From Takata’s Rivalr

4 4 4 9

• 

  (stellarviewer)

  Automakers have struggled in recent months to get their hands on enough new parts to replace millions of defective Takata airbags. To make matters worse, the Japanese auto parts maker at the center of the massive safety issue has re-recalled hundreds of thousands of replacement parts in recent months because the devices could still harm drivers and their passengers upon deployment. To reduce these risks, Toyota is reportedly looking to purchase millions of new airbag inflators from a rival of Takata. 

  Reuters reports that the proactive move by Toyota began last month when the Japanese carmaker asked smaller parts supplier Nippon Kayaku to increase production to 13 million inflators, to be used in the company’s cars until 2020.

  A source close to the matter says that Toyota is considering the switch to Nippon as a precaution in case more Takata airbag inflators are recalled.

  Back in May, Takata recalled 33 million vehicles equipped with its airbags; 12 million of those belonged to Toyota.

  To date, Takata airbags – which have ruptured with such force it sends pieces of shrapnel flying at passengers and drivers – have been linked to eight deaths and more than 100 injuries.

  The source says that having the parts on hand would give Toyota the ability to quickly replace any potentially defective inflators in the future.

  In addition to asking Nippon to increase its production, Toyota asked the company to expand its facilities to meet the new demand. It was unclear whether or not Toyota would help foot the bill for the requested expansion.

  The source tells Reuters that Toyota based the number of inflators it would purchase from Nippon Kayaku on the number of vehicles with Takata-produced airbags that could eventually become a danger for explosive ruptures.

  If Toyota switches to the Nippon-produced inflators, it “will replace the high-risk ones, in other words the older ones, first and then proceed sequentially,” the source says.

  Still, some say the move doesn’t mean Toyota will stop buying Takata airbags or parts entirely.

  “Toyota wouldn’t want its business with Takata to disappear … This is a strategy where it’s trying to maintain business and reduce risk,” Takaki Nakanishi, chief executive of Nakanishi Research Institute, which specializes in the automotive industry, tells Reuters.

  Exclusive: Toyota to buy 13 million air-bag inflators from Takata rival – sources [Reuters]

  
• 
  

ribbi

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uGap Promises It’ll Sell Clothes You Actually Want To Wear By Next Springr

4 4 4 9

• 

  (nffcnnr)

  Change is in the air at Gap Inc., which has been struggling to attract customers lately in the crowded retail arena of mid-priced clothing. After announcing in June it’d be closing 21% of its U.S. stores by January, for a total of 175 locations, the company is promising that it’s starting to turn things around, though changes won’t be immediate: by next spring, the company says it’ll have clothing people actually might want to buy.

  Gap has seen sluggish sales recently as it tries to find the sweet spot for customers (and no, clothing for “normal” people wasn’t a good move): The Washington Post notes that the retailer’s second-quarter earnings were far from impressive, prompting Chief Executive Art Peck to reassure investors and customers that things are about to get better.

  During a conference call to discuss those earnings, Peck said shoppers will see the difference in Gap starting early next year.

  “I’m not going to stand up at the plate and call which fence we’re going to hit it over,” Peck said. “That’s not who I am. But I’m confident that Gap will make significant progress in spring and very pleased with what I’ve seen in the women’s assortment and the turnaround in the women’s assortment.”

  Peck took the reins of the company in February and has admitted in the past that the flagship brand’s clothing just isn’t stylish, and that customers are unhappy with the quality and fit of items. That’s something they’re working on, Peck adds, saying Gap has been “resolutely focused” on getting the fit of its jeans and other bottoms right.

  Shoppers should see the results of Gap’s labors in the spring line, Peck promises.

  Part of the change will stem from Gap’s new supply chain, which uses a technique called “fabric platforming,” WaPo explains: a company might buy a large amount of fabric and then, instead of using it all for say, a style of skirt, it could just decided what pieces to use it for as it sees fit. One type of fabric could then be used to make pants, or a shirt, for example. Old Navy, which is also owned by Gap along with Banana Republic, already uses this strategy and it’s worked for that brand.

  Peck says this tactic will allow Gap to tweak its clothing line-up in the middle of a season — if a new trend pops up that it wants to get in on, it can change its tack and churn out a new line.

  If he needs any other tips, our readers had a few suggestions back in 2007 for then-new Gap CEO Glenn Murphy.

  Gap is promising you cuter clothes by spring [Washington Post]

  
• 
  

ribbi

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uH&M Sells Customers’ Old Clothes Back To Them As Recycled Denimr

4 4 4 9

• 

  A kids’ jacket that uses 20% recycled denim at H&M. Regrettably, they are not selling the animal ears version in adult sizes. We checked.

  A few years ago, H&M was caught destroying unsold clothing to discourage dumpster-divers, enraging people, especially if they were already opponents of fast fashion. A few years later, the Swedish chain did the exact opposite: they offered customers a discount for their old clothes, and promised to recycle those old duds into rags, insulation, or even new clothes. Now, three years later, you can theoretically buy your old clothes back from H&M in denim form.

