Strollerderby : Wal-Mart

Mom Buys Nintendo, Gets a Box of Rocks Instead

JeanneSager — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:33:00 GMT

Somewhere in Florida, a kid is saying "aww, gee, Mom, you shouldn't have." No, really, we mean it. Because when a sixteen-year-old opened up his brand new Nintendo DS, all he found was a pile of rocks and some newspaper with Chinese lettering.

Someone was apparently watching Hotel For Dogs before they made their Wal-Mart return. There's a scene in the kiddie flick that features kids packaging up a box full of rocks and trying to sell it as high tech gear.

Wal-Mart said "don't look at us," and was reportedly refusing to give Mom her money back until a Florida TV station got involved. The store tracked the box . . . only to realize it had been returned to the store by another customer. Perhaps the one who grabbed the DS and ran?

The story comes with yet another reminder to always check boxes (this mom says she did - and nothing looked awry) and warns that if you're unsure you should always ask a store employee to open it in front of you to verify the contents. I understand caveat emptor, but how far do we have go to? Most kids products these days are so hard to get out of the box that having the store open 'em up and unpack them will mean never getting them back INTO the box . . . and all that protective packaging that's supposed to keep the item from breaking on the ride home is now gone. Plus the open box now makes it harder to keep all the pieces inside.

Of course, I'd hate to disappoint my kid by opening up her birthday present this June to find a box full of rocks. What about you readers, do you make the store open things before you check out?

Image: PBase

Getting Lost: Funny Story or Major Tragedy?

Kate Tuttle — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:31:00 GMT

Have you ever lost your child -- in the park, the mall, or even your backyard? Or were you ever lost as a child -- or rather, did you wander away happily, only to find later that your parents were searching high and low? Are today's parents more easily freaked out by lost kids (due to hyped up fears of stranger danger and so forth), or is the misplaced child one of those universal and timeless parental fears? And are today's kids less well prepared for what to do when they get lost, less well prepared for taking care of themselves in general than when we were kids?

Two recent mom-bloggers have explored this topic, inspired at least in part by the news story from a few days back of the five-year-old who ended up riding the subway alone in New York. As Lisa Belkin says in her New York Times Motherlode blog, it's useful to focus on what didn't happen: "The child was not kidnapped, or crushed by a train, or gone forever." Belkin then touts the work of Lenore Skenazy, author of Free Range Kids: Giving Our Kids The Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts With Worry. On Skenazy's blog, she invited readers to share their stories of losing kids in public places, and ends by reminding us that "even one of parenting’s biggest fears - being separated in a public place from your child - usually ends up with a big sigh of relief. And, when possible, ice cream." Both posts are followed by dozens of great stories (hilarious and harrowing in equal measure), many of which include fantastic advice. Boiling it down here:

Parents should establish basic rules about what they want their kids to do if separated from them, and TELL THEIR KIDS.
While there's no one right method, some popular ones are: child should go to a cash register and wait there/ask for help, child should go to a mother with kids and ask for help, child should go to a person in uniform (mall cop, cop) and ask for help.
On public transportation, the subway rule rules:
a. If you are on the train, and the grown-up(s) are NOT on the train, get off at the next stop and wait. The grown-ups will come to you.

b. If you are off the train, and the grown-ups are ON the train, stand still and wait. DO NOT GET ON THE NEXT TRAIN. The grown-ups will come to you.

c. If you’re just lost, in general, stand still and wait. The grown-ups will come to you.

d. If you’re exceedingly lost and grown-ups haven’t shown up, it’s okay to ask a store employee or a cop or another grown-up to call security to have us paged. (children should learn their parents' cellphone numbers as young as possible) Do not hold anybody’s hand or go wandering off - there’s a good chance we’ll still show up exactly where you are.
For the very very rare times in which your child might actually be in danger, it's a good idea to have a recent photo of your child -- one parent points out that with today's cellphones, if you take a picture of your child that day, in that day's clothes, before you set off for the mall or the zoo, it could be helpful later.

So how about you, Babble readers? Have you lost a kid yet? Or do you remember being lost yourself as a child? What are your worst fears and best tips? For me, I worry far less about abduction by a stranger -- statistically the chances are nearly nil -- but a lost child can be in danger from more common threats (cars, drowning, exposure). So I think it's a great idea to have a set of family rules, covering both how not to get lost (stick with me, make sure you can see me, come when I call you) and what to do if you are.

photo: Weegee, "Lost Children," 1941

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Would You Give Gifts Bought At Wal-Mart Where Man Died?

JeanneSager — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 16:01:00 GMT

Even the most die hard Black Friday shopper had the good grace to stop talking deals when the news of a man trampled to death by shoppers at a Long Island Wal-Mart started hitting the airwaves.

What about those shoppers? Are they in their attics right now, wrapping the results of consumer greed gone horribly wrong? Do people actually feel good giving their kids ill-gotten gifts?

Maybe I'm just not one to ask. I have never been the "up at three a.m., out the door by four" shopper. I have taken extremely well to the push toward Cyber Monday over Black Friday, even if my mega-deal is swallowed in part by a shipping charge. I like to think I can be savvy without being swallowed whole by commercialism. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy a good deal as much as the next mother trying to make ends meet.

But isn't there a time when a deal is just too good? Must have fallen off the truck good? I mean, it's one thing to buy the kids a fleece with a ripped tag . . . another to buy them a box of "Tunka" trucks from the vendor on the street corner. Some people say what the kids don't know won't hurt them. But as parents, you know. Whether it's a game console purchased the day a man died or a pile of games picked up from a shady street dealer, there gift that's supposed to bring kids such happiness has already been marked by incredible sadness. I couldn't do it.

Could you?

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They Say: Black Friday Will Be Gray

Brett Singer — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:00:00 GMT

So, like, will there be good deals this year or not? Inquiring minds want to know.

CNET talked to some experts in the field of bargain-hunting who offered a few tips for consumers. For example, Daniel de Grandpre of Dealnews suggests patronizing regional outlets such as MicroCenter and Fry's Electronics rather than Best Buy or Circuit City.

While there is definitely money to be saved by savvy shoppers who like to get up at 5am and hit the mall, it may also be possible to get the same deals by staying home and shopping online. Even brick and mortar stores are offering "web only specials". Kmart's "Early Black Friday" deals started on November 2, and CNET says that "some retailers are doing Black Friday month specials." Online-only outlets like Amazon.com have been pushing their Black Friday specials for several days now. So you might not even have to wait until Friday to get the stuff that you want.

One thing I've noticed is a certain desperate feeling among retailers. For example, I got this email from CompUSA a couple of days ago. Then I got it again. And again. They want to make damn sure I know what they've got on sale. Toys R Us has been sending at least one sale-trumpeting email per day for the past two weeks. And Amazon let users vote on which products they wanted discounted.

If polls are to be believed, retailer's feelings of potential doom may be justified: CNET cites a Consumer Electronics Association polls that says "consumers...plan to spend $200 less on the holidays" this year.

One bit of good news, I guess. If you do plan on shopping, whether on Black Friday or some other time, you'll probably get more for your money than you would if the economy were more robust. That's something I suppose.

Source: CNET

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Will Black Friday Deals Be Good This Year?

Brett Singer — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:00:00 GMT

When the economy stinks, sometimes you can count on stores lowering their prices in an effort to entice customers to part with some of their hard-earned cash. Business Week reports that sales figures are down everywhere. So on Friday November 28 – the day after Thanksgiving, aka "Black Friday" – stuff should be even cheaper than usual, right?

Maybe not. According to Engadget, Walmart's deals are looking pretty lame, at least the so-called "doorbuster" early morning specials. Specifically, they mention "the already-discounted Magnavox Blu-ray player drops from $198 to $128…50-inch Samsung plasma of unspecified resolution is only $798 (720p, bet on it), and Xbox 360 + Guitar Hero III & wireless guitar pack…for $199." Also mentioned are "a $398 HP desktop PC and $175 gas grill." In other words, if you had your heart set on a new TV or the kids are begging for Guitar Hero/Rock Band/Other Fake Music Video Game, you might be able to get as good a deal online. So far, there's nothing really worth getting up early for, shopping-wise.

We'll have to wait and see if the other stores follow suit or cut prices even more drastically in an effort to get at least SOMEBODY to consume more conspicuously than they were initially planning on doing.

Source: Engadget

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Laurie Berkner on Soundcheck

Brett Singer — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 16:00:00 GMT

What do the Pussycat Dolls, New Kids on the Block and Laurie Berkner have in common? Give up? They're all part of a new performance series called Soundcheck from Wal-mart. So if you think Laurie hasn't made it to the big time, you are very, very wrong.

From the press release: "Soundcheck spends a family-friendly day with The Laurie Berkner Band. Delivering a bright and fun-filled set, they play the kids’ favorite songs, including ‘Going On A Hunt,’ ‘We Are The Dinosaurs’ and brand new tracks from the upcoming CD. Plus, Laurie opens up to Soundcheck about tough critics, motherhood and the importance of music."

Bottom line: if you love Laurie, we got some video for you. A quick preview of the performance is below, and the full video can be found here.

Laurie Berkner performs on Soundcheck
Uploaded by soundcheck2008

image: M80

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Because It's Always Better To Blame the Messenger

Adrienne Martini — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 17:00:00 GMT

On August 19, mom and blogger Kelby Carr went to Wal-mart to pick up school supplies for her daughter. Like most parents making the crayon run, Carr grabbed the list that the store provided. Only that list turned out to be not only wrong, but full of items that her kid's school prohibited.

That is only the beginning of the story, however.

The tale of her trip starts here. But because no one on the internet -- let alone those who read "momblogs," can take a one person's story as just one person's story, commenters took Carr to task for pretty much everything that has ever happened in the free world.

The moral of the story? Apparently, it's get your supply list from the teacher -- and keep your mouth shut.

Photo credit.

Walkie-Talkie Teaches 3-Year-Old About Drugs and Sex

Jen Chaney — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 15:33:00 GMT

Deborah Pancaro's three-year-old son recently heard some weird stuff on his toy walkie-talkie. First he heard some guys saying "10-4." Then he picked up some chatter about marijuana and plans to visit a strip club.

“They said we should go smoke some weed, and were talking about being in a strip bar, some really explicit things,” Pancaro told the Associated Press.

Turns out the Diego walkie-talkie the West Virginia mom bought at Wal-Mart was intercepting -- you guessed it -- truckers talking via CB radio. (Either that, or it was picking up dialogue from "Pineapple Express.") Pancaro sent a letter to Fisher-Price, manufacturer of the product, asking them to either recall it or fix the toy so it won't be so sensitive to interference. A spokeswoman for Fisher-Price says the company has tried to call Pancaro twice to no avail. Meanwhile, the Wal-Mart Web site says the walkie-talkie has been discontinued. No word on whether the boy has developed a sudden interesting in visiting a place called The Bada Bing.

Neither Diego nor his cousin, Dora the Explorer, had any comment on the matter. When approached by a reporter, Baby Jaguar said he didn't have time to talk because he was really busy trying to score some weed.

(Kidding! Kidding!)

Wal-Mart Presents: Hannah Montana Wake-Up Calls!

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:30:00 GMT

I take this personally—seeing as we share the same first name, and now every time I introduce myself to a girl under the age of 12, she starts calling me HaMo. I’ve been a silent victim of Miley Cyrus' rampant fame for far too long, and I’m fighting back!

Today’s Washington Post had a story entitled “It’s Hannah Again. Should We Take This?” At first, I was terrified that the article would be about the popularity of the name Hannah for baby girls in the past five years. But what I found was even worse.

Hannah Montana has teamed up with Wal-Mart to bring tweens everywhere “personalized” wake-up calls and reminders to go shopping—for back-to-supplies, naturally. The call is free! The only price is having millions of teens and preteens hear their favorite rockstar remind them to shop at Wal-Mart, the company that underpays its workers, burdens taxpayers by exploiting public health care programs and development subsidies, destroys the environment, and tells its workers how to vote: not Democrat.

If Hannah calls, don’t answer!

Photo: Washington Post

Don't Cry: New Milk Jug Spills

Madeline Holler — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:02:00 GMT

In an effort to lower costs - and, incidentally, a gallon of milk's carbon footprint -- designers of a new jug have left some people crying over little puddles milk spilled all over the counter.

The milk is the same, but the jug looks and functions a bit differently. It's square, for starters. And the spout is sort of flush with the flat top. The jug's shape allows for stacking, less wasted space and zero milk crates. All that means more can fit in the trucks and on store shelves with less weight and fuel waste. And you'll save between 10 and 20 percent per gallon.

Yet there's a bit of a learning curve in using the new jugs (somebody alert the Montessori schools!).

Here are a couple of tips for pouring without wasting, according to a Sam's Club demonstrator and a guy working in the industry (NY Times):

“Just tilt it slowly and pour slowly,” Ms. Tilton said to passing customers as she talked about the jugs’ environmental benefits and cost savings. Instead of picking up the jug, as most people tend to do, she kept it on a table and gently tipped it toward a cup.

Mike Compston, who owns a dairy in Yerington, Nev., described the pouring technique in a telephone interview as a “rock-and-pour instead of a lift-and-tip.”

I love design innovation for totally banal products such as this. Even better, it was a mainstream shopping emporium that got things going on it. For shame Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and other forward-thinking shops for not getting in earlier on this one!

Anybody try pouring from one of these? Awful? Exaggerated? What's the big deal?

Photo: NY Times

Girl Stung by Scorpion at Wal-Mart

Jen Chaney — Wed, 28 May 2008 15:05:00 GMT

If you needed another reason not to go to Wal-Mart, here's a good one: It's possible you could be stung by a scorpion while shopping there.

Over the weekend, a 12-year-old girl picking out watermelons at a West Virginia Wal-Mart was, yes, stung by an inch-long creepy critter that, apparently, got into the shipment of fruit in Mexico.

When Megan Templeton first told her dad she was the victim of a scorpion sting, he said, "No way. You've seen those Indiana Jones movies too many times."

OK, he didn't say that. But he didn't believe her (and, really, you know that's what he was thinking.) Then he saw the scorpion scurry (ewww) underneath a box, at which time Wal-Mart workers were summoned to capture it. Fortunately, they knew exactly how to subdue the creature, since scorpion capture is covered extensively during Wal-Mart's employee orientation.

Megan went to a hospital as a precaution but is fine. A Wal-Mart official attempted to downplay the incident: "It wasn't really a scorpion. The little girl was just confused. It was actually that annoying happy face who bounds around our store knocking down prices with wild abandon."

OK, the Wal-Mart official didn't say that. But you know he considered it. What Richard Coyle, senior director of international affairs for Wal-Mart, actually said is that this is a very rare incident and seems to have affected just this one shipment of watermelons.

Which is probably true. But I'm not taking any chances. If I want Scorpions, I'll stay at home and listen to "Rock You Like a Hurricane."

Photo: eFluxMedia

Hallelujah! Wal-Mart Sees The Light!!

Amy S.F. Lutz — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 21:02:00 GMT

Just to update you on the saga of the brain-damaged woman whose insurance settlement was awarded to Wal-Mart - her employer at the time her minivan was struck by a tractor-trailer - because of a clause in her policy: last week, Wal-Mart announced they will give up their claim on the $200,000+ left in Deborah Shank's trust, and they also stated they would change the rules of their health plan to allow for for exemptions in extreme cases, such as this one.

The announcement was hardly shocking, given the incredible public outrage at Wal-Mart's callous disregard for the plight of this poor woman - who besides being so disabled she is confined to a wheelchair in a nursing home, lost a son in Iraq. What is really shocking is that Wal-Mart's extensive marketing and PR departments couldn't see this coming a mile away. What do they pay those people for, anyway?

I just wanted to note how impressed I was by how many Strollerderby readers were so affected by this story that they decided to boycott Wal-Mart. I was especially moved by the commenter who made it his mission to go into the Wal-Mart stores in his area and explain to any employee who would listen exactly why he would never shop there again.

I don't shop at Wal-Mart because, shockingly, there isn't one close by. But I'd like to think that, even if there was one right down the road, I too would have the courage of my convictions, and take my business elsewhere.

Wal-Mart Going After Disabled Woman's Insurance Settlement

Amy S.F. Lutz — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:33:00 GMT

Almost eight years ago, 52-year-old Debbie Shank was involved in an accident that left her severely brain-damaged, with little short-term memory. She lives in a nursing home, confined to a wheel chair, unable to care for herself.

She was, however, awarded $700,000 in a lawsuit against the trucking company that caused the accident. Once legal fees were deducted, the remaining $417,000 was placed in a trust to pay for Debbie's long-term care (an example of bloodsucking attorneys that could be a post in its own right).

But Wal-Mart, Debbie's former employer, claims that money belongs to them, and filed a suit against the family. And they won.

See, Debbie was enrolled in Wal-Mart's health plan at the time of the accident, which stipulates (in fine print, natch) "the company has the right to recoup medical expenses if an employee collects damages in a lawsuit." Which, I suppose, makes sense in most cases, where it wouldn't be fair for the patient to be compensated twice for the same injury.

But the Shank family isn't looking to retire to Palm Springs. They're so strapped for cash that Debbie's husband, Jim, divorced her so she could get more help from Medicaid. He himself is a prostate cancer survivor who is working two jobs and is still concerned he won't be able to afford college for his youngest son.

Oh, and did I mention that another son was killed in Iraq last year? And that Debbie's short-term memory loss is so profound that every time she hears about her son's death she grieves as if hearing it for the first time? Could this story get any more tragic?

Wal-Mart admits that Debbie's circumstances are "clearly extraordinary," and wishes they could be "more flexible," but claims they are obligated to follow their own rules "out of fairness to all associates who contribute to, and benefit from, the [health] plan."

I don't know. I think employees would be happier with some reassurance that Wal-Mart wasn't ever going to bankrupt their own families.

cnn photo

So That's Why They Call Them Fun Straws

Jen Chaney — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:32:00 GMT

When you're a mom, your days often take unexpected turns. Baby barfs on your blazer just as you're heading out the door. Your six-year-old decides to eat dog food just to see what it tastes like. Or you give your three-old a package of straws and realize some of them are shaped like male genitalia.

Uh ... what?

That's what happened to Andrea Bailey of Ashland, Ky., notes BoingBoing in a recent blog post. She purchased some Fun Straws at a Wal-Mart for her daughter, Ashlynn, and, well, turns out they were a little more fun than she was expecting.

"Two of them are shaped like the male private area," she tells WSAZ TV reporter RandyYohe, who, God bless him, attempts to suggest that maybe the straws are supposed to look like rocket ships. But as a veteran newsman, he ultimately comes to the obvious conclusion: That's a wee-wee.

(You can watch the entire news report here. If you can get through it without laughing, you deserve a phallic medal.)

Wal-Mart pulled the product from the shelf and a spokesperson said it was "investigating the claim." Then the spokesperson added: "And by investigating the claim, we mean that a couple of guys in customer relations are sitting around and laughing their asses off about it." Okay, a Wal-Mart spokesperson did not say that last part. But you know she was thinking it.

So was Andrea Bailey right to complain? I'm on the fence. On one hand, I understand why it offended her. And if she was offended, it's well within her rights to file a complaint with Wal-Mart. I probably wouldn't have, though. One, I wouldn't have the time to bother. Two, there are probably more offensive things on Wal-Mart's shelves right now than vaguely randy straws. And three, those straws could come in handy next time I throw a "Sex and the City" party.

Photo: WSAZ

Can You Leave Your Kid In a Locked Car?

