It’s not good enough to just throw a shrimp on the barbie anymore. Grill makers are going gourmet by whipping up recipes for such non-traditional grill fare as frittatas, grilled fruit, Chinese-style sea bass, and chocolate sandwiches. By redefining the barbecue, manufacturers hope to attract more women to the male-dominated grill market.
With tornadoes in the South, wildfires in Texas and flooding in the Midwest, many folks are being forced from their homes. Such emergencies can require anything from a brief absence to a permanent evacuation. It’s disorienting enough for people, but pets also lose their bearings when their home life is disrupted. So it’s good to be prepared.
Is green the new pink? Maybe so. More than 80 percent of respondents to a new study on sustainability said that going green is “more feminine than masculine.” And if men won’t carry reusable bags or water bottles, or drive a Prius, that’s a problem for marketers, says OgilvyEarth, which conducted the study. “Sustainability could use its Marlboro Man moment.”
Even though everybody does laundry, sales of detergents have been down in the past year. Procter & Gamble is hoping to add a dose of excitement, and brighten sales, with the introduction of Tide Pods—a product P&G considers its biggest laundry innovation in more than 25 years, according to Ad Age.
Describing the smell of some batches of Benjamin Moore’s Natura paint as “horrid,” two law firms filed suit against the paint maker today on behalf of a woman who claims she had to move out of her home because the odor was so strong. Filed in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey, the complaint initiates a class action suit, according to Lexington Law and Scott + Scott LLP.
Leave it to Walmart to send shudders down the supermarket aisles, even the virtual aisles. Already in command of 33 percent of the U.S. grocery market, the behemoth retailer is throwing its weight behind a test of an online grocery delivery service called Walmart-to-Go in the San Jose area. If it’s a go, Walmart will have to overcome challenges that have thwarted similar services.
A long-awaited jump in home remodeling spending doesn’t appear to have been part of a recent boom in American Express cardmember spending. But five closely watched forecasts show brighter days ahead as spring sales heat up.
Want a quick $25,000 to slice your home-energy bills? A new partnership between the Federal Housing Authority and 18 private lenders is charging below-markets rates for loans aimed at improving your home’s energy efficiency. But check your credit rating: Today’s tight-money policies also mean those deals include a few strings.
Homeowners who catch thieves on video—and post the evidence on social networks like Facebook and YouTube— have helped police put the pinch on them, according to this ABC News report. But social media can work for as well as against those felons. A Facebook “friend” robbed one Indiana woman after she posted her plans to attend a concert. That Facebook faux pas is just one of the 25 mistakes cops and former crooks warned homeowners against in Consumer Reports’ upcoming June security special.
Walmart just made a big buy into the social media game by reportedly paying $300 million to acquire Kosmix.com. The site gleans information from Web and social-media sites, ostensibly to help consumers make buying decisions. But a look at Kosmix, which drew roughly 17.5 million unique visitors last month, shows a mix of information that could leave some shoppers scratching their heads.