When Your Favorite Trader Joe’s Item Disappears, Here’s What You Should Do

by Shahrzad WarkentinApril 3, 2019

Everything about Trader Joe’s is awesome—except for that moment when you discover they are all out of your kid’s go-to snack. According to one TJ’s insider, here’s what you should do when your favorite items at Trader Joe’s are out of stock.

If you’ve ever headed to Trader Joe’s only to realize that they are completely out off the one item your picky eater will eat, then you will fully appreciate the secret tips that Trader Joe’s insider, Semblanceofafeeling, shared on a recent Reddit AMA (“Ask Me Anything”) thread. The self-described employee at “the largest Trader Joe’s in America” answered over 30 questions in the thread, offering up some very useful information for regular shoppers.

photo: Mike Mozart via Flickr

The biggest question posed by Reddit users was why products often disappeared from stores, either temporarily or permanently. Semblanceofafeeling explained the short-term disappearance of items generally has to do with the way the stores are supplied. “If you’re asking why we run out sometimes, that has to do with ordering and warehouse,” he wrote. “In order to prevent food waste, we order in a system called ‘truck to shelf,’ which is what it sounds like. We don’t want to order too much. Sometimes we end up with too little. But for us, that’s better, because it’s less waste. It helps keep prices down.”

Meanwhile seasonal items—like those amazing pumpkin everything items—only come once a year. There are however, as many users pointed out, items that seem to disappear off shelves for months or even forever. The helpful Reddit user explained sometimes items are pulled because they aren’t very popular or because the producer has changed.

If you really want that item back, there is one thing you can do: write an email. Semblanceofafeeling says if you can’t live without that TJ’s fix, call your local store or email corporate asking to bring it back. “We’re all about supply and demand here.”

—Shahrzad Warkentin

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Twitter Launched a New Camera to Compete With IG Stories & Here’s How To Use It

by Karly WoodMarch 14, 2019

This week at SXSW 2019, news finally broke on Twitter’s new camera! The update—which brings a long-awaited Stories-like feature and an easier ability to tweet pictures and videos—has already started rolling out to users.

While the feature does bring the platform up to speed with social media rivals Instagram and Facebook, it still maintains an overall Twitter-vibe that makes it unique. Keep reading to see what the new changes look like.

https://twitter.com/Twitter/status/1105815777616191489

Users with the update can find the new changes by swiping left from the home screen of the Twitter app and gaining immediate access to the camera. If that doesn’t work for you, hold tight because the update is still rolling out and you may not be one of the lucky ones yet!

From within the camera, you can single click on Capture for a photo or hold for a short video, which can be up two minutes long. Tap the Live button to stream your video to Periscope.

photo: RawPixel

Also new for Twitter, users can now create an overlay on just-taken photos, where you can add location, hashtags and text up to 280 characters. Currently, only photos taken within the Twitter app can be marked up, keeping in line with the platform’s “real” feel.

Perhaps the biggest difference between Twitter’s new function and its social media counterparts is that your new photos and videos are here to stay. While Facebook and Instagram Stories do provide more functionality when it comes to more design overlay options, they disappear after 24 hours.

If you’re already digging the updates, stay tuned because Twitter is promising this update is just one in a line of improvements and frankly, we can’t wait!

––Karly Wood

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Uh Oh: Whole Foods Is Raising It’s Prices. Here’s Why

by Erica LoopFebruary 15, 2019

Brace yourself and get ready for some price fluctuations at Whole Foods. When Amazon got its hands on the grocery retailer they almost immediately dropped prices—much to the joy of the company’s customers. But now recent reports point to the gleeful time of deep discounts and slashed prices as coming to an end.

The Wall Street Journal was first to break the news, giving shoppers pause before their next shopping trips. According to a statement from a Whole Food spokesperson to Business Insider and Today.com, the “increased costs from suppliers due to materials, labor and transportation” are at the root of the recent price increases.

Photo: Courtesy of Whole Foods Market

Along with inflation-related increases, expiring contracts between Whole Foods Market and item manufacturers are also a cause for the change in price points. More specifically, nearly 700 items sold at Whole Foods have contracts that are set to expire soon. While customers will see increased prices for some of these items, you’ll also see about half of the products disappear from store shelves entirely.