Kelly Mills — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:01:00 GMT

Oh lordy, this is a doozy. A woman in Illinois parked at a Wal-Mart to put some money in a Salvation Army can. Her two-year-old was asleep, so she left the toddler in the vehicle, locked the car and walked with two of her kids and a neighbor's child about 30 feet to make the charitable contribution. When she returned to the car an officer arrested her for child endangerment and obstruction of justice. She goes to court next week.

The case has sparked responses ranging from passionate defense of the mom's actions to accusations that she's a bad mother. I dunno. I can honestly say I've never left my kid in the car, but there's reasons for this: 1) I'm paranoid, and 2) most importantly, I only have one child, which I think makes a big difference. I know my mom, with two toddlers, did leave us in the car for brief periods of time, though I don't know what age my sister and I were when she did. So I'd be interested to hear from folks, especially those with more than one child: Whaddya think of this case? Child endangerment or pretty reasonable parenting?

Big Toy Retailers Tighten Toy Safety Standards

Karen Murphy — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 13:07:00 GMT

In a stunning display of responsibility, toy retailers Toys 'R Us and Wal-Mart are both creating strict new toy-safety standards that will affect every toy they sell. New standards will include third-party safety testing (as opposed to relying upon toy manufacturers to churn out toys meeting basic standards...we all know how well that went in the past) and a ban on phthalates. Yay!

Skeptical-me knows this new move is partly damage-control, since toy retailers took huge hits last year with massive wave after wave of recalls and a certain amount of resulting consumer panic/malaise, but any business would be stupid not to jump on a changing world anyhow and if it results in better and safer toys for our kids I'm not much concerned how it comes about.

The new standards will include a ban on phthalates by the end of 2008, way-stricter standards on lead on surface coatings, and a ban on nickel-cadmium batteries. And since Toys 'R Us is the U.S.' largest toy retailer, and Wal-Mart has eaten pretty much the entire world, smaller retailers will have little choice but to follow suit, creating pressure on manufacturers and resulting in safer toys everywhere.

No word on how the new standards will affect toy prices, but they are sure to rise somewhat to absorb the costs of testing. Sounds worth it to me, though.

Photo: www.thisisventure.co.uk

10-Year-Old Gets Gift Of Christmas Porn

Amy S.F. Lutz — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 14:35:00 GMT

Imagine: you're a ten-year-old girl on Christmas morning, and you've just found the mp3 video player you begged Santa for right there under the tree. You eagerly rip it open, turn it on - and find it already loaded with porn, violent war movies and drug anthems.

Are you shocked? Appalled? Traumatized for life? The parents of a Tennessee girl certainly hope so. They refused an offer from Wal-Mart, where the player was purchased, to replace it. Instead, they bought their daughter a new one and held on to the first one. That can only mean one thing: one more case for Wal-Mart's already beleaguered legal team.

Not that the family doesn't have grounds for a lawsuit. Wal-Mart's own policies prohibit returned items from being sold as new. The store is still trying to figure out how the player ended up back on the sales floor.

But it may not be all bad news for the mega-retailer. Experts are still out on whether the $447 the family would have had to pay to download all that porn can be deducted from any judgment.

Where Do All the Recalled Toys Go?

Karen Murphy — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 15:49:00 GMT

You know all those Date Rape Doras, Lead Poison Barbies, and Thomas the Tank Engine: the Evil Editions and all the other crappy toys that have been recalled? Yeah, well, maybe you culled your toybox and maybe you even returned your items for a refund or whatever, but...where did those toys go from there? Where are they now? What happens when toys have been recalled?

You'd be surprised (cue music for the Island of Misfit Toys).

Not surprisingly, most never make it back to the manufacturer. For one thing, how many of us actually take the damn things back to receive a refund? me, I have an Annoyance Quotient about such things that suggests that the refund/rebate/whatever amount must exceed the amount of annoyance it takes to receive said refund/rebate/etc. More annoyance = a higher necessary refund/rebate/whatever amount. I presume most people have a similar Annoyance Quotient.

So say the toy makes it past the Annoyance Quotient and now it's at the store where it was purchased. Then what? Well, most stores are simply storing the recalled toys in warehouses because they've no clue what to do with them. It'd be nice if someone had a plan for this sort of thing, but no, it's not happening.

