uWest Coast Grocery Chain Haggen To Close Most Stores After Expansion Gone Wrongr

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  The purchase of nearly 150 grocery store locations in the Northwest meant to provide consumers with more options in the face of a mega-merger between chains Albertsons and Safeway has come to a rather disastrous end: Haggen Inc. plans to close most of those locations after its quick expansion turned sour and the company filed for bankruptcy.

  Haggen, which operates primarily in the Pacific Northwest, announced Thursday that it will close all but 37 stores in Washington and Oregon less than a month after filing a $1 million lawsuit against Albertsons, claiming the larger brand was working to eliminate the competition, the Los Angeles Times reports.

  The closures include at least 100 stores in Arizona, Nevada and California.

  “Although this has been a difficult process and experience, we will remain concentrated in the Pacific Northwest where we began,” Chief Executive John Clougher tells the L.A. Times.

  Troubles began for Haggen when the relatively small chain agreed late last year to acquire 146 Albertsons and Safeway stores in Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

  The company claimed in a lawsuit against Albertsons earlier this month that the rapid expansion from 18 stores to more than 150 put a strain on its operations, leading Haggen to close 26 stores.

  Shortly after filing the lawsuit, Haggen filed for bankruptcy. The L.A. Times reports that the company plans to liquidate merchandise and furnishings, but that it has secured financing to keep some stores running.

  Analysts tell the L.A. Times that the downfall of Haggen was to be expected, as the company relied too heavily on information from competitors.

  “Nobody thought they could pull this off,” David J. Livingston, founder of supermarket research firm DJL Research, said. “This isn’t just David and Goliath. This is David and Goliath and Goliath is handing David a faulty slingshot.”

  Grocery chain Haggen is leaving California, Nevada and Arizona [Los Angeles Times]

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uEPA Overhauling Emissions Tests To Catch “Defeat Device” Cheatersr

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  A week after ordering Volkswagen to recall 500,000 vehicles that contain “defeat devices” designed to cheat emissions tests, the Environmental Protection Agency announced it would overhaul its compliance processes to ensure vehicles meet standards not only in controlled environments but in real-world driving conditions.

  In a conference call with the press this morning, the EPA said it would send letters to all automakers informing them that the agency is stepping up its auto testing activity in light of VW’s violations.

  Janet McCabe, acting assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air & Radiation, said the agency could require testing of any vehicle in an environment that would resemble normal driving conditions, which would better allow investigators to detect software used to evade emissions standards.

  Such software – which disables air-emissions controls during normal driving conditions – was found in the 472,000 VW and Audi diesel engine sedans. VW announced this week that the defeat devices were actually present in nearly 11 million vehicles worldwide.

  “These violations are very serious,” McCabe said on the call, noting that the process change will “ensure automakers are meeting the Clean Air emissions standards and that consumers are getting what they are paying for.”

  Chris Grundler, Director of EPA’s Office of Transportation & Air Quality, said such testing is at the heart of making sure automakers deliver on the Clean Air Act.

  “We will continue to adapt,” he said. “We are putting manufacturers on notice that our testing will now include more evaluations and test. We wont’ tell them what these tests are, they don’t need to know. They only need to know we will keep vehicles longer and driving them more.”

  Grundler declined to provide additional information on the tests but said the agency had formed partnerships with agencies in California and Canada.

  “The smart engineers have come up with come clever ways to test,” he said of the adapted process that will start immediately.

  As for the current situation with VW, Grundler said the investigation continue to probe the manufacturer’s “sophisticated scheme” and that they are working to determine steps to fix the vehicles.

  He noted that the newest cars – those in model year 2015 – should be fixed rather quickly, while older models will likely take engineering to be remedied. He reiterated that the affected cars are safe and legal to drive.

  However, Grundler points out that all car manufacturers must receive an EPA certificate of conformity before they can sell vehicles, something VW has not been granted for its model year 2016 diesel cars.

  “The agencies are not convinced that the information provided by the company means the vehicles will operate as required,” he said. “They will require further conformity tests before deciding to accept or deny certificate to VW.”

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uNew Scam Preys On Facebook Users’ Desire For A “Dislike” Buttonr

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  There’s one relatively simple way scammers can hook their prey: by knowing exactly what you really want and acting like they’re giving it to you. But as much as you want to be able to express something other than “like” with a button on Facebook, it’s not here yet, and it’s not going to be invite-only when it does arrive.

  Soon after Facebook’s head honcho Mark Zuckerberg said the social network was preparing to debut a new button that wouldn’t necessarily be a “dislike” button, but that could convey empathy for people in situations where a “like” isn’t quite appropriate, scammers are hard at work trying to convince users that they’ve got the goods.

  The folks at Hackread (h/t CBS News) report on a scam that’s circulating around Facebook newsfeeds recently, prompting users to click to “get newly introduced facebook dislike button on your profile.” If the uncapitalized Facebook doesn’t tip people off, those who click land on a page that imitates the Facebook brand, and instructs the viewer to share the page and sent it to five groups to activate the button.

  Security researchers writing on Naked Security say that clicking those links result in different scam sites that have nothing to do with Facebook or a “dislike” button, both of which try to get people to sign up and give away personal information.

  When Facebook does release its alternative to the “like” button, rest assured — you won’t have to do anything special to get access to it, install it or otherwise activate it.

  Facebook has said it might start testing the new button in the near feature, and then eventually roll it out more widely to users.