Even though some of the changes will mean you’ll pay more—or won’t have the chance to buy the items in Whole Foods stores—it’s not all bad news. A Whole Foods spokesperson also told Business Insider that new contracts will mean price reductions for more than 100 items.

—Erica Loop

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YouTube Kids Now Lets Parents Block Annoying Videos & Channels

by Red TricycleSeptember 20, 2016

Photo: Toca Boca via Flickr

Thanks to an update to the YouTube Kids app, parents can now block videos and channels – not because of explicit content – but because they find it annoying. That’s right: You want your kiddo to stop watching those obnoxious videos with the high-pitched voices? Of course you do, because you value your sanity.

Here’s how to do it:

Sign into the app with your Google account.
Click on the overflow menu (those are the 3 dots below the video and on the right).
Select “Block this video.”
Verify this with a confirmation code in your email

Bada-Bing, Bada-Boom! You’ve successfully made that video disappear from your child’s search feed.

Photo: Slash Gear

Do you see yourself using this feature? Let us know in the comments below!

H/T: Slash Gear

FDA Orders Antibacterials Removed From Consumer Soaps

by Red TricycleJuly 2, 2016

Photo: Pixabay

Antibacterial soaps will soon disappear from store shelves under orders from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA claims that they provide no benefits over regular soap. In the announcement Friday, the FDA states that soap manufacturers must have antibacterial soap be reformulated or removed from stores within a year.

The FDA had given manufacturers time to come up with data showing their products were better than soap alone, but no significant new data were submitted, said Theresa Michele of the FDA’s Division of Non-prescription Drug Products said in a Friday morning news conference.

Do you purchase antibacterial soap? Let us know in the comments below!

H/T: NBC News

Kid-Friendly Recipe: Easy-Peasy Dumplings

by drealestercontributorMay 8, 2012

Stuck at home on a rainy day with our play date canceled, we decided to occupy ourselves by making some dumplings (or little parcels of love as I like to call them). It seems like a daunting task to take on but these dumplings are low on ingredients, high on child involvement and disappear ridiculously fast. The sweet, salty dipping sauce is a perfect complement except my genius daughter decided to eat hers with ketchup. “Do you have to eat them with ketchup?” “Yes. It’s good for me.” Okay then. I tried half a dumpling with the daughter’s choice condiment and it wasn’t bad!! She may be on to something. As a child, I too was a ketchup fiend. So much so, I used to say that when I grow up, I would marry a guy who owned a ketchup factory. Sometimes the best laid plans go awry. I have graduated to Sriracha – maybe one day Ria will too.

Easy-peasy Dumplings

Make these super easy dumplings with your little ones or for a kitchen play date instead of the usual cookies or cupcakes. Have the kids help with beating the egg, brushing the egg wash to help seal the dumplings and even folding the dumplings into little triangles.

Makes 15-18 – you decide how many that serves

Ingredients

For dumplings:
½ lb ground pork, chicken or turkey
2 scallions finely sliced
1½ tsp soy sauce
¼ tsp white pepper
½ tsp sesame oil (optional)
1 egg beaten
store bought square wonton wrappers (usually available next to tofu in most grocery stores)

For dipping sauce:
2 tsp soy sauce
¼ tsp sugar
½ tsp rice wine vinegar (optional)

Method
1. Mix the minced meat with the scallions, soy sauce, white pepper, sesame oil and half of the beaten egg. Reserve the rest of the egg for sealing the dumplings
2. Combine the ingredients for the dipping sauce
3. Arrange several wonton wrappers with corners facing you and place ½ a tablespoon worth of meat mixture in the center of each wrapper. Use a pastry brush or your fingers to brush the edges with the beaten egg. Fold the wrapper in half and form little triangular parcels. Repeat till meat mixture is used up.
4. Steam for 5-6 minutes (do not forget to grease the steamer basket with cooking oil if using a metal steamer). Alternatively, you can cook the dumplings in boiling water which is easier and takes about 3 minutes.
5. For pot stickers, if you want more calories and crunch, pan fry the cooked dumplings in a little oil, 2-3 minutes on each side. Serve warm with dipping sauce and watch them disappear

This is a guest post from our friend Simran at a Little Yumminess. Visit their blog for more fab, kid-friendly recipes.

ML Interest Tag: disappear

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