Stop & Shop Thinks You Might Like To Chow Down On A Nice, Crunchy Scrubbing Loofah

Either there’s a bit of confusion going on at a Massachusetts Stop & Shop, or these fruits have been left out way too long, completing their transformation from edibles to hygienic tools.

Consumerist reader Jack sent in the above photo featuring a selection of scrubbing loofahs in the produce section next to jicama and bananas, advertised as “Loufah” for $3.99.

“Pluck this gourd before it full ripens and add it to curry soup and stir fry,” the helpful description in the display suggests, while the tag on the item itself designates its category as “cleaning rags.”

The confusion: These bath tools come from a plant known as “luffa,” a vine fruit related to the cucumber. A luffa will turn into what we call a loofah if the fruit isn’t harvested when it’s young. Once it’s fully ripe and dries out, it turns very fibrous, and can be used as the kind of scrubbing sponge you might have in your bathroom or even kitchen right now.

Stop & Shop might take a while to catch on.

“I didn’t bring it to anyone’s attention,” Jack writes, “but I did return to the store the next day and found that the display was still up and stocked.”

Sears Holdings Comparable-Store Sales Down More Than 10% In Last 3 Months

In all of our reporting on the recent woes of Sears Holdings, the real message is that we want Sears to stage a comeback and return to the retail greatness of decades past. Yet things don’t look very promising over at Sears HQ, and today the department store chain announced that its sales across comparable stores have fallen more than 10% in the last quarter.

That’s not how it’s supposed to work. The company has been quietly closing underperforming Sears and Kmart stores across the country here and there, and the point of shuttering stores is to lose less money and to maybe recapture some of that business by getting shoppers to visit surrounding stores or shop online.

Instead, Sears Holdings reports that sales are down across its Sears and Kmart stores, with a 6.9% decrease at Kmart and a 13.9% decrease in Sears stores. A partial explanation, the company says, is in its consumer electronics business, or maybe we should say their failure to sell consumer electronics. The company describes that whole category as a “business we are altering to meet the changing needs of our members,” and points out that not counting decreased sales in consumer electronics, comparable-store sales only fell 9%.

The sales decrease is about the same as last quarter, though. Either the brilliant turnaround plan for Sears isn’t working as well as anticipated, or it’s just taking a lot longer than shareholders would expect.

Sears Holdings Provides Update On Anticipated Financial Performance; Announces Cash Tender Offer For Up To $1 Billion Principal Amount Of Its Outstanding 6 5/8% Senior Secured Notes Due 2018 [Sears Holdings]

This Graph May Explain Why Cable Companies Aren’t Rushing To Get Into Standalone Streaming

With pay-TV subscription numbers dropping as people turn to online sources for their entertainment and news, it might seem sensidble that the pay-TV giants would jump into the streaming video business. But with the exception of Dish-owned Sling TV, that hasn’t been the case. That might be because consumers appear to be quite fickle about their use of these standalone services.

A recent report from Parks Associates finds a significant level of customer turnover for most streaming, or over the top [OTT], services.

Netflix, which has the highest level of customer loyalty in the group, still saw about 9% of its customers cancel in the last year, according to Parks. The turnover at Amazon Prime cancellations was much higher, at around 30%. Meanwhile, the churn for Hulu’s premium tier (formerly called Hulu Plus) was about half the customer base.

For the smaller services, the turnover rate is up around 60% as customers dip their toes in and out.

“The high churn rate for many of these services suggests that consumers are holding onto their Netflix account while experimenting with the wide variety of other video subscription options,” said Brett Sappington, Director, Research, Parks Associates.

Thus, pay-TV providers — many of whom have little or no competition in their local markets and who often lock new customers in with multiyear contracts — may be reluctant to get into a business where they are constantly having to chase new subscribers to replace defecting ones. It’s easier for cable operators to focus on retaining their broadband customers who need Internet connections to access Netflix and the others.

“These video services are relatively low cost, so consumers can easily experiment with different services to find the ones that best suit their interests,” explains Parks’ research analyst Glenn Hower. “At the same time, they can quickly consume the most interesting content within a service and move on.”

Comcast recently announced a standalone streaming service, cleverly dubbed “Stream,” but unlike Sling TV — which provides live online access to around 20 cable channels — Stream is effectively HBO Now with an assortment of freely available over-the-air stations. Additionally, Stream is only available to Comcast broadband subscribers and only people who live within the company’s cable footprint.

Macy’s, Bloomingdales Expand Same-Day Delivery Service To Nine Markets

(Mike Mozart)

Nearly a year after Macy’s and Bloomingdales began a pilot program offering same-day delivery of certain items for a $5 fee in eight markets around the country, the companies have expanded the service to nine other locations. Markets added to the program include Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Miami/Fort Lauderdale, New York City/Western Long Island, Orange County, CA, and Philadelphia. However, availability for delivery – which is provided by Deliv – varies depending on what stores are located in the area. For example, Dallas and Las Vegas only offer delivery from Macy’s stores, not Bloomingdales. [via Macy’s]

Scam Alert: Microsoft Is Not Upgrading Computers To Windows 10 Through Email

This is what the scam email purporting to be from Microsoft looks like. Don’t fall for it.

First and foremost: If you’re a Windows 7 or 8 user, Microsoft will not email you to upgrade to Windows 10. If you do get an email along those lines, it’s probably a scam and if you download what’s inside, bad guys could hold your computer’s files for ransom.

Cisco Security’s Talos researchers discovered a new scam email, involving what’s known as ransomware, going around that offers to upgrade computer users to Windows 10 for free. While that Microsoft is upgrading Windows users for free, the company is only sending notifications to users via their desktops, and is not emailing anyone. If you see an email along those lines from someone purporting to be Microsoft, delete it immediately.

Those that do download the “upgrade” from the email will instead find their computers taken over by ne’er-do-wells who will demand to be paid, likely with Bitcoin, as it’s untraceable.

Example page of what users who download the attachment may see (via Cisco)

A wait process for the real Windows 10 might make some users impatient, and therefore, vulnerable, Talos points out.

“This threat actor is impersonating Microsoft in an attempt to exploit their user base for monetary gain,” Talos’ report says. “The fact that users have to virtually wait in line to receive this update, makes them even more likely to fall victim to this campaign.”

Talos advises people to back up their data, and keep copies of those backups offline, where they’re safe from attackers. And again, if you receive an email that seems like maybe it could be from Microsoft offering a Windows 10 upgrade, just delete it.

Your Files Are Encrypted with a “Windows 10 Upgrade” [Cisco blog]

Regulators Investigating Harman Kardon After Remote Hack Of Jeep

This vehicle was not hacked.  (FastFords)

Following a report last month that suggested certain Fiat Chrysler vehicles were susceptible to remote hacks, the auto maker issued a software patch and a subsequent recall. Now, federal regulators are taking over, opening an investigation not into the car manufacturer, but the company behind the radios that provide an entryway for would-be hackers.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that it will probe Harman Kardon, the maker of the infotainment system used by two researchers to take control of a 2014 Jeep Cherokee from miles away, to determine if vehicles by other manufacturers could be at risk for remote hacks.

According to a notice [PDF] from NHTSA, the investigation was opened to obtain information about the Harman-supplied Chrysler Uconnect units to determine the nature and extent of similarities in other infotainment products provided to other vehicle manufacturers.

“If sufficient similarities exist, the investigation will examine if there is cause for concern that security issues exist in other Harman Kardon products,” NHTSA states in the notice.

Regulators estimate that Harman has supplied infotainment systems of some kind for about 2.8 million vehicles.

Fiat Chrysler (FCA) issued a software patch for its Uconnect onboard system in late July, though at that time it didn’t directly acknowledge the Wired.com report of what it was like to be inside a hijacked Jeep.

Just days later, the company announced it would recall 1.4 million vehicles that include the Uconnect units.

In a notice [PDF] to NHTSA regarding that recall, FCA detailed how software security vulnerabilities in the recalled vehicles could allow unauthorized third-party access to, and manipulation of, networked vehicle control systems.

“Unauthorized access or manipulation of the vehicle control systems could reduce the driver’s control of the vehicle increasing the risk of a crash with an attendant increased risk of injury to the driver, other vehicle occupants, and other vehicles and their occupants within proximity to the affected vehicle,” the notice states.

Customers affected by the recall will receive a USB device that they may use to upgrade vehicle software, which provides additional security features independent of the network-level measures.

 

Your Overstuffed Carry-On Bag May Not Make The Cut On British Airways Planes

(frankieleon)

Facing the possibility of hefty checked-baggage fees, many travelers have resorted to testing the structural integrity of their carry-on bags — laptop bags packed with more clothes than electronics; purses bursting at the seams with shoes, food, books, and anything else that will fit. But one major airline is telling travelers to put some of their bags on a diet.

British Airways recently announced that the maximum size for handbags and laptop bags — typically the secondary carry-on that you shove under the seat in front of you — to 16″ x 12″ x 6″. That’s a reduction in all three dimensions, from the airline’s current allowable size of 18″ x 14″ x 8″.

The airline will be vetting bags at the gate. Those that are no larger than the new maximum dimensions will be given a yellow tag that indicates to the cabin crew that the bag is guaranteed to be allowed on the plane. Those bags outside the new size limit will be asked to gate-check the bag.

So if you’re planning on flying BA, it wouldn’t hurt to take a measuring tape to your secondary carry-on before you find yourself having to remove your laptop and other expensive/fragile items at the gate.

Earlier this summer, the International Air Transport Association proposed smaller allowable dimensions for carry-on bags, presumably in response to the number of travelers now using mid-size rolling suitcases that crowd overhead bins.

However, only a week later the IATA backed off this suggestion, saying the blowback from airlines and some travelers was more immediate and negative than expected.

[via USA Today]