AMC Re-Opening Now
AMC Theaters is finally re-opening starting today (8/20).
More than 100 US theaters are now open, and in order to commemorate its centennial, you can score 1920 prices in 2020.
Back in March, AMC shut their doors due to the coronavirus pandemic. Though the theater chain tried re-opening throughout the pandemic, their efforts were delayed for one reason or another.
AMC will implement new safety and health procedures to help curb the spread of COVID-19. These procedures include the requirement of all guests to wear masks, as well as lowering theater capacity.
Find your nearest re-opened AMC theater here.
Costco Shrimp & More Recalled Due to Salmonella
The FDA recently discovered salmonella in shrimp exported by Kader Exports. This has prompted an immediate recall of frozen shrimp products from retailers including Costco, BJ’s Wholesale and Tops.
It appears the cause is cross-contamination and the export company has stopped distributing the food product. Shrimp that was contaminated was sent to distributors between February and May of this year.
You can return contaminated shrimp purchased from affected grocery store chains. See the full list here.
Have you been affected by this food recall? Let us know in the comments below.
Stein Mart Files Bankruptcy (Closing Nearly 300 Stores)
The 112-year old retailer, Stein Mart, has officially filed for bankruptcy and plans to close nearly all of its 300 locations nationwide.
The company blames changing consumer habits and the coronavirus pandemic as the cause for the filing. The virus has “caused significant financial distress on our business,” says CEO Hunt Hawkins.
The company currently holds 300 locations across 30 states with over 8,000 employees.
Liquidation sales are expected to begin immediately.
Stein Mart is the latest retailer to fill for bankruptcy due to the pandemic. Other retailers include Pier 1 Imports, Tuesday Morning, and Muji.
How to financially prepare your kids for back-to-school season
Parents aren’t the only ones pulling out their wallets for back-to-school season. According to a 2019 survey from the National Retail Federation, teens are spending an average of $36.71 of their own money and pre-teens an average of $26.40.
This year, your back-to-school budgeting may be a little different (okay, a LOT), but one thing remains the same: A new school year means new costs. Which also means new opportunities for your kids to learn about money. Follow along for our tips on getting your kids ready for the upcoming school year!
Plan beyond the school supply list
Back-to-school budgeting brings up a lot of conversation about school supplies for the first day, but what about the whole school year? When you sit down and talk to your kids about their school supply lists, you may want to chat about other expenses that might pop up throughout the year. Here are a few to consider:
- Sports
- Yearbooks
- ACT/SAT study materials
- Lunch money
- School pictures
Shifting over to a virtual learning environment? Some of the usual expenses may go away this year, but you should be ready for new ones. Think: Virtual classroom decorations, new desks and high-powered laptops.
Talk about back-to-school deals
Love a good BOGO deal? So do we. But your kids may not understand how much it matters to score a good deal — especially during a busy retail season like back-to-school season.
As you probably know, smart shopping means looking for deals, shopping early and doing research before buying. To get your kids into these habits, try comparing prices online and showing them how to find discounts. Bonus: Help your kids make savings goals throughout the school year. They can do this with their Greenlight app!
Separate wants from needs
Coming up with a back-to-school budget is a great time to talk about wants and needs. If your kids have a school supply list from their teacher, use it as a guide. If not, it doesn’t take too long to come up with one yourself — or use a quick start list of common items by grade.
Go through your kids’ school supply lists one by one. Talk about each item and whether it’s a must-have or a nice-to-have. Then, decide how they (or you) would like to budget accordingly. Maybe your kids want to splurge on a set of trendy binders but they’re okay with buying cheaper folders and erasers. Or maybe they’d rather save for something else down the line, like a laptop or an iPad. And look at that… they’re already thinking about wants and needs! Piece of cake.
Always come back to learning
Your kids might be excited about the first day. They might be nervous. You might be stressing about setting up a virtual learning environment. Or maybe you’re just not ready to think about any of it yet!
Here’s what really matters: Your kids are learning. And we’re not just talking about school. Kids learn by doing chores, deciding how to spend their money and setting savings goals. Just pull up your Greenlight app and let the learning (and fun) begin.
Did You Use Google+? You May Be Owed Some Money from Class-action Privacy Settlement
RECALL ALERT! Assorted Onions & Almond Dessert
Attention ALDI shoppers! Right now the retailer is recalling Assorted Onions and an Almond Based Frozen Dessert due to the following reasons.
Recalled Items:
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- Assorted Onions from Onions 52 due to a potential salmonella contamination
- Earth Grown Vegan Almond Based Frozen Dessert due to an undeclared cashew allergen
If you’ve purchased either of these products, ALDI advises you to discard the items or return them to the place of purchase for a refund.
See more ALDI recalls here.
Editors note: See another onions recall linked to Salmonella outbreak. Stay safe!
Next Stimulus Payment: Benefits, Qualifications & More
Though the HEALS Act has not been passed yet, senate republicans outlined their next stimulus package. If the bill passes, Americans can potentially receive the following benefits.
All Potential Benefits:
- $1,200 stimulus payment
- Enhanced unemployment assistance
- Forgivable loans to small businesses (with revenue losses of 50% or more over last year)
- Employee retention tax credit
- Return-to-work bonus of up to $450 per week
- Rental assistance to fend off evictions
- Payroll tax cut so workers receive bigger paychecks
See the potential stimulus payment qualifications here.
iPhone Slow? Submit a Claim Now!
Is your iPhone slowing down? If so, as we reported back in March, Apple may owe you $25 per phone, which you can now submit your claim here.
Due to a class action lawsuit, Apple is paying up to a half a billion dollars for purposefully slowing down older models of iPhones in order to compel customers to buy new ones. Back in December 2017, the tech company admitted to releasing software updates that slowed down older iPhones.
Affected iPhones Include:
- iPhone 6
- iPhone 6 Plus
- iPhone 6S
- iPhone 6S Plus
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone SE
Note: device must have been purchase before December 21, 2017.
Breach Report – Twitter Accounts
Several high-profile twitter accounts including Biden, Obama, and Musk are hacked in crypto scam
A number of high-profile Twitter accounts were simultaneously hacked on Wednesday afternoon by attackers who used the accounts — some with millions of followers — to spread a cryptocurrency scam. High-profile accounts compromised include Apple, Elon Musk, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Kim Kardashian West, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Wiz Khalifa, Warren Buffett, YouTuber MrBeast, Wendy’s, Uber, CashApp and Mike Bloomberg and this list may continue to expand. The compromised accounts posted a message promoting the address of a bitcoin wallet with the claim that the amount of any payments made to the address would be doubled and sent back — a known cryptocurrency scam technique. Twitter is looking into the matter but has not yet provided an official statement regarding this attack.
Next Steps:
Potentially affected customers are encouraged to closely monitor their payment card account statements for unauthorized activity. If you are impacted by this breach, be vigilant about unsolicited telephone calls, SMS messages or emails that inquire about your personal information.
Breach occured on July 15, 2020