  Scammers Targeting Facebook Users with Dislike Button Scam [Hackread]

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uVerizon Joins Yearly New iPhone Party, Not Price Warr

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  This year is the first iPhone upgrade cycle after all major carriers have eliminated or de-emphasized device subsidies, and carriers are apparently anxious to scoop up new customers: especially the big spenders of the phone world, people who simply must have the newest phone model every year. Verizon WIreless apparently thinks that it’s above the price war, but is happy to offer annual upgraders a special financing option.

  While competitors Sprint and T-Mobile battle it out over price, Verizon figures that the real value is in being a Verizon customer. For your carrier, or for Apple, the value is also in your one-year-old iPhone, which has value on the refurbished market. Verizon is happy to take your ancient iPhone and sell it to someone less enthralled with the newest technology, since it’s still worth a few hundred dollars.

  While it’s not a “rental” program exactly, you’re paying over half of the value of the phone (at least $325) for the privilege of using it for a year.

  Verizon begins offering annual iPhone upgrade plan [CNET]

  
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by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

uHyundai Recalls 470,000 Sonatas Because Engines Shouldn’t Contain Debrisr

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  A properly running engine is a vital part of driving a car, for that reason, Hyundai has initiated a recall of nearly 470,000 sedans that could contain debris in their motors.

  The recall covers 470,000 model year 2011 and 2012 Hyundai Sonata vehicles equipped with a 2.0 liter or 2.4 liter gasoline direct injection engine.

  According to a notice [PDF] posted with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the affected vehicles may contain metallic debris that was not fully removed during manufacturing of the engine crankshaft.

  If the debris remains, oil flow may be restricted through the connecting rod bearings, causing connecting rod damage and possible engine failure.

  As a result, a worn connecting rod bearing will produce a metallic, cyclic knocking noise from the engine and possible engine failure, which increased the chance of a crash, Hyundai says.

  Owners of the vehicles will be notified by Hyundai and dealers will inspect and replace the engine assembly, if necessary.

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uOffice Depot, Staples Merger Under Scrutiny In Europer

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  The $6.3 billion merger between the top two office supply chains has hit yet another bump: the European Union opened an “extensive” investigation into the would-be union of Staples and rival Office Depot.

  Reuters reports that EU antitrust regulators are probing the possibilities of price hikes should the two chains walk down the aisle.

  The EU said on Friday that the deal could hurt business customers with international contracts in Europe and those with national contracts in the Netherlands and Sweden.

  “The transaction could eliminate an important competitor and reduce the choice of suitable suppliers in already concentrated markets, which could lead to price increases,” the EU said.

  Sources told the Boston Globe weeks ago that such concerns were mounting, including in the United States, as FTC’s investigations now focus on how a combined mega-office supply store could restrict competition when it comes to commercial customers restocking paper, pens and other necessities for the workplace.

  Staples and Office Depot are currently the top two office suppliers in the U.S. contract business, with the next closest company being W.B. Mason which serves only select regions of the U.S.

  Analysts believe that in order for the Staples/Office Depot merger to gain approval, the larger of the two chains – Staples – would have to divest a significant portion of its contract division, including distribution centers and certain client contracts.

  Reuters reports that the EU will decide by Feb. 10 whether to clear or block the merger.

  A spokesperson for Staples tells Reuters that the company will “work cooperatively with the European Commission regarding the acquisition of Office Depot.”

  Staples and Office Depot first announced their plans to walk down the aisle back in February, after receiving significant pressure from shared investor Starboard Value in December.

  The two companies – which have faced significant competition for office supply sales from online companies like Amazon – previously tried to tie the knot 17 years ago, but those efforts were thwarted by the federal regulators.

  UPDATE 1-EU launches extensive probe into Staples’ bid for Office Depot [Reuters]

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uDelta Flight Delayed Three Hours After Tarantula Escapes From Carrierr

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  Idea for a new movie: All Your Nightmares On A Plane, featuring every kind of creepy, crawly slithery thing that’s ever gotten loose on a plane and freaked the heck out of everybody. Joining that old standby of a snake on a plane — and we’ve seen a few of those — and its pal in arachnid creepiness, the scorpion, is a familiar fuzzy guy that might make your skin crawl: a tarantula, who got loose from its carrier and delayed a recent Delta Air Lines flight while humans scurried around trying to find it.

  The flight was scheduled to take off from Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport around 7 p.m. Wednesday, heading to Atlanta, reports WSB-TV.

  But Delta said baggage handlers on the ground noticed that a baboon tarantula (which frankly, I wouldn’t want to encounter in a dark alley) had escaped its carrier, prompting the captain to ground the plane in Baltimore overnight so it could be searched for any other spiders that may’ve decided to take a walk.

  “It was not in the passenger cabin and customers were not on the aircraft when the tarantula was discovered,” a Delta spokesman said in a statement.

  The captain clued in passengers and told them they’d be switching planes for the flight “out of an abundance of caution,” which we can only imagine they had no problem with once they realized a furry orange spider was hanging out somewhere. Passengers arrived in Atlanta about three hours behind schedule.

  There’s also good news for the owner of the spider, as another spokesman told the Baltimore Sun that the tarantula was apprehended, and the airline contacted the handler to verify it was the only spider in the cage. Maybe that’s why it left in the first place, ever think about that? Even freaky furry spiders need love.

  Tarantula delays Delta flight from Baltimore to Atlanta [WSBTV]

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist