Consumer Confidential: Games, games and games

Here's your tasty-Tuesday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--Activision's new video game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, went on sale shortly after midnight today. Industry analysts expect the shoot-'em-up to be one of the fastest-selling titles ever, with as many as 13 million copies estimated to be sold by the end of the year. I stopped by a Best Buy outlet in West L.A. where Activision was planning a big launch party. Javier Rivera, 25, was first in line for the new Call of Duty. He said he'd gotten there at 5 a.m., meaning that he planned to stand around for 19 hours to get his hands on the game. "I'm not working today," he explained. "I am working tomorrow." But not very alertly, it's safe to assume.

--Maybe guys like Rivera are one reason that game retailer GameStop says it expects sales to remain brisk this holiday season, even though analysts say consumers aren't buying as many titles as they used to.

--Speaking of high-stakes games, the head of Bank of America, Ken Lewis, says history will vindicate his company's big-bucks purchase of brokerage Merrill Lynch & Co. Right after it vindicates the invasion of Iraq, that is.

— David Lazarus

H&M to open store at Westfield Century City on Thursday

Cheap chic retailer H&M will open a store at Westfield Century City on Thursday.

To celebrate the opening, the store will offer the first 200 shoppers an H&M T-shirt and an Access to Fashion Pass, a shopping card containing a value from $10 to $300.

The store opens at noon at the mall, which is located at 10250 Santa Monica Blvd.

-- Andrea Chang

Kmart announces "Better than Black Friday" deals

After introducing an online layaway program last month, Kmart today announced "Better than Black Friday" specials.

The weekly doorbuster deals start Nov. 6 and include markdowns on electronics, apparel and tools. New deals will be available each Friday through Nov. 20.

A sample of deals include:

$15 Protégé Boys Basketball Shoes
50% off Little Letters Learning Laptop
$6.99 Men’s Basic Editions Jeans   
25% to 33% off General Electric Trees

Kmart also announced that select stores would be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

-- Andrea Chang

Consumer Confidential: Credit, jobs and beer

Here's your finally-it's-Friday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

-- Banks weren't doing us any favors in August. Consumer credit dropped by nearly $12 billion, according to the Federal Reserve. In other words, there were a lot fewer loans being made, particularly in light of many credit card accounts being shut down by banks ahead of stricter rules coming from Washington. Of course, it's not necessarily a bad thing that many would-be borrowers are being shown the door. One reason we got into our current mess is because banks were handing out cash willy-nilly. But after billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded bailouts, some might see this big drop in credit as a fine how-do-you-do.

-- This has been an equal-opportunity recession. Experts say it's not just working stiffs who have been struggling to find jobs. Nearly half of long-term job seekers come from the ranks of white-collar workers, according to a report from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. And since these folk tend to make more dough, and thus spend more, this could slow any economic recovery until the ranks of the white-collar crew are replenished. I'm sure we can all agree that what the workplace needs is more managers.

-- Don't mess with Coors drinkers. An Illinois man is suing MillerCoors for allegedly denying him the chance to win football-themed goodies in a promotional sweepstakes. Mario Aliano says in the lawsuit that consumers were told by the company to submit a code on Coors Light cartons to see if they'd won a prize. But when he tried to do this online and by text message, he says all he got was an error message. Aliano alleges that the code was in fact invalid and that he never had a chance to win anything. Would he settle for some free brew?

-- David Lazarus

Consumer Confidential: Fees, sales and coupons

Here's your totally-Tuesday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--Only an airline would think of charging a fee for avoiding fees. Our friends at United Airlines have announced a new program in which passengers can pay $249 a year for the privilege of checking in two -- yes, two! -- standard bags without paying extra. But United says the program won't cover overweight bags, so you're still on your own there. Anyone want to bet how long it takes all the other carriers to follow suit?

--We've been hearing that it's going to be an ugly holiday season for retailers. But how ugly are we talking? The National Retail Federation says it expects sales this season to be down about 1% from last year, to $437.6 billion. My hunch is that this'll prompt most stores to slash prices in a bid to woo the few dollars shoppers are willing to spend. Keep a sharp eye out for sales.

--Ask.com wants to make bargain hunting easier. The search site is unveiling a new service that will allow users to sift through dozens of discount sites in search of money-saving online coupons. It will also mark regular search results with a special icon to let people know that a related coupon may be available. Electronic coupons now account for about 3% of all coupons used. Expect that number to grow as services like this make it simpler for people to ferret out deals.

-- David Lazarus

Bakers shoe stores to offer 10% discount in exchange for gently worn boots

Shoppers who donate a pair of gently worn boots to Bakers shoe stores will receive a 10% discount off a new pair of boots.

The promotion is good from Oct. 4 through Oct. 13. All 222 Bakers stores will donate boots collected from customers to shoe charity Soles4Souls.

"Forgotten shoes just sitting in closets all over the United States are someone else’s dream come true," said Peter Edison, chief executive of Bakers Footwear Group.

-- Andrea Chang 

MySpace user discount for the last Dodger game of the season

The Los Angeles Dodgers are entering their final home stand of the season today in a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies.

And for the final game of the regular season, Sunday's 1:10 p.m. match, MySpace.com users can get up to an extra 40% off on tickets.

The discount offer is available only to those with a MySpace account who buy tickets online at www.dodgers.com/myspace and entering a promo code of MYSPACE.

And here's a little background at what's at stake for the Dodgers this weekend:

The "boys in blue" need just one more win to clinch their division, the National League West, which would make them back-to-back division champions for the first time in 31 years.

But the Dodgers have failed to win in their last four games.

The Rockies have been quite the opposite lately, winning their last four games.

So, while any Dodger faithful would hope that their team's division-clinching win comes sooner rather than later, it could happen on Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles

David Lazarus: Pimp my school?

Would it bother you to send your child to McDonald's Elementary or Wal-Mart Middle School?

Columnist David Lazarus says he was offended when he first heard that the Santa Rosa school district was considering selling naming rights for its schools.

But schools are in pretty sorry financial shape these days. Maybe offering corporations some sponsorship opportunities isn't such a goofy idea.

Video by Jason H. Neubert

 

Starbucks and AT&T offer free coffee and Wi-Fi for those displaced by wildfires

Starbucks Corp. and AT&T Inc. have paired to provide relief to those displaced by the Station fire in the form of free coffee and free Internet service. 

Coffee will be donated to fire staging areas and Red Cross evacuation centers, Starbucks said in a statement.

AT&T is offering free Wi-Fi service in 19 Starbucks locations in communities affected by the fire so people can stay in touch with family, friends and business contacts, said John Britton, an AT&T spokesman.

The free coffee and Wi-Fi efforts began Monday and will run through Sept. 15, Britton said. By then, it is hoped that the fires will be extinguished, he said.

The Station fire has consumed more than 120,000 acres over the last week, mostly in the Angeles National Forest. Two firefighters have been killed by the blaze.

The 19 Starbucks locations with free Wi-Fi service are:

280 E. Palmdale Blvd., Palmdale

8349 Foothill Blvd., Sunland

3747 Foothill Blvd. #A, Glendale

2627 Foothill Blvd., La Crescenta

475 Foothill Blvd. #M, La Cañada Flintridge

1929 Verdugo, La Cañada Flintridge

1840 E. Washington Blvd., Pasadena

1135 Truman St., San Fernando

19435 Soledad Canyon Road, Santa Clarita

24802 Orchard Village Road, #A4 Santa Clarita

23792 San Fernando Road, Santa Clarita

26925 Sierra Highway, Santa Clarita

805 E. Avenue K #101, Lancaster

1845 W. Avenue I, Lancaster

2062 W. Avenue K, Lancaster

39904 10th St. West #D, Palmdale

39570 Lowes Drive, Palmdale

2834 Lenwood Road, Barstow

2843 Lenwood Blvd. Suite D, Barstow

-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles

Barneys Warehouse Sale draws shoppers downtown

The Barneys Warehouse Sale is back with its semiannual orgy of high-fashion discountery. But this time is different. The West Coast version of the bargain bin has moved east a bit from Santa Monica to downtown's L.A. Convention Center.

Reporter Carla Hall made the trek and found that Westsiders weren't thrilled with the new venue.

"The convenience factor here? Not so much," said Brenna Egan, a laid-off fashion editor. "When it was at Santa Monica Airport, you drove in, there it was, you drove out. It was like a valet sample sale. Here," she said, gesturing toward the expanse of the convention center, "it's like a maze."

But Egan, who lives in Carthay Circle, brightened as she showed off her finds, including an Yves St. Laurent top marked down from $1,400 to $424.

"I'm willing to go the extra mile -- the extra 10 miles -- for 75% off."

There was grumbling about the $12 parking fee at the convention center and the healthy walk from wheels to deals. At the Santa Monica Airport, parking was free and closer.

On the upside: actual bathrooms, not port-a-potties as in Santa Monica. The sale runs until Aug. 23. Hours vary. The Los Angeles Convention Center, South Hall, 1201 S. Figueroa St.

Photo: Shoppers search for bargains at the Barneys Warehouse Sale at the L.A Convention Center. Credit: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times