Then there are the toys still in circulation. Think you can find recalled toys still on shelves? You'd be correct. In one case, a certan recalled a Polly Pocket LimoScene toy was found for several weeks running on the shelf at a Wal-Mart (though the cash register blocked the actual sale of the toy).

Plus, there's no federal reluation or law preventing reselling of recalled toys. So although eBay, for instance, has agreed not to sell recalled toys, they are sure to still be found there.

Bottom line is still caveat emptor: It's still up to the consumer (that's you and me) to make sure our kids aren't licking lead-laden crap toys.

Photo: mwctoys.com

Wal-Mart Removes Sleezy Holiday Panties For Girls...Errrr...

Kelly Mills — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 13:21:00 GMT

Moving quickly past that headline, let's get into the ick story: Wal-Mart was selling some hot pink underwear in the juniors section. On the crotch it said, "Who needs credit cards" and on the ass, it finished with "When you have Santa". Perfect for our young girls, right? While the message is gross on a number of levels, we'll go with the most obvious: the conflation of young girl parts as a money-maker, and the presentation of Santa in a way that is far creepier than anything I could create on a personalized video message. Sugar daddy Santa Claus for our young ladies. Well, deck the halls.

So what happened? Feministing posted about them, letters were written, and Wal-Mart took them off the shelves. How much do we love the power of the blog to make things happen? Super duper kudos to Feministing--the post had this great line: "There's nothing quite like telling adolescent girls that they don't need to worry about finances since they have their very own moneypot between their legs." So score one for folks who would prefer preteen girls not measure their worth and security by what they have in their underwear.

Things Fall Apart: Wal-Mart Kid's Storage Rack Causes Death

Karen Murphy — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 18:22:00 GMT

This is one of my fears come true, and the reason a lot of my furniture is screwed to the wall: an 8-month old boy died when this Home Trends storage rack tipped over and fell on him, and the racks have been recalled. The baby was asphyxiated when the top rail fell on his neck. Ugh. It was the only incident reported on this item, but it's clearly more than enough to warrant recall.

The racks are wooden with three levels and nine removable canvas totes in two color schemes: natural wood color with red, yellow, blue and green totes; and white painted wood with pink, yellow, lime and purple totes. They were sold between August 2004 through July 2005 at Wal-Mart under the name “Home Trend Kids 9 Canvas Bin Boy’s and Girl’s Organizers," and from July 2006 through June 2007 at Ollie's stores, for about $40.

If you own this, you're encouraged to stop using it immediately and contact the manufacturer, Jetmax International, to obtain a repair kit that will stabilize the base.

Next Problem: Pet Toys

Karen Murphy — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 19:47:00 GMT

So you've gone through the toybox and thrown all the old lead-covered toys away, despite the loud protestations you heard around you as Dora went gleefully into the trash. You've scoped out some expensive German wooden toys and you've flirted with the idea of making your own, or maybe just buying toys someone else made. You've done everything a parent could do to keep their kids safe from the Lead Toy Death March.

But what about pet toys?

Wal-Mart (whose practices I shudder to be lauding but I totally have to give them credit for this) has employed independent testing for, among other things, pet toys. Some of which appear to have issues with excessive amounts of lead, chromium, and cadmium.

And if your kids are anything like mine, what's in the house and they can reach is fair game whether it's their own toys, pet toys, or my laptop. So everything in the house had better be lead-free (fortunately I have broken everyone of the habit of chewing on the laptop). And of course, there's a major health concern for your pets as well, although there's some apparently conflicting information about that.

Chromium, by the way, is carcinogenic and cadmium wreaks havoc with the kidneys, joints, and lungs. I won't even go into how lead is bad since we're all kind of sick of hearing about it.

To be on the safe side, it's being suggested that consumers avoid any pet toys made in China. Which I think is most of them.

