uShoppers At Simon Malls Do Not Want Santa Claus Living In Some Sleek, Modern Version Of The North Poler

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  His belly will always resemble a bowl full of jelly, he will always drive a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer and Santa Claus will always live at the North Pole. And according to disgruntled shoppers at Simon Malls, his polar home at the mall dang well better be in the traditional style we’re all used to, and not some futuristic, modern place with nary a poinsettia in sight.

  Simon Properties introduced a new set-up that deviates from the usual snowy evergreens and cozy decor of Santa’s abode in six malls (out of the 200 it owns) that seriously grumped out some customers: the display included fake glaciers, artificial snow banks… and no Christmas tree, reports LoHud.com. That, along with interactive flat screens and a light show had shoppers complaining.

  “It was our intention to experiment with delivering a modern interactive experience for the family,” said Simon Malls president David Contis.

  The reaction wasn’t so great — shoppers threatened to boycott the mall and deluged Simon Malls with complaints on social media, demanding Santa’s hangout be restored to its traditional Christmas theme. It worked.

  “After listening to customer feedback, we immediately decided to remove and replace them with traditional décor, including Christmas trees, and hope our customers will join us in celebrating the Christmas season,” said Contis.

  Futuristic Santa display has shoppers saying bah humbug [LoHud.com]

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uLensCrafters To Open 500 Locations Inside Macy’s Storesr

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  Just two months after Macy’s announced it would team up with Best Buy to sell electronics in some locations, the retailer has entered another partnership, this time to sell eyeglasses, contacts and other vision-related services. LensCrafters will open 500 retail centers inside Macy’s stores around the country, expanding a deal between the retailer and Luxottica, which already has 670 Sunglass Hut locations inside the department store chain. The first outpost will open in April, with 100 others slated to start business by the end of 2016. [The Associated Press]

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uApple, Google Pull Unofficial Instagram App That Harvests Usernames And Passwordsr

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  In yet another example of why unofficial apps aren’t always to be trusted, Apple and Google have yanked an app from their app stores that was supposed to let users know who was viewing their profiles. That’s not a thing, and a developer says that the app instead acted as malware, secretly collecting usernames and passwords and using them to post spam to users’ accounts.

  An app called “Who Viewed Your Profile — InstaAgent” claimed it could tell users who had been checking them out. Instead, says iOS developer David Layer Reiss (via Apple Insider), the app’s code revealed that it had been storing usernames and passwords and sending them to a remote server:

  "Who Viewed Your Profile" #Instaagent will send your Instagram Username and Password to an unknown server! http://pic.twitter.com/8uZJljJdtO

  — David L-R (@PeppersoftDev) November 10, 2015

  He also found that some InstaAgent users were seeing spam photos posted to their Instagram timelines, as the app had all the credentials necessary to do so:

  Surprise, surprise , #InstaAgent is also posting images without you permission in your #Instagram profile 😂 . http://pic.twitter.com/Syvsv71wcn

  — David L-R (@PeppersoftDev) November 10, 2015

  Both Apple and Google have removed InstaAgent from their stores, but users who already have the app installed could be affected. Reiss estimates that about 500,000 people could have had their Instagram account details compromised.

  Neither Apple nor Google has commented yet, but Instagram says it will be emailing users about InstaAgent, and for now, advises users to get rid of it.

  “These types of third-party apps violate our platform guidelines and are likely an attempt to get access to a user’s accounts in an inappropriate way,” the social media platform said in a statement to the BBC. “We advise against installing third-party apps like these. Anyone who has downloaded this app should delete it and change their password.”

  It’s also a good idea to change your password on any other sites or apps where you use that password with the same username, or one that’s very similar to it.

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uChipotle Had Another E. Coli Outbreak And Didn’t Tell The Publicr

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  You’ve most likely heard by now about the Chipotle food poisoning outbreak in the Pacific Northwest, which drew attention out of proportion to its size because of the company’s reaction: closing all restaurants in the Seattle and Portland areas for a week and a half, starting on Halloween, after they learned about the recent outbreak. What the public didn’t know was that there was another, smaller outbreak in July. It was over so quickly that officials never announced it.

  Food poisoning outbreaks in restaurants are publicized so victims know to come forward, and have some idea where their sudden bloody diarrhea a week after eating that burrito bowl may have come from. In the case of this five-person outbreak, officials told the Oregonian, they weren’t able to figure out which ingredient was to blame, but did trace the outbreak to Chipotle.

