Starbucks, Target Supplier Is Shut Down by FDA for Salmonella

The Sunland Inc. plant that distributes peanut butter to Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Target and others is linked to Salmonella contamination that made at least 41 people ill in 20 states.

A plant that supplies peanut butter products to Starbucks and other stores has been shut down for its link to Salmonella contamination.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administrationannounced Monday that it has blocked food distribution from the Sunland Inc. peanut butter plant in New Mexico whose products were subject to a wide recall in recent months because of salmonella contamination, reports Beverly Hills Patch. The various types of Sunland peanut butter products—sold under several brands by major food retailers, including Starbucks, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and Target—had been part of a voluntary recall that began in September and later was expanded to include other nut butters as well as processed nuts and peanuts.  There are two …

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'Black Friday Creep' Spurs Online Petition Drives to Save Thanksgiving

Thousands are signing an online petitions against Black Friday store opening hours that have been pushed into Thanksgiving Day.

The trend for stores to open earlier and earlier to take advantage of Black Friday sales—even to the point of opening in the evening on Thanksgiving Day—has prompted an online petition drive to give Thanksgiving back to employees and their families. Read More: Black Friday Shopping in St. Louis to Start Earlier Than Ever The original petition was reportedly created by a Target employee upset that the retail giant is opening on Thanksgiving and requiring employees to work instead of spending time with their families. Target stores, including the one in Brentwood, will open their doors at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving. As of Tuesday morning, there are more than 179,000 signatures on the petition. (Check out the petition here.) A press release from …

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Who's Hiring

Seasonal Jobs Abound as Holiday Season Approaches

Many St. Louis-area big box retail stores are hiring seasonal workers to help handle the holiday shopping season.

Thousands of jobs are on the way to St. Louis as big-box retail stores such as Walmart and Target are set to hire seasonal employees in anticipation of the holiday shopping rush. According to a St. Louis Business Journal report, Walmart plans on hiring more than 50,000 seasonal employees, although it's not sure how many of those jobs will be for the store's 20 St. Louis-area locations. Walmart is not the only store hiring. Many of the Christmas season's go-to stores are also looking for seasonal help. The Business Journal reports that Target is set to hire between 80,000 to 90,000 workers across the country, while Kohl's plans to hire 52,000 workers. And Macy's, which has three locations in the St. Louis-area, plans to add 1,700 jobs to …

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Getting a Job at Target: Not so Easy?

Target applicants used to have to complete 704 true/false questions about everything from politics to their sex life.

Looking for a job, either full time or maybe seasonal? Sounds like if you want to work at Target it's not easy to get in. An article by AOL suggests it's harder to get into Target than Harvard. Here's the process at a California Target, according to the article: "Target's hiring process for its new stores has been designed with military precision. Applicants take an on-spot assessment test, interview with two current employees, and are then escorted to the bathroom for an on-site drug test. If all goes well, they'll get a job offer, assuming their background check comes up clean." Have you, or are you planning on applying for a position at the Brentwood Promenade Target? A caller to the store is told to apply online. Do you have any …

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WashU Students: Where to Shop For Groceries, Clothes and More

A variety of shops are located near Washington University for students needing anything from school supplies and guitar strings to computers and running shoes.

New to St. Louis and looking for groceries, running shoes, a decent used camera or guitar strings near WUSTL? Patch is your online source for local news, and we also have a comprehensive directory for anywhere to get anything. Browse the stores below to familiarize yourself with your nearby shopping destinations. Each link has what you need to check out the store online or in person. Groceries supplies: School supplies: Clothing and misc. Clothing School supplies Misc. Groceries supplies Clothing and misc.  School supplies Misc.

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Vote for UCHS in Target Contest on Facebook

Target is giving away one $25 gift certificate for every 25 votes schools earn in their online promotion.

Thanks to Cindy Thierry for alerting us to this online promotion earning local schools some much-needed funds! Target is giving away $2.5 million in Target gift cards, and our schools need your votes. To vote, go to the Give With Target on Facebook site, search for the school you want to earn money and vote for them. (Note: You need a Facebook account to access the contest.) Schools reveive a $25 Target gift card for every 25 votes they earn, up to a maximum of $10,000 in gift cards. So far, University City High School has earned 22 votes—three shy of a gift card! (Vote for them here.) You can vote every week. Voting ends September 8 or when $2.5 million in gift cards have been awarded, whichever happens first.

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Trade in iPads, iPods, iPhones at Target

The Target in Brentwood is participating in the trade-in offer that gives customers a store credit for their used electronics.

If you have an iPod, iPhone or iPad that you are ready to get rid of, take it to Target and the store will give you a gift card in return for the device. The Brentwood Target store is participating in the trade-in offer.  Town and Country store staff tells Patch that customers can trade in online or in-stores. However, customers must work with a member of the Target Mobile staff if making the trade-in at the store, so check your local store for its hours.  According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Target is offering the deal at more than 1,450 retail locations through a partnership with NextWorth. The offer runs through Feb. 11. The Post-Dispatch reports the following trade-in amounts: Click here for more information on the offer. Although…

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Black Friday News and Updates

Find the latest on Black Friday lines, deals and news as it happens. If you see something we should know about, send us a tip at Lindsay.Toler@patch.com or tweet @StLouisLindsay.

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Brandon Fry - Local Volunteer

9:38 am on Friday, November 25, 2011

We got in and out with all of our video games in about 1 hour. We got some great deals and little hassle with long lines this year. Of course we avoided the big box stores. Once we left the mall and went to McDonald's it was a different story.   more ›

Black Friday Shopping Guide in St. Louis

The stores, sales and strategies you need to optimize your all-night shopping blow-out.

Here’s a new holiday tradition to try: Say grace, eat turkey, head to the mall. Black Friday sales start at midnight this year at some of the regions biggest stores, including Walmart, Target, Kohl’s and Best Buy. We’ve read through the ads and compiled everything you need for the best all-night holiday shopping blow-out possible. And for each sale, we've highlighted the items we think would make the best gifts (at the best prices!) Check back on Black Friday for updates and tips, and if you hit the sales, tag your tweets with #BlackFridaySTL or mention @StLouisLindsay. And don't forget: Black Friday sales are already starting online at popular big box stores. Best Buy said they've already sold out of popular $80 TVs and $150 laptops, but …

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