Cough it Up: Toys Are Gonna Cost You More Next Year

Karen Murphy — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 12:16:00 GMT

You didn't think that getting safer toys was going to be cheap, did you? We've already talked about the higher cost of safer and non-Chinese-made toys, which usually involve a lot of wood, but what if your kid wants a Barble? What then?

Barbie's gonna cost you about another 10%, not such a big deal maybe on a $7 item (is that all they cost??), but bigger-ticket items, which still need to meet safety standards, will cost substantially more on that 10%. Of course, paying more is worth it when it comes to safety and all, but being hit in the wallet doesn't please anyone, especially when the toys should have been safe to begin with.

The good news is that the increases likely won't hit until after the December buying ~~orgasm~~ season, since retailers have already placed toy orders at the earlier and lower prices before emergency third-party testing became the norm, adding cost. The other good news is that consumers can expect price wars in December led by retail hog Wal-Mart. Oh boy. I can hardly wait.

Another Reason Not to Shop at Wal-Mart

Alisyn — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 15:06:00 GMT

You know, in case you needed one. Which, really, you don't.

Wal-Mart de Mexico, like Wal-Mart U.S., takes pride in cutting costs wherever they can, and their cheap philosophy extends underage "volunteer" grocery baggers, coming dangerously close to being criminal. The 19,000 teenage grocery baggers working in Wal-Mart stores across Mexico are laboring under large blue signs reading "OUR VOLUNTEER PACKERS COLLECT NO SALARY, ONLY THE GRATUITY THAT YOU GIVE THEM."

That means no pay, no benefits, and no protection from corporate giants looking to explolit families who are plagued by poverty. Although Wal-Mart’s code of ethics - if it can be called that - forbids employees from working without compensation, the Mexican subsidiary insists the grocery baggers “cannot be considered workers.” This from the largest private employer in the country, who reported $280 million in profits in the second quarter of this year. Shameful.

The worst part, though, is that Wal-Mart de Mexico is in full compliance with a 1999 agreement covering the teenage baggers that the Mexico City municipal government negotiated with the Supermarkets and Department Stores Association of Mexico. Federal District Labor Secretary Benito Mirón Lince argues "“To my mind, that is not an accurate description because the bagger is providing a service on the store’s premises that benefits the company by serving the customer better." True, but as far as I can tell, though, no one's doing anything about it.

I wonder how many Wal-Mart employees let their children "volunteer" for no pay?

Maybe Jesus Can Save your Kids from Bratz Dolls

Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 14:31:00 GMT

Look. I hate Bratz dolls just as much as any mother who is trying to prevent her daughter from becoming a complete slut when she grows up. Barbie is still pretty unrealistic, but at least she doesn't look like a hooker.

I am all for a more wholesome alternative, but this may be taking the whole thing a little bit to far in the other direction. Bible action figures. It would be like having the nativity year round! These Purity Dolls will be available at Wal-Mart. Of course, Wal-Mart, the censoring, fascist, evil empire.

Now I am not trying to say that I myself don't have a Jesus action figure (or two) but I assure you they were purchased purely for the hilarity. I got one as a gift one time. When it took five weeks to get from California to Florida the sender was pretty sure she was being smote for blasphemy, but really the post office just misplaced my package.

[ thanks to Whit for the link]

Wal-Mart Now Selling Religion, One Toy at a Time

Karen Murphy — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 14:06:00 GMT

Hey! If you've been looking for alternative to Bratz dolls, maybe a Samson action figure will do the trick! That's what Wal-Mart is betting on, anyway, as they enter the faith-based toy marketing arena. Next month, 425 Wal-Mart stores (just a drop in the bucket of the Evil Empire) wil begin carrying toys by One2believe, self-appointed "messengers of faith" who are singlehandedly carrying on the "battle for the toy box" (is it me or are these guys a little...scary?).

Wal-Mart critics agree that the retailer's altruism factor or commitment to religion seems to be eclipsed by simple capitalism. After all, who knows better how to make a buck? Or several bazillion of them? But parents looking for a faith-based alternative likely won't mind and instead will zero in on the 2 feet of toy shelf space being allotted to these new toys in targeted Wal-Marts with a high volume in Bible sales.