uJane Birkin Gives Hermès Permission To Continue Using Her Name On Crocodile Leather Bagsr

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  (twicepix)

  Actress Jane Birkin and Hermès have come to terms over the pricy crocodile leather handbags that have borne her name since the 1980s: she’d voiced concerns over the treatment of the crocodiles used to provide the leather and demanded the company stop using her name to sell them, but it appears that talks between the two sides have worked in Hermès’ favor.

  Birkin is satisfied with how the company ensures the crocodiles reared for their skins are treated humanely, the company said today in a statement, adding that it had identified an “isolated irregularity” in the slaughter process at a crocodile farm in Texas.

  Hermès says it’s warned the farm it would cut ties if it continues to neglect its recommended procedures, and will now require suppliers to sign an agreement to uphold the highest standards in crocodile treatment.

  “Hermès reasserts its commitment to implement best practice in the farming of crocodiles,” Hermès said. “This is in strictest compliance with international regulations.”

  In July, the actress told Hermès to rename the bags until better practices replace the “cruel” methods used at some slaughtering facilities, after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said some workers at one farm were told to cut into 500 conscious alligators with knives when the bolt gun didn’t work, among other alleged mistreatment.

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uDiscount Supermarket Chain Aldi Prepping To Take On Walmart & Others In U.S.r

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  (Mike Mozart)

  When you mention the name of Germany-based supermarket chain Aldi to most Americans, you get one of three responses: “I love Aldi; it’s so cheap!”; “Aldi? No thanks, I prefer higher-end supermarkets”; “Aldi? Oh yeah, I remember that ‘Rock Me Amadeus’ song. Oh wait… that’s Falco.” The company, which already has some 1,400 stores stateside, is planning a large-scale expansion in the coming years that it hopes will win over those last two categories of consumers with low prices and make it a dominant player in the U.S.

  There have been signs of Aldi’s American plan for months, with the company opening 2015 by snapping up Mid-Atlantic discount operator Bottom Dollar. More recently, the chain announced an expansion into Southern California, bringing its national presence up to 32 states.

  The Wall Street Journal reports that Aldi has plans to invest $3 billion and add 600 new stores to its U.S. roster by 2018. That would bring the total to around 2,000, putting it in the same league as Target and not far from supermarket biggies like Safeway, Kroger, and SuperValu.

  At the same time, another German discount grocery giant, Lidl, is looking to enter the U.S. market in the coming years. These two companies recently shook up the UK supermarket landscape by drawing in consumers in search of affordable food. In just three years, Aldi and Lidl went from having a combined 6% share of the UK grocery business to nearly 10%. Even its competitors think that will continue to grow significantly over the next decade.

  As a result of this competition, shoppers in the UK have seen price drops at more established supermarket chains like Sainsbury, Asda, and Morrison. There’s no guarantee that the expansion of Aldi and Lidl into more U.S. markets will have as far-reaching an effect, but the industry is watching.

  “They’re on everybody’s radar in the U.S. today,” one analyst tells the Journal. “Everybody knows how successful they are in Europe.”

  Beyond its namesake supermarkets, Aldi already has a brand that may be familiar to stateside consumers. The Trader Joe’s chain of stores has been operated by the company’s Aldi Nord group for more than three decades. But the company’s Aldi Sud group is responsible for its U.S. and UK Aldi-branded supermarket operations.

  
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by Chris Morran via Consumerist

uSalmonella Outbreak In Minnesota Linked To At Least 17 Chipotle Restaurantsr

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  (Josh Bassett)

  A salmonella outbreak in Minnesota that’s sickened 45 people and sent five to the hospital has been linked to at least 17 Chipotle restaurants, say investigators with the state’s Department of Health. Officials believe that the contaminated ingredient has already been removed from all Chipotle restaurants in Minnesota.

  The outbreak’s source hasn’t been confirmed yet, but investigators said that interviews with 34 of the people who fell ill found that 32 of them had eaten at a Chipotle in St. Paul, Minneapolis, St. Cloud and Rochester, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Those people ate Chipotle food between Aug. 19 and Aug. 26, and got sick between Aug. 20 and Aug. 29.

  “It’s safe to eat at Chipotle,” said Health Department spokesman Doug Schultz, who apparently ate food from Chipotle this week, ostensibly to show that it’s safe.

  If you feel sick 12 to 72 hours after eating at a Chipotle — with symptoms like stomach pains, diarrhea or fever — you should report the symptoms to a health care provider but you don’t necessarily need medical attention, said an epidemiologist for the Health Department’s foodborne diseases unit. But if you’re elderly, have chronic diseases or weakened immune systems, it’s important to report those symptoms.

  Though 45 cases have been reported, it’s likely that the outbreak is larger than that, the Health Department says. However, officials note that the Chipotle outbreak is not related to another salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers recently, as they’re different strains of the bacteria.

  “There is no reason to believe that this product is available anywhere in Minnesota any more,” the Department’s epidemiologist said.

