Free Republic

A Chicago branch of Walgreens has been redesigned with just two aisles where customers may shop for themselves, the rest must be done via a kiosk. The new 'anti-theft' store at at 2 East Roosevelt in downtown Chicago will trust shoppers to pick up 'essentials' for themselves in the two free aisles, but everything else must be ordered and picked up via a counter. The store, which took weeks to construct, opened to mixed reviews on Tuesday. One shopper told WBBM Newsradio their experience was positive: 'It is nice that, for the essentials, you no longer have to call security...

As McDonald's seeks to modernize its business, the company is placing a big bet on mobile and other tech platforms. McDonald's has been systematically adding self-service ordering kiosks and table service to stores as it works to "build a better McDonald's." "What we're finding is when people dwell more, they select more," CEO Steve Easterbrook told CNBC on "Squawk on the Street" on Monday. "There's a little bit of an average check boost."

McDonald’s employees who picketed for a better living wage (whatever that means) may come to regret that decision.... a McDonald’s in Illinois replaced their cashiers with machines. The machines appear to be the cousins of the ones found in grocery stores, big box stores, and CVS that allow customers to complete transactions... This is all basic economics, really. As costs of labor increase the added cost must be offset. In order to satisfy operating costs, produce a product consumers want to purchase, and still turn a profit, it’s perfectly reasonable for a company like McDonald’s to look for cost-cutting alternatives.......

YANGON, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- A small bomb explosion in Myanmar's Yangon, injured one foeigner at midnight, Local witnesses said on Tuesday. The blast occurred in the ninth floor of the Traders Hotel at about 11:30 midnight (local time) on Monday, witnesses added. Currently, many media reporters have arrived this hotel, but police have not provided further information. A small bomb explosion in Thakayta, Myanmar's Yangon, injured two children Sunday evening. Another minor one occurred with a roadside bus stop kiosk in Yangon's Insein township without casualties on last Saturday midnight.

A man who sells conservative merchandise at a kiosk in a North Carolina mall says he hopes he'll be able to keep pushing "Impeach Obama" bumper stickers after his lease expires on Friday. Loren Spivack says his kiosk, Free Market Warrior, is being nudged out of the Concord Mills mall in Concord, N.C., beacause of political reasons. The hottest sellers at the kiosk, which has been in the mall for roughly three months, are items that are critical of President Obama, Spivack said. They include a “Work Harder, Obama Needs the Money” bumper sticker and a T-shirt that lists the...

Is Concord Mills infringing on a business owner’s first amendment rights?

Impeach Obama? Conservative kiosk gets booted from Concord Mills By Beth Shayne Newschannel 36 Posted: Wednesday, Jul. 22, 2009 CONCORD "Impeach Obama." "Al Qaeda's favorite days: 9/11/01 and 11/04/08." "Work Harder. Obama needs the money." The bumper stickers and posters sold at "Free Market Warrior" at Concord Mills are meant to be "biting," the kiosk's owner Loren Spivack said. At least one passerby found them racist and bigoted, and took time to tell the mall in a letter and a letter to the editor of the Charlotte Observer. Whatever your opinion, the fact is this: At the end of July,...

CONCORD, N.C. -- “Impeach Obama. “ “Al Qaeda’s favorite days: 9/11/01 and 11/04/08.” “Work Harder. Obama needs the money.” The bumper stickers and posters sold at “Free Market Warrior” at Concord Mills are meant to be “biting,” the kiosk’s owner Loren Spivack said. At least one passer-by found them racist and bigoted, and took time to tell the mall in a letter and a letter to the editor of the Charlotte Observer. Whatever your opinion, the fact is this: At the end of July, “Free Market Warrior” will not be allowed at Concord Mills Mall. The kiosk chain’s owner shared...

  Buyer beware! Or in this case, booster beware. Staten Island Mall is posting faces of shoplifters on video terminals.   Slapping the faces of convicted shoplifters on video terminals in the Staten Island Mall is a big hit - or not, depending on who you ask."I think it's fabulous," said Dan Ozimek, a 62-year-old mall shopper. "If you want to do something wrong, you should be prepared to have your face on a screen." "I think it's unfair because people should be forgiven," countered Jason Harr, 24. "People make mistakes and shouldn't have their faces publicized for stealing, say,...

"Can't take it with you? Mail it instead," reads a sign posted on one of ReturnKey Systems' Automated Mailing Kiosks (AMKs) in the Newark Liberty International Airport. Thanks to ReturnKey and the company's AMK system, airline travelers no longer must forfeit personal items to the Transportation Security Administration, which since 9/11 has been commissioned to keep airlines free of any potential weapons. With the kiosks, items that would've been confiscated can now be mailed ahead. The AMKs look much like ATMs. There's a touch screen where users can enter information and access directions, along with a mail slot for sending...

<p>At least three men reportedly were taken into federal custody in two Pensacola malls as the FBI and the federal Immigration and Naturalization Service initiated a nationwide sweep Wednesday.</p> <p>Witnesses said plain-clothes agents closed Intrigue jewelry vendors at Cordova and University malls, Wild Things at University and possibly other shops.</p>

FBI and INS Raid Dozens of Jewelry Stores in Search for Terrorist Financiers and Immigration Violators WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal investigators are conducting raids nationwide on jewelry stores owned by Pakistanis and others from the Middle East, hoping to break up fronts for terrorist groups or their financial backers, U.S. officials say. The raids have taken place in several cities over the past two weeks, including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Atlanta and New York. About 75 jewelry stores have been raided, said a law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Tariq Hussain, 27, a recently discharged U.S. Army mechanic whose Intrigue...

A Pakistani man who spent hours photographing the World Trade Center days before it was destroyed was sentenced to six months in jail for immigration violations exactly one year after suspicions over the pictures prompted his arrest. Ashar Butt, 22, acknowledged that he entered the country illegally last year using an altered British passport, but his lawyers said he only came to the United States to start a new life. "He was an innocent individual taking pictures," said his attorney, Anser Ahmad. He added that Butt has already spent a year in jail and is eligible for release within a...

The manager of a Mobile mall has evicted a merchant selling clothing with Confederate battle flag designs, citing complaints from people angered by the merchandise. The merchant, Camo Unlimited, opened a kiosk in Colonial Mall Bel Air just after Thanksgiving. The Blountsville-based company sells Dixie Outfitters clothing at the Mobile mall and at other malls throughout the Southeast, owner Toby Smith said.Dixie Outfitters offers more than 600 designs with themes such as hunting, trucks and dogs, all including the stars and bars of the Confederate battle flag. The clothing line's "Legends of the Confederacy" series features generals and other leaders...