Shop Smart July 2013

Stuff you don’t need Bugs, egg yolks, dryer lint. What do these things have in common? There are gadgets devoted to them—and almost anything else you can think of. Creepy crawlies? Put down that shoe! Bug vacs are the “clean and efficient” way to evict Mr. Spidey, according to ads online. And if you ever stood over the sink with cold, slimy egg dripping between your fingers, you’ll be happy to know that someone has invented yet another contraption to separate the whites from the yolks. For dryer lint, there’s the Lint Lizard, which we covered a few issues ago. Our labs have tested lots of oddball gadgets over the years. As you’ll see on page 84, in the 1970s we tried out automatic hair combers. In this issue, you’ll…

1 Tweet for freebies. An easy way to find out about great giveaways is to follow freebie bloggers on Twitter. A few good ones to get you started: Gimmie Freebies, I Crave Freebies, and Twit Freebies. Also search “birthday freebies” on Twitter to find special deals just for you on your big day, as well as promos that businesses are offering on their own birthdays. For example, Piperlime offered an additional 20 percent off on its birthday, and the flash sale site Zulily featured special deals when it turned 2. For more awesome freebies, turn to page 16. 2 Save on movie tickets. The best way to see the summer’s blockbusters is with discounted tickets. You can get vouchers for cheap seats from AAA or AARP or purchase passes in…

New stuff we love SAMSUNG GALAXY S 4 Price $150 to $250 with contract Why it’s hot We’re not done fully testing this new Android phone, but our experts are smitten with its cutting-edge features. One of the useful extras is Smart Stay, which keeps the screen on as long as you’re looking at it. You can also use the screen while wearing gloves or even without touching it, by waving your hand in front of it. Where to get it AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon* More stuff we love GE CAFÉ FRENCH-DOOR REFRIGERATOR CFE29TSDSS Price $3,000 Why it’s hot We spotted this hot-and coldwater-dispensing fridge last spring at a trade show, and now it’s in our labs. The water comes out piping hot for a quick cup of tea. And…

The returns blacklist There’s no official list per se, but companies do keep track of the number of returns customers make and use that data to accept or deny future returns. It’s meant to stop folks who steal, use, or wear items and then bring them back, which resulted in an estimated $8.9 billion in losses last year, according to the National Retail Federation. But even if you don’t make the “list,” you will feel its impact; some stores now require identification for returns as a theft deterrent. The Retail Equation’s Verify Return Authorization System is one way stores track returns. The company won’t disclose its clients but claims 10 of the top 100 retailers use its service. Here’s how it works: When you hand over your receipt or ID…

FOOD AND BEVERAGE BRAND NAMES THAT ARE A MOUTHFUL Fage = FA-yay It’s the Greek verb for “to eat.” And if you think you know how to say Dannon Oikos (Greek for “house”), here’s a surprise: It’s pronounced EE-kohs. Ghirardelli = gear-ar-delly Drawn to America in 1849 by the gold rush, Italian immigrant Domingo Ghirardelli struck gold with chocolate. But his name is so tough to say that ads used to include the phonetic spelling. And in case you’ve ever wondered how to pronounce the French chocolate Vosges, it’s “vohj.” Yuengling beer = ying-ling Yes, the “u” is silent. It’s the German family name of a six-generation brewery founded in Pottsville, Pa., in 1829. Freixenet = fresh-eh-net This Catalonian company is known for its bubbly in black bottles. Sparkling wine…

PLUCK YOLK SEPARATOR VS. A WATER BOTTLE You can separate an egg by using the broken shell to drain the white from the yolk. But we paid $12.99 plus $7.50 in shipping for the Pluck egg yolk extractor, a silicone gizmo that you squeeze like a turkey baster (or come to think of it, a nasal aspirator) to suck out the yolk. Here’s how it works: Place it over a cracked egg, squeeze the bulb, and release it a little to slurp up the yolk; then give it another squeeze to plop out the yolk. It’s a cool trick, but it’s not worth $20.49, especially when you can use an empty water bottle to get the job done in a similar fashion. Follow the same directions. See a video at…