  Minnesota Salmonella outbreak linked to Chipotle [Minneapolis Star Tribune]

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uAfter Twenty Years, Target To Drop Cherokee Brand Clothesr

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  (Mike Mozart)
  

  The racks of clothing available at Target will look a bit different in two years, as the retailer announced this week that it won’t renew a decades-long contract with apparel retailer Cherokee.

  The Wall Street Journal reports that Target decided not to renew the current deal, which is set to expire on January 31, 2017, in order to make way for newer clothing labels, specifically in children’s apparel.

  Cherokee is primarily found in the children’s department, but also sells brands like Liz Lange and Tony Hawk.

  For now, the company says it will continue to sell Liz Lange brand maternity clothing at Target.

  Products from the company accounted for an estimated $1.1 billion in retail sales for Target last year.

  The WSJ reports that the move by Target not to renew the long-running contract is just another piece of the retailer’s transformation under new CEO Brian Cornell, who has put an emphasis on style and fashion at the big box store by creating limited time collaborations with big name designers.

  Other efforts have included a comprehensive review of the brands the chain is carrying and changes to appeal to Target’s new core customer that is younger and more diverse.

  “As Target prioritizes signature categories, including kids and baby, we are looking at our business in new ways,“ Stacia Andersen, Target’s senior vice president of apparel and accessories, tells the WSJ.” We look forward to building on an already strong foundation, and are excited to introduce several new brands in the future.”

  Target Won’t Renew U.S. License for Cherokee Brand [The Wall Street Journal]

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uConsumerist Friday Flickr Findsr

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• Here are eight of the best photos that readers added to the Consumerist Flickr Pool in the last week, picked for usability in a Consumerist post or for just plain neatness.

  

  (Joachim Rayos)

  

  (Ann Fisher)

  

  (Jack Deem)

  

  (angela n.)

  

  (RedandJonny)

  

  (Brian Rome)

  

  (JoelZimmer)

  

  (Great Beyond)

  Want to see your pictures on our site? Our Flickr pool is the place where Consumerist readers upload photos for possible use in future Consumerist posts. Just be a registered Flickr user, go here, and click “Join Group?” up on the top right. Choose your best photos, then click “send to group” on the individual images you want to add to the pool.

  
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by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

uKmart Expands Layaway Program, Hopes You’ll Trust Them This Yearr

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  (eric731)

  Layaway is a very simple transaction: you pick out an item, a store puts it aside, and you make payments on it until you’ve paid it off and you can bring it home. It was a dying retail tradition when tightening credit markets and a massive recession led stores, notably discount retailers Kmart and Walmart, to bring it back. This year, Kmart wants customers who may no longer have a local store to use layaway plans to buy holiday gifts.

  The retailer is offering 8- or 12-week layaway plans, letting customers spread out their payments before Christmas. Standard layaway agreements require the customer to put money down: Kmart is instead pushing layaway with no money down, and allowing customers to “lease to own” pricey items like appliances and electronics, also with no money down. That option will be available up until November 29.

  The new layaway policies don’t include “inadvertent” cancellations, pre-holiday confusion, and cancellations after items have already shipped, so we hope that everything is working smoothly over at Kmart layaway HQ and will for the rest of the year.

  Santa’s Helper Kmart® Brings Back No Money Down Layaway; Introduces No Money Down Leasing [Press Release]

  
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by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

uState AGs And Former RadioShack Reach Unredeemed Gift Card Settlementr

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  (JeepersMedia)

  There’s good news for holders of old RadioShack gift cards: people who purchased cards directly at stores or from gift card kiosks will get their money back, instead of either forfeiting the funds or filing a claim in the bankruptcy, metaphorically getting in line behind companies owed thousands or millions of dollars.

  That’s how it normally works in retail bankruptcy: customers have a brief period to make it to the store after bankruptcy to use up their cards, and the cards lose their value as soon as liquidators swoop in, if the entire chain or your local store is shutting down. You might get a few pennies on the dollar, if anything, from filing a bankruptcy claim. Sometimes competitors offer discounts in exchange for defunct companies’ gift cards, as Toys ‘R’ Us did when Kay-Bee Toys closed.

  The attorneys general of several states arranged this deal, led by RadioShack’s home state of Texas. “Today’s settlement agreement confirms that consumers can have their voice heard even in large bankruptcy cases, and that former RadioShack customers will be treated fairly in the bankruptcy process,” the lead attorney on this case for Texas, Assistant Attorney General Hal Morris, said in a statement.

  Customers who have gift cards they received when returning merchandise or as bonus deals, which are the majority of the outstanding gift cards are less lucky. While the AGs are working on a deal with the bankruptcy court and the new owners of the RadioShack brand, it wouldn’t get consumers back the full value of their cards. One option could be that the 1,750 RadioShack stores run in a joint venture by one of RadioShack’s biggest lenders and mobile carrier Sprint would let card holders have a 50% discount. The parties will negotiate that at the hearing next week that was originally scheduled to discuss all of the gift cards.

  The site for gift card claims will be oldradioshackgiftcard.com. You have one year to find the gift cards lurking in your old wallets and junk drawers.

  
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by Laura Northrup via Consumerist