Food and Diet

McDonald’s ‘collectors meal,’ Costco’s crackdown, the FTC’s food fight: Retail news roundup

McDonald’s ‘collectors meal,’ Costco’s crackdown, the FTC’s food fight: Retail news roundup

Big Food is in limbo, but America seems to be lovin’ McDonald’s more than ever. That may have something to do with its association with “value” — a word the chain mentioned at least 90 times during its most recent earnings call. Meanwhile, McDonald’s is hoping its new lineup of collectibles will elicit the joy of a nostalgic Happy Meal with a promotion it’s launching on Aug. 13, but only for a limited time.

Costco Wholesale says not so fast to outsiders. The retail giant announced a ‘Netflix-style’ crackdown on its membership policy in an effort to weed out non-members and card sharing between family and friends. In big retail, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) wants to launch a probe to figure out why grocery prices are so gosh darn high. Which means Walmart and Costco Wholesale may soon be required to provide information on their sales, costs, and profits for commonly purchased items.

In the trenches of summer things are hot, and that’s not always a good thing. In May, Walmart’s Zoom call was anything but routine for roughly 300 employees who learned they would need to relocate or lose their jobs.

Separately, Samsung recalled over 1 million stoves nationwide due to safety concerns, in part because pets could knock the knobs, and accidentally trigger a fire hazard.

Graphic: Images: Zhang Peng/LightRocket, Justin Sullivan, Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto, Kevin Dietsch

A statue of Ronald McDonald outside a McDonald’s restaurant.
Image: Zhang Peng/LightRocket (Getty Images)

Customers walk by the membership counter at a Costco in Richmond, California.
Image: Justin Sullivan (Getty Images)

Costco Wholesale announced a ‘Netflix-style’ crackdown on its membership policy in an effort to weed out non-members and card sharing between family members and friends.

Read More

A McDonald’s Happy Meal box in Krakow, Poland.
Image: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto (Getty Images)

McDonald’s is hoping its new lineup of collectibles will elicit the joy of a beloved Happy Meal. The promotion gets underway on Aug. 13, but only for a limited time.

Read More

FTC Chair Lina Khan testifying before the House Appropriations Subcommittee in Washington, D.C..
Image: Kevin Dietsch (Getty Images)

Image: Catherine McQueen (Getty Images)

Just days into August, Samsung announced a major recall of over 1 million stoves nationwide due to safety concerns that pets could accidentally trigger a fire hazard.

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A Walmart in Streator, Illinois.
Image: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto (Getty Images)

Walmart’s Zoom call in May was anything but routine for the roughly 300 employees who learned they would need to relocate or lose their jobs.

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A Wendy’s in Tokyo, Japan.
Image: Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket (Getty Images)

People eat at a Taco Bell in Beijing, China.
Image: Greg Baker / AFP (Getty Images)

A bacon cheeseburger and fries at a Shake Shack in Chicago, Illinois.
Image: Scott Olson (Getty Images)

Shake Shack says its burgers and fries remain a hit among consumers – and a pricing shakeup isn’t coming soon.

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A cosplayer dressed as Julius Pringles during 2024 WonderCon in Anaheim, California.
Image: Chelsea Guglielmino (Getty Images)

SkinnyPop popcorn in Hershey’s “Freedom to Snack” campaign
Screenshot: Hershey’s Co.

Instacart gift cards at a Costco megastore in Queens, New York.
Image: Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group (Getty Images)

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