  H&M is calling the new collection “Close the Loop,” but the loop isn’t perfectly closed. The denim consists of about 20% recycled cotton, which they say came from clothes collected in H&M stores. That’s not a perfect closed loop, but it is 20% more cotton than they were recycling before. The recycled clothing collection consists of 16 pieces for adults and children.

  The company reports that they’ve collected 14 million tons of old clothes since 2013. Recycler I:CO sorts through customers’ discarded clothes, determining what can be resold in thrift stores, shredded into rags or insulation, or shredded even further to reclaim the cotton fibers. H&M has promised to increase the amount of recycled fiber used in its clothes in the coming years.

  Levi’s also works with the same recycling company, and they’ll give you 20% off for bringing in old clothes, which do not have to be 100% cotton. H&M will give you a 15% off coupon in exchange for a bag of clothes.

  The full collection hits stores the first week of September.

  
• 
  

ribbi

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

uCustoms Officials In Miami Keep Finding Cocaine, Heroin Hidden In Flower Shipmentsr

4 4 4 9

• 

  (Renee Rendler-Kaplan)

  Stopping to smell the roses takes on a whole new meaning down in Miami, where federal officials say they’ve found several shipments of flowers going through the airport with cocaine and heroin hidden in them.

  Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection say 80 pounds of the drugs have been found in floral shipments in the last two years, reports the Associated Press, with most of those coming from Colombia and Ecuador.

  Sometimes the drugs are hidden in the flowers themselves — posing a health hazard to any unsuspecting person who might be tempted to take a sniff — as well as in the boxes containing the flowers.

  Miami is a hotspot for flowers coming into the U.S., with inspectors trying to make sure foreign bugs and pests don’t hitch a ride into the country.

  The border protection agency says it’s working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to investigate the drug trafficking organizations responsible for flower drug smuggling operation.

  Don’t smell the flowers: Cocaine, heroin found hidden in floral shipments at Miami airport

  
• 
  

ribbi

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uTarget Testing Healthier Cafe Concepts — No Hot Dogs Or Nachos In Sightr

4 4 4 9

• 

  (Mike Mozart)

  Sometimes you just can’t get through your shopping trip at Target without a little snack, say, a hot dog from the store’s cafe. You might have to settle for something a little different next time hunger strikes while you’re roaming the aisles, as Target announced it’s testing a new – healthier – cafe concept.

  USA Today reports that 14 Target stores will serve as the testing grounds for a new cafe concept that ditches hot dogs and cheese-drenched nachos in favor of pressed juices, green salads and “artisan” pizza.

  The new concept, which will begin being tested in October, comes in several food categories.

  One cafe concept – called Freshii – will be available in nine stores, offering customers salads and pressed juices, while three other stores will open Pizza Hut restaurants featuring a limited menu of “artisan” pies, like margarita and barbecue chicken.

  Two stores in Minneapolis will host outposts of local Italian restaurant D’Amico & Sons.

  Of Target’s 1,800 stores, nearly 1,700 currently have some sort of cafe offering guests popcorn, hot dogs, nachos, and Icees. Tina Tyler, Target’s chief stores officer, says those cafes attract nearly 40% of shoppers.

  The experiment with the new cafe concepts came about after hearing customers were looking for more high-quality food and a fast-casual atmosphere, USA Today reports.

  “We think this takes us a giant step in the direction of making a much better first impression,” Tyler says.

  At test Target cafes, hot dogs out, salads in [USA Today]

  
• 
  

ribbi

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uWorkers Say UK Restaurant Chain Keeps Their Tips, Makes Them Lie To Customers About Itr

4 4 4 9

• 

  (Michelle Rick)

  When you’re eating at a restaurant and they impose a “service charge,” where do you assume that money goes? While laws regarding the pay of tipped workers are different in the United Kingdom than here, they do have the custom of tipping. Except at the chain restaurant Côte, which reportedly imposes an optional service charge which isn’t distributed directly to waitstaff.

  What do they do with the money? The company says that the 12% charge is shared by all workers, whose pay starts at about £7.50 ($11.77). “At Cote the optional service charge is used to increase the pay of all restaurant level staff above what would typically be seen as market standard,” the company explained in a statement in response to the Evening Standard’s investigation. “This applies to all restaurant level staff, as good service is a team effort from the person serving the food to the person cooking the food or cleaning the kitchen.”

  However, the service charge seems to be “shared” only in a holistic sense: workers receive their hourly rate and not a proportion of the service charges collected during their shifts. The restaurant claims that workers have the choice of keeping their tips or pooling them, but one server told the Evening Standard that they were forced to hand over cash tips, too, and didn’t receive a direct share of the money in the pool.

  “We are told by management that we don’t get to keep the service charge because we get paid more than the minimum wage, so we should be grateful,” one server told the Evening Standard, “but most of us would prefer earning the minimum wage and taking home our tips for the hard work we do.”

  Côte is a chain, with 72 restaurants across the country, 30 of which are in London. While the company pays £7.50-£8 per hour, a living wage in London is £9.15.

  Exposed: how Côte staff miss out as entire service charge goes to company [Evening Standard]

  
• 
  

ribbi

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist