Consumer Affairs & Relations

Hangzhou, China – A security flaw in AliExpress, an online marketplace that allows international consumers to make purchases on the Alibaba e-commerce platform, reportedly could have exposed personal information of millions of users to hackers. According to CNBC, Israeli security AppSec Labs discovered the flaw, which would have allowed hackers to alter orders and also gain access to customer personal and financial data, not including credit card numbers.  

Kroger announced that Nora A. Aufreter has been elected to the company's board of directors.

SC Johnson chief talks transparency SC Johnson CEO Fisk Johnson said his company wants to “lay it all out there” when it comes to transparency and greater disclosure in the consumer goods industry.

Speaking at the 2014 Consumer Specialty Products Association (CSPA) annual meeting, Johnson discussed the critical need for the industry to build trust so families can feel comfortable with and believe in the products they bring home. He also said the industry should be clear and fact-based in environmental discussions, and advocate for better regulation.

Gap Inc., is the only retailer to appear on a flawed list called The Civic50 that presumes to recognize the nation’s most community-minded companies.

Now in its third year, the lack of retail representation on The Civic50 is highly curious considering retailers enjoy a high level of visibility within the communities where they operate and are typically quite generous in supporting local charities and national causes. The consumer packaged goods was also under-represented on The Civic50 although companies such as ConAgra, General Mills and Hershey were included.

DEERFIELD, Ill. - Walgreens president and CEO Greg Wasson informed the company’s board of directors that he will retire shortly after the completion of the merger between Walgreens and Alliance Boots, of which shareholders are scheduled to vote on Dec. 29, 2014.    

LAKELAND, Fla.- For the fifth consecutive year, Publix Pharmacy is the highest-ranking pharmacy in overall satisfaction in the supermarket segment according to J.D. Power & Associate Satisfaction Survey, a customer satisfaction benchmark study that provides pharmacy-specific performance comparisons among brick and mortar pharmacies.  

New York - The Supreme Court handed out a victory to Amazon and other employers when it ruled unanimously on Tuesday that a temp agency was not required to pay workers at Amazon warehouses in Nevada for the time they spent waiting for and undergoing security checks at the end of their shifts.   The court reversed a lower court ruling from last year  which had allowed the workers to sue under the theory that since their screening time was required by the employer, it should be compensated.  

Ann Arbor, Mich. – Rolling Stones fans will sympathize with the devilish problem facing American customers, who couldn’t get satisfaction in the third quarter of 2014. The national level of customer satisfaction fell 0.7% in the third quarter of 2014 to 75.6 on a 100-point scale, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), pointing to weak spending growth for the fourth quarter.