  The July outbreak put a higher proportion of diners in the hospital than the outbreak in October: 40% of people who reported their illness were hospitalized. It’s likely that there wer many others who were sick, but didn’t visit a doctor for testing, and didn’t know to come forward.

  Chipotle cooperated with the investigation, letting inspectors check and test equipment, food, and they even tested employees. The strain was E. coli O26, but inspectors weren’t able to find it in any ingredients or on any surfaces.

  By the time authorities tracked the pathogen to Chipotle, the incubation period for the disease was over, and there was no point in alerting the public. Right? The county is considering telling people about outbreaks that have already passed in the future.

  Chipotle involved in 4th outbreak this year that was kept secret [Oregonian]

  
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by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

uMcDonald’s Switching To Digital Menu Boards That Suggest Meals Based On The Weatherr

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  Ever walked into a McDonald’s and not been sure what to order? Probably not, if you’re already at the restaurant. But for those of us who just can’t make up our minds, the Golden Arches has a solution: a digital menu board that recommends meals depending on the weather. 

  The idea behind the boards, which are expected to be installed by the end of 2016, is to better engage customers, bring attention to certain items, and of course increase sales, Business Insider reports.

  As for the boards’ ability to determine your meal needs based on weather?

  McDonald’s U.S. President Mike Andres says the smart menus are designed to monitor the temperature outside and, based on that information, recommend products that tend to sell better at hotter or cooler temperatures.

  So when it’s cold or raining outside, for example, the digital menu might suggest hot drinks or heartier meals.

  Additionally, the boards will track the time of day to promote breakfast products in the morning, then switch to other items at appropriate times.

  McDonald’s ‘smart’ menus will start recommending food based on the weather [Business Insider]

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uWalmart Employees Want A Discount On More Grocery Itemsr

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  After a successful effort to raise wages for many workers, Walmart staffers are focusing on a new goal: they want employee discount on more grocery items, as well as the 10% discount they already receive on all other merchandise.

  The current deal includes fruits, vegetables and some snacks, but employees want that list to expand. Besides, Target and Whole Foods offer that perk, so why shouldn’t Walmart?

  “It is ridiculous,” one Louisiana employee told Bloomberg News. “You can get a 10 percent discount on cat food, but if I buy tuna or chicken, I get no discount.”

  An online petition started by a group of Walmart workers that demands the company widen the discount to include more grocery items has received 12,600 signatures from employees so far. The group plans to take the petition to store managers and executives this month.

  The cost to Walmart to provide such a benefit could be pretty hefty: if all 1.4 million U.S. employees take advantage of the proposed 10% grocery discount and bought their food at work, it could add up to a $420 million tab for the company to cover.

  A Walmart spokesman declined to say whether the company is considering the food discount, but said that the world’s largest retailer is always reviewing benefits. Last year, it offered $500 million in discounts, the spokesman added.

  Though the company surveyed employees on which benefits they’d like, higher wages, better scheduling and more regular hours took priority over a food discount, the spokesman said.

  But with competitors already on the grocery discount bandwagon, it could be hard for Walmart to resist if it wants to keep its workforce, experts say, especially under employee pressure. And besides, it’s just good business for Walmart to turn its workers into loyal customers: offering a discount will keep their grocery dollars at work, instead of going to rival grocery stores.

  Wal-Mart Workers Demand Discount on Food [Bloomberg News]

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uRolls-Royce Recalls One Car… Yes, You Read That Rightr

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  In the past year, automakers have recalled millions upon millions of vehicle for airbag issues. Bucking that trend is Rolls-Royce, which announced this week that it would recall one car. That’s right a single – very expensive – vehicle because of a problem with the safety device. 

  The carmaker, a division of BMW, issued the recall for one model year 2015 Ghost.

  In a notice [PDF] posted with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Rolls-Royce says the driver and passenger airbags in the affected vehicle may fail to meet side impact performance requirements. In the event of a crash, the company says the airbag’s non-deployment may increase the risk of injury to front seat passengers.

  “As such, this vehicle may fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards [on] Side Impact Protection,” the notice states.

  Rolls-Royce will notify the owner of the affected vehicle and a dealer will replace the driver-side and passenger-side airbag module.

  This isn’t the first single vehicle recall we’ve heard of. Last year, Swedish carmaker Koenigsegg Automotive notified NHTSA that it would recall one 2013 Agera sold in the United States because of a tire problem.

  “We have only one US spec vehicle with this system installed,” the company said at the time. “We located the customer, who had temporarily moved to Europe and had taken the car with him. By the time we had located and made contact, he had already initiated the return of the vehicle to the US.”

  [via Syracuse.com]

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist