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CBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CBC
AI job applicants, promised boats, and boycotts going strong: CBC's Marketplace cheat sheet
Miss something this week? Don't panic. CBC's Marketplace rounds up the consumer and health news you need. Want this in your inbox? Get the Marketplace newsletter every Friday. That white guy who can't get a job at Tim Hortons? He's AI That white guy who can't get a job at Tim Hortons? He's AI 4 days ago Duration 3:26 A series of AI-generated videos that show a white man complaining about how difficult it is to get a job in Canada have been taken down by TikTok, following inquiries made by the CBC News Visual Investigations team. The social media platform says the videos violated its community guidelines, because it wasn't clear enough that they were made with AI. Most of the videos feature what looks like a white man in his 20s named "Josh," who speaks to the camera and makes racially charged statements about immigrants and their role in the job market. In fact, "Josh" is created by AI and doesn't exist. In one video, he complains he can't get a job because people from India have taken them all, particularly at Tim Hortons. He claims that he applied for a job at the doughnut shop and was asked if he spoke Punjabi. In a statement, Tim Hortons said the emergence of videos such as this have been extremely frustrating and concerning for the company, and adds that it has had difficulty getting them taken down. In another video, "Josh" attacks Canada's immigration policy, asking why so many people are admitted to Canada when there aren't enough jobs to go around. It's part of a trend known as "fake-fluencing." That's when companies create fake personas with AI in order to make it look like a real person is endorsing a product or service. The company in this case is Nexa, an AI firm that develops software that other companies can use to recruit new hires. Some of the videos feature Nexa logos in the scene. The company's founder and CEO Divy Nayyar calls that a "subconscious placement" of advertising. The U.S. boycott remains strong. Why many Canadians are digging in their heels It's shaping up to be a record sales year at Maker House, an Ottawa gift shop where almost everything in the store — from furniture to food to greeting cards — is entirely made in Canada. Hot sellers these days include a T-shirt with the newly iconic "elbows up" slogan, and chocolate bars wrapped in quintessential Canadian expressions such as "eh." Founder Gareth Davies says year-over-year sales surged by 150 per cent in February, when U.S. President Donald Trump first announced plans to impose tariffs on Canadian goods, and ramped up his threats to make Canada the 51st state. At the time, many Canadians pledged to boycott U.S. travel and goods, and support the Buy Canadian movement as a way to express their anger. Davies says sales since then have continued to stay strong: they're currently up by 80 per cent and almost doubled during the week leading up to Canada Day. "It's like a big hug from your neighbours across the country saying, 'You know, we're in this together and we're going to protect our country and our economy,'" he said. "I, in my gut, believe it will last as long as the vitriol lasts from the south." Boycotts often wane over time as people lose interest and return to old habits. But many Canadians' resolve to boycott the U.S. and focus on Canadian products has remained strong, and shows no signs of dissipating. A majority of Canadians polled in a new survey said they're actively supporting the Buy Canadian movement, and support stores removing U.S. products. Plus, Canadian travel to the U.S. has steadily declined since Trump took office in January. Should Tim Hortons repay all Canadians promised a boat? This Ottawa man thinks so Michel Leveillee is a loyal Tim Hortons customer. The Ottawa man says he visits two or three times a day for his large double-double, and he always participates in "Roll Up the Rim to Win" — the annual promotion that gives customers the opportunity to win prizes ranging from a doughnut to an all-inclusive vacation. So when Leveillee became one of thousands of Canadians across the country last year who were told they'd won a 2024 Targa 18 WT boat and trailer, he couldn't believe it. "[There were] tears of joy," he said. "And after that came the tears of deception." The wins had been a mistake. Tim Hortons reached out to its customers by email, blaming "technical errors." Montreal-based law firm LPC Avocats then launched a class-action lawsuit, arguing the thousands of affected customers deserve to be awarded the boat and trailer or the prize's value — about $64,000, the firm estimates. They had intended to represent all Canadians. In June 2025, a judge ruled that the lawsuit could go forward, but only for Quebec residents, because that province has stronger consumer protection laws. Leveillee said he'll be happy for any customers who can get justice, but Tim Hortons should be held responsible for everyone who got the notifications. "If [you] buy a coffee on the Quebec side [of the Ottawa River], and then you play Roll Up the Rim and win in Ontario, you're a winner no matter what," he said, noting he often stops for coffee in Gatineau, Que. CBC News reached out to Tim Hortons for comment, but they declined because the matter is still in court. Read more from CBC's Gabrielle Huston. A Marketplace story update Finally, an update to a story that Marketplace pursued a little over a year ago on food dyes, several of which are banned in Europe, but allowed here. The New York Times reports that Trump's secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has convinced several food manufacturers to remove some of these synthetic dyes from their food by the end of 2027. They report at least one major holdout, however: the candy industry, which says people like brightly coloured candy. Read more on this development here. What else is going on? Canada's big banks 'appear to be protecting themselves,' expert says. Marketplace needs your help! What's your sun care story? Whether you've found the perfect sunscreen or you're still searching, we want to hear what works for you (and what doesn't). Email us at marketplace@ and give us the "glow-down" on how you are staying sun safe! We're working on all-new investigations for our upcoming season and we want to hear from you. Got something you think we should investigate? Email us at marketplace@
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
How you could pay 25% more for Colin the Caterpillar cake in M&S cafe than from store just yards away
THE cost of Colin the Caterpillar is creeping up in M&S cafes – as The Sun on Sunday reveals you pay up to 25 per cent more for the cake than when it's bought in store. In Maidstone, Kent, the price of the mini-roll was £1.80 in the food aisles — but just a few feet away in the cafe, they sell for £2.25. 4 4 4 It was the same story in Durham, Wilmslow, Cheshire and Pudsey, West Yorks, where the 52g cake cost 45p more to sit down and eat. And if you pick up a small Colin with your petrol, you can fork out ten per cent more than in the shop. At Leeds Central and London Bridge stations, they also cost £2.25. Consumer expert Martyn James said: 'In challenging times, we all need a little consistency. So why is the iconic Colin the Caterpillar costing more depending on where you find him? 'It's bonkers to see such a price hike for the pleasure of dining with Colin in the same building where he's much cheaper to take home. 'So come on M&S, keep Colin consistently priced so we can all enjoy him.' We investigated the cost of Colin across the country and found that prices varied in supermarkets, cafes and petrol stations. And while there was little difference in price between locations, you pay a premium for the cake in London's Lewisham, where the price of a 52g mini Colin was £1.90 — 10p more than in other M&S stores. In the M&S superstore in Durham's Arnison Centre, shoppers were surprised to find out they were being charged more for Colin in the cafe. The tiny sweet treat is £2.25 if you want to eat it at a table upstairs, but just £1.80 in the shop downstairs. Courier Mario Condurache, 27, is dad to three-year-old Andrei. Mario said: 'It's very greedy of M&S to charge so much more in the cafe. It's all about the profit. I have a little one and you are forced to fork out more money. It's a rip-off. 'This would definitely stop me from going to the cafe.' Grandmother Maureen Waugh, 69, said: 'I think it's greedy, especially when M&S markets itself as family-friendly. I have grandkids, and it would put me off buying mini Colins. It makes you wonder what else is more expensive in the cafe. I'm shocked.' Launched by M&S in 1990, Colin soon became a national favourite. The store typically sells more than 450,000 of the chocolate roll treats each year, with 15million sold since 1990. An M&S spokesman said: 'There are additional costs when it comes to dining in at cafes and coffee shops across the UK, including legislated 20 per cent VAT, which plays a part in why some prices may vary to those in store.'
Associated Press
16-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Weekly Recap: 14 Consumer Press Releases You Need to See
A roundup of the most newsworthy consumer and retail announcements from PR Newswire this week, including new summer workbooks for children, a G-SHOCK and Crocs collaboration, and a new Wayfair retail location. NEW YORK, May 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help consumer/retail journalists and consumers stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a recap of some major stories from the week that shouldn't be missed. The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download. For more news like this, check out all of the latest retail-related releases from PR Newswire. Do you have a retail press release to distribute? Sign up with PR Newswire to share your story with the audiences who matter most. Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists. Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers, and freelancers have access to the following free features: About PR Newswire PR Newswire is the industry's leading press release distribution partner with an unparalleled global reach of more than 440,000 newsrooms, websites, direct feeds, journalists and influencers and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages. From our award-winning Content Services offerings, integrated media newsroom and microsite products, Investor Relations suite of services, paid placement and social sharing tools, PR Newswire has a comprehensive catalog of solutions to solve the modern-day challenges PR and communications teams face. For 70 years, PR Newswire has been the preferred destination for brands to share their most important news stories across the world. For questions, contact the team at [email protected]. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE PR Newswire
