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Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Overcharged on a product? In Michigan consumers are owed compensation
An investigation revealing grocery giant Kroger overcharging on items has stirred up plenty of customer angst. Several readers emailed to sound off on experiences (specifically at Kroger) where the shelf tag price didn't match the register price at checkout. Comments poured in, too, nearly 700 of them, on the Free Press' Facebook post about the article, with readers spouting off about overcharges, digital coupons not working, and folks wondering what to do. Consumers are protected by what's known as the 'Shopping Reform and Modernization Act,' also called the 'scanner law,' which requires that 'prices for most items be clearly displayed' near or where the product is displayed. Signs, electronic readers or price stickers can, according to the law, be used to indicate the price of an item. First signed into law in 1976 and taking effect on Jan. 1, 1978, the law was previously known as Michigan's 'Pricing and Advertising of Consumer Items Act' or 'item pricing act. ' It is one I personally have used at local retailers, especially grocery stores. The law requires items for sale to be individually marked with a price tag or sticker. More: Trump tariffs will slow Michigan growth, kill 13,000 auto-related jobs, experts predict More: Investigation finds Kroger overcharged customers for sale items Frank Kelley, the state's late attorney general, championed the law, according to Free Press archives. Over the years, the law — one of the strictest of its type in the United States — has had adjustments, most notably that items no longer need to have individual price stickers. Requiring that each item have an individual price tag eventually went away when the 'Shopping Reform and Modernization Act,' also known as the 'scanner law,' went into effect on Sept. 1, 2011. There are exceptions. For example, items that are sold by weight or volume and not in packages are exempt from the scanner law. One key requirement is that you must have a receipt with the price you were charged for an item. Also, you have 30 days from the date the item was purchased to notify the seller, in person or in writing. The seller then has two days after being notified to pay. While there are some restrictions, generally, here's what can happen when you are charged more than the price displayed, according to Consumers (buyers) are given an amount equal to the difference between the price displayed and the price charged for the consumer item. For example, if the price of something is $1.59 and scans at $2.09, the difference is 50 cents. The buyer receives a bonus, sometimes referred to as a "bounty," of 10 times the difference that is not less than $1 and a maximum of $5. In the example above, that would be $5. Note: If you bought multiples of the same item, the bonus only applies to one item, not all of them. Using this example, the consumer would receive $5.50 as a total bonus. If a seller refuses to pay, the consumer can take the seller to court and may receive up to $250 in damages and up to $300 in attorney's fees, according to the law. One thing that's unclear is when it comes to the term 'pay' and whether the seller can issue a gift certificate. 'This is a legal question best answered by a court,' according to the FAQs about the law at which said that 'dictionaries offer differing definitions as to whether 'pay'" is limited to an offer of money. A crucial point to remember when shopping is to pay attention to shelf tags or prices displayed for items. When you are checking out, at a register with a store associate or using a self-scanner option, pay attention to prices to make sure you are being charged the correct amount. After checking out, review your receipt to also make sure you were charged the correct amount for items. Also, make sure you alert the store if you spot an error. The Kroger Michigan Division and Grand Rapids-based Meijer say they comply with Michigan's law. In an email to the Free Press, a Kroger of Michigan spokesman said: 'The Kroger Michigan Division is committed to full compliance with all Michigan laws, including the Scanner Law. We prioritize transparency and affordable pricing to ensure a positive experience for our customers.' A Meijer spokesman in an email to the Free Press wrote: "Meijer is committed to pricing integrity and takes accurate pricing seriously as well as the requirements of the Michigan Shopping Reform and Modernization Act of 2011. If a customer observes what they believe to be a discrepancy, we ask that they go to our customer service counter and speak with one of our team members." Over the years, according to Free Press archives, the state's attorney general's office brought claims against various retailers under the law. Walmart paid the state of Michigan $780,000 in 2006 to settle a claim that the retailer 'repeatedly failed to price individual items in its stores here.' Home Depot in 1998 paid the state $250,000 for repeated violations of the item-pricing law. After then-Attorney General Kelley, a staunch supporter of Michigan's item-pricing law, retired in 1998 from the state, he went to work as a consultant for a company wanting the law rewritten. Kelley began working with Home Depot USA Inc. on a proposal to end having price tags on every item sold in Michigan and allow customers to use a system of scanners to check prices. In a 2001 Free Press article, Kelley described his work for Home Depot as an effort to "improve the law and protect consumers." "I won't be a party to any attempt to weaken the law," he said. It wasn't until 10 years later that retailers were not required to put price tags on individual items. In 2011, there was a legislative proposal to end individually pricing items sold at retailers. Those proposing to end the law at the time cited Michigan scanner technology, and retailers called the law expensive. Proponents for keeping the law said a proposed end to it didn't do enough to protect consumers. On Sept. 1, 2011, the new law required that the price of the items needed to be 'displayed on shelf signs or by other methods clearly visible to consumers in the store at the place where the item is located.' Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@ Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan has a 'scanner law': Here's how it works
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29-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Flashback: 2020 Chef of the Year infused immaculate pastries with global flavors
Originally published Feb. 11, 2020. The Free Press will reveal its 2025 Restaurant of the Year and Top 10 New Restaurants and Dining Experiences next week. In the meantime, here's a look at a past Chef of the Year, Warda Bouguettaya of Warda Patisserie. Bouguettaya would go on to win the prestigious James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef in 2022. This year's list will include culinarians who, like Bouguettaya, aren't attached to traditional restaurants. What makes a great chef? Is it sheer cooking skill? A penchant for managing a motley kitchen crew while keeping costs in check? The ability to translate a unique and interesting point of view onto a plate? Those aspects are all part of it, naturally. But, increasingly, greatness demands a chef to be a beacon in a community, to lead with ethical values while nurturing talent and fostering a positive — and safe — environment for employees and customers. The days of the dish-throwing, mercurial drill sergeant in a tall white toque are, thankfully, coming to an end. And while the definition of a chef has shifted, the boundaries in which they work have expanded, too. In 2020, we often find greatness beyond the walls of the traditional brick-and-mortar restaurant. Today, it's just as likely to lurk behind the scenes of a pop-up dinner series, at the helm of a food truck, catering a community event or feeding folks affected by natural disaster. Every year since I began as the Free Press' restaurant critic in 2016, I've aimed to widen the net when casting for people and places to formally recognize in our annual Restaurant of the Year/Best New Restaurants package — to be more inclusive of communities that have historically been overlooked in a food journalism oeuvre long dominated by Eurocentrism and white tablecloths. That's led to us highlighting a more diverse and delicious range of dining options. But the work is not done. This year, we aim to deepen that approach further by adding a new award as part of our awards package, distinct from the other accolades we give out. Consider it our attempt to get with the times. Because not all great restaurants are chef-driven and not all great chefs work in restaurants, we'd like to introduce you to the first-ever Detroit Free Press/Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Chef of the Year: Warda Bouguettaya, owner/operator of Warda Patisserie. The most salient introduction to Bouguettaya is through her immaculate pastries. Since 2018, she has served her silky chocolate passion fruit tarts, cherry and port sablé cookies, black sesame and mango financiers and the North African yeasted crepes called baghrir from a pastry stand inside the Trinosophes cafe and arts space on Gratiot near Eastern Market. It was a long road getting there, but the journey informs all of her output. 'There is definitely not one identity to the patisserie,' she says. 'It's just the inspiration of all these places combined in one space.' Born and raised in a seaside town in Algeria, Bouguettaya first immigrated to Michigan at 21 in 2004 when her husband, Mohamed, took a job in the automotive industry. A few years later, they were on the move again for work, decamping to Shanghai for three years for another of Mohamed's postings. It was in China, of all places, that Bouguettaya formalized her love of French pastry by enrolling at the prestigious Paul Bocuse Institute. She started in the cooking curriculum, learning the ways of the cold station and the hot line. But when she got to the pastry department, she didn't want to leave. From there, she rearranged the curriculum so she could focus on her newfound love of baking. When the Bouguettayas resettled back in the Detroit area in 2016, she began to pursue her dream of opening her own cafe by setting up shop at the Corktown Farmers Market. 'At first, I thought that I was going to do just Algerian pastries,' she says. 'That worked well, but after the experience in China, I just couldn't choose exactly where I fit and where I felt more at home.' In late 2018, with the support of FoodLab Detroit, Bouguettaya formalized her business another step and opened Warda Patisserie inside Trinosophes. Here, due in part to a gorgeous Instagram feed and expanded hours, her notoriety grew along with her palette. 'For me, this notion of home kind of didn't have any borders anymore,' she says. 'And so I wanted to incorporate all of that into the patisserie, which is Asia, which is Algeria, which is France. … It is a patisserie without borders.' That translates to desserts like the Koh Lanta tart, named for a popular island district off the coast of Thailand where the Bouguettayas would holiday while living in Shanghai. The circular tart features a buttery almond frangipane base topped with salted pineapple caramel curd holding chunks of fresh pineapple crowned with a dusting of coconut. In the middle of a dreary Michigan winter, one bite is enough to transport you to the tropics. But while the inspiration is international — and the butter used in the dough is of the high-quality, high-fat French variety — Bouguettaya also embraces and promotes local purveyors and local ingredients. Offerings frequently rotate at the patisserie, but the savory potato and egg tart remains a staple. It features a flaky pastry crust topped with thin discs of roasted potatoes from Tantre Farm in Chelsea, a soft egg, creamy goat cheese and a smattering of dill or za'atar. Most of the salt comes from the cheese itself — a light-handed calling card of sorts. Both the Parisian flan served on weekends or the custardy quiche served midweek are about as good as either form gets. Soft and airy, but rich. Never clunky. Every dish at Warda Patisserie, be it savory or sweet, feels like a signature. A secretive letter shared between pen pals. The experience of eating it is personal. The instinct is to guard it for yourself while the next immediate impulse is to shout it from the rooftops. Each perfect tart holds within it a revelatory kind of beauty. It's almost impossible to describe. Bouguettaya says she began cooking in America to feel less homesick and you can taste the longing in every bite. It is poetry in edible form. In food, there's often a tension between precision and soul. Comfort food, sometimes referred to as 'grandma food' has been all the rage, because rustic peasant food hews closer to our collective ideas of authenticity. Precision is the perceived enemy of our grandma's recipes, which call for a handful of this, a pinch of that, seasoning "to taste" and the all-knowing "to the eye." So when food can walk the line between the two, that tension gives it a kind of rare energy. That is the food Bougettaya makes. It is heartbreaking in its gorgeousness, like a perfect canvas you don't want to ruin with a misplaced stroke, or in this case a bite. But the soul within, derived from her travels and her memories of cooking in Algeria at her grandmother's knee and that thing that happens when an immigrant falls in love with their new home, transcends food. You can't help but be moved. 70 W Alexandrine St, Detroit, MI 48201 This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 2020 Free Press Chef of the Year Warda Bouguettaya a master of pastry
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13-03-2025
- Entertainment
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Love dining out in metro Detroit? You can win $500 to eat at 5 top restaurants
We're getting ready for another exciting year for the Detroit Free Press/Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Restaurant of the Year and the Best New Dining Experiences in metro Detroit. But it isn't just another year. We are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Restaurant of the Year program. This milestone anniversary comes with a $500 dining experience contest for one lucky reader. In 2000, Tribute, the former Farmington Hills restaurant, was named the Free Press' first Restaurant of the Year. Last year's winner was Alpino, a Corktown hot spot known for its cuisine inspired by the Alps. Soonm, Lyndsay C. Green, the Free Press' dining critic, will unveil her selection for this year's top restaurants and dining experiences. But before that list is revealed, you can enter to win an opportunity to dine at several of this year's choices. One randomly selected winner will receive $500 in gift cards to dine at their choice of five of the 12 chosen restaurants. Winners select which restaurants to dine at and receive a $100 gift card for each of the five restaurants chosen. You can enter the contest now at The deadline is April Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@ Follow @SusanMariecooks on X. Subscribe to the Free Press. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Love dining out in metro Detroit? Win $500 to eat at top restaurants
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30-01-2025
- General
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Kash Patel demonstrates the Indian custom of giving respect to elders
My now-husband, Jake, and I come from two different worlds. He is a Californian with German roots and I'm an Indian immigrant. Recalling the moments right before I met his family, he told me to be myself and that they're going to love me. (It worked.) But when it was his turn to meet my big, fat Indian family, the list of expectations was much longer. He did his best to keep up, like learning a few phrases in Hindi and not calling elders by their first name. But one deeply rooted tradition surprised him. 'When you see my grandmother, make sure to touch her feet,' I told him when he visited India last May. 'Her feet?' he asked me, his eyebrows raised. I grew up with this practice as did those around me. What felt normal to me was obviously foreign to him. So I did my best to explain. In India, it's common to bow down and touch an elder's feet as a sign of respect and a way to ask for their blessing. It's a gesture of humility and acknowledges the elders' elevated position in society, I told him. Jake nodded before adding he needed to practice. He showed me several ways he could go about it and asked me questions about his form and whether he needed to touch the toes specifically. 'Don't overthink it. All you have to do is touch her feet and give her a smile,' I reassured him, or at least tried to, as he gave me a worried look. When he met my grandmother, Maya, nearly 70 years old now, Jake did as he had practiced. Maya, who was already smiling ear to ear after meeting Jake for the first time, instantly grew emotional and gave him a big bear hug. The language barrier did not matter and just like that, two different generations from worlds apart forged a connection. This same gesture of humility and respect took center stage at Kash Patel's confirmation hearing on Thursday. He is Trump's nominee for director of the FBI. As soon as he entered the room for his confirmation hearing on Thursday, he touched his parents' feet. The video went viral, with several social media users of Indian heritage sharing it and chiming in. The Free Press' Rupa Subramanya in a social media post on X said that while she doesn't practice the ancient Hindu tradition, she respects it. 'And it's great to see Kash Patel touch his parent's feet before the hearing,' she added. Patel, in his opening remarks, said, 'I'd like to welcome my father Pramod, and my mother Anjana, who are sitting here today. They travelled here from India. My sister, Nisha, is also here. She also traveled across the oceans just to be with me. It means the world that you guys are here.' 'Jai Shree Krishna,' he said while facing them. The widely used expression is used to greet people. It's a Sanskrit phrase, which translates to, Victory to Krishna, a Hindu God. 'I wouldn't be here today without their guidance, their unwavering support, and their relentless love. When President Trump informed me of his intention to nominate me as the director of the FBI, I was deeply honored,' he said. Patel said he carried the dreams and hopes of his parents as well as Americans who value 'justice, fairness and the rule of law.' His father fled Uganda during Idi Amin's genocidal dictatorship. At least '300,000 men, women and children were killed based on their ethnicity, just because they happened to look like me,' he said. His mother is from Tanzania. 'She studied in India, as did my dad, and they were married there. They would later emigrate to New York ... where I was born, and we were raised in a household of my father's seven siblings, their spouses, and at least half a dozen children,' Patel said. He continued, 'That's the only way we knew how to do things at the time, in the '70s and '80s, the Indian way, but we would soon learn the American way,' he said. As the Deseret News reported, Patel's hearing Thursday was one of the most contentious ones so far as he faced tough questions about his professional experience and past comments as he seeks to be confirmed as the next director of the FBI. Senate Democrats grilled Patel on a number of issues, claiming the Trump ally does not have the experience needed to lead the agency and airing concerns he would use the top agency position to exact revenge on those who have previously investigated the president. Republicans pushed back on those accusations, including Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. Tillis argued in favor of his expertise and commitment to the country. 'Kash's parents are Indian immigrants of Gujarati ancestry. They're up here in the front row. The Gujarat state is a melting pot of religions, including Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, with temples, mosques and other religious sites scattered across the state,' he said before noting his parents' upbringings. 'His parents raised Kash in the Hindu faith and they instilled in him the values of hard work and education,' Tillis said. 'Kash is a devout Hindu, and consistent with his faith, he's shown respect to people of all faiths.'
