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Where were you on 9/11? Decline of free returns, Take N’ Taste, FilmWeek and more
Flags and flowers are placed by the names of those killed on Sept. 11, 2001, at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
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Jeenah Moon
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POOL/AFP via Getty Images
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Today's show: AirTalk Friday host Austin Cross discusses where we were on 9/11, the decline of free online returns, Take N’ Taste sandwiches, FilmWeek and movie stars' favorite movies. Cross is also LAist's local Morning Edition host.
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Where were you on 9/11?
The topic:
Americans are commemorating the 25th anniversary of 9/11, remembering the shock, the dead and the sweeping consequences of the al-Qaeda attacks on symbols of U.S. might and prosperity. Today on AirTalk, we hear from listeners about where they were on the day.
Join the conversation: Give us a call at (866) 893-5722 or you can email us at atcomments@laist.com with your first name and what neighborhood you’re from.
With files from the Associated Press
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Online retailers are clamping down on free returns
Have you had trouble with returns?
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Olga Demina
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iStockphoto
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The topic:
Just a few years ago, buying something you didn’t like online just meant slapping a label on it and sending it back through the mail or dropping it off at some semi-convenient location. But as retailers look to cut costs, the era of free returns seems to be coming to an end.
Background: Returns as a concept are something of a perk that retailers offer, and have become a vital source of trust for consumers and companies; don’t like it, just return it. Returns, of course, hit retailers' bottom line and this is especially true for online retailers who have had to eat the cost of a return item being shipped back.
The latest: But as e-commerce has matured and looked to increase profits, companies have done the math and figured that charging for returns won’t turn off customers too much — 68% of retailers now charge to make a return some of the time, up from 43% just five years ago, according to e-commerce returns-and-exchange company Loop Returns.
Yes, but: Whether or not online stores disclose that they charge for returns is still a coin flip, and that’s led to online backlash.
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Join the conversation: Have you recently tried to return something and had a bad experience? Or are you dreading doing a return and have been putting it off? Give us a call at (866) 893-5722 or you can email us at atcomments@laist.com.
Guest:
- Sucharita Kodali, e-commerce analyst at Forrester Research, a technology research and advisory firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Take N’ Taste on the biz of delivering sandwiches
The topic:
When you wanna keep it simple for lunch — go with a sandwich. One sandwich spot out of Burbank is offering a variety of options, including classics like melts and dips, and delivering them to locals. Take N’ Taste was started by chef Ashley Childs and James Schroeder, both of whom are in the service industry and decided to start their own business as a side project.
Business details:
- Outside of working as a chef in different restaurants, Childs is also in the process of becoming a dietitian and currently has a master's in nutritional science. Schroeder’s professional background has been mostly as a storyboard artist.
- Since Childs was previously a vegan, she developed vegan alternatives for many of the menu items.
How to visit: Take N’ Taste is a a MEHKO (Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation) that primarily delivers its food to customers in the Burbank and Toluca Lake areas. Orders can be made on their website. For any ordering-related questions, you can also reach out to them via social media or by phone.
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Cost: The dip portobello costs $17; dip roast beef costs $19; a tuna melt costs $17; a blackened chicken costs $15; a smoked BBQ jackfruit sandwich costs $14.
Guests:
- Ash Childs, chef and owner of Take N’ Taste
- James Schroeder, co-owner of Take N’ Taste
FilmWeek: ‘Practical Magic 2,’ ‘Hope,’ ‘The Uprising’ and more!
Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock star in Practical Magic 2, directed by Susanne Bier.
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Courtesy Warner Bros.
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The topic:
Larry Mantle is joined by our FilmWeek critics Christy Lemire and Katie Walsh to review this week's biggest film releases, including Practical Magic 2, the sequel to the 1998 cozy-cult classic, starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as sister witches. They’ll also talk about the Watts set drama If I Go Will They Miss Me and the documentary Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger, about the Gallagher brothers’ reunion tour.
The films:
- Practical Magic 2, Wide Release
- Hope, Wide Release
- The Uprising, Wide Release
- If I Go Will They Miss Me, AMC Century City | Expands to more theaters Sept. 18
- Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger, In Select Theaters
- Runner, In Select Theaters
- Black Zombie, Landmark Nuart Theatre [West L.A.]
- Call My Agent! The Movie, Streaming on Netflix
- This Is Buzz, Brain Dead Studios [Fairfax District], The Frida Cinema [Santa Ana], & The Arts Theatre Long Beach
Guests:
- Christy Lemire, film critic for LAist, and co-host of the Breakfast All Day YouTube and podcast series
- Katie Walsh, film critic at the Tribune News Service and L.A. Times
What are some of your favorite movie stars' favorite movies?
Devil in a Blue Dress is Ava DuVernay's pick for Dave Karger's new TCM book, 50 Movie Nights: Contemporary Stars on Their Favorite Classic Films
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Courtesy Sony Pictures
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The topic:
In his new book 50 Movie Nights: Contemporary Stars on Their Favorite Classic Films, Turner Classic Movies host Dave Karger asked 50 actors, filmmakers and stars what their favorite classic films are and the ideal way to watch them.
What films are included? The book features a wide array of classic cinema, from political dramas like Don Cheadle’s choice, The Battle of Algiers (1966), to action comedies like Adam Scott’s pick, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984). Other movies featured include Wes Anderson’s pick, The Tall Target (1951), Paul Rudd’s selection of Withnail & I (1987), Sterling K. Brown’s pick, Out of Sight (1998), and Ava DuVernay’s choice, Devil in a Blue Dress (1995).
Event info: TCM host Dave Karger will sign copies of his new book on Friday, Sept. 18 at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, followed by a conversation with Jason Bateman and a screening of his selected film, Martin Scorsese’s The King of Comedy (1982). You can get more information about the event here.
Guest:
- Dave Karger, TCM host, film expert, and author of the new book 50 Movie Nights: Contemporary Stars on Their Favorite Classic Films
-
Today on AirTalk: Anti-Islam rhetoric, Charlie Kirk's legacy, how our brain influences us, latest in AI, new Caltech president and TV Talk. -
Today on AirTalk: L.A. weather, neighborhood input in local events, book on forces behind the NFL, Gen Z talking less, ethanol-blended fuel and raising kids based on gender. -
Today on AirTalk: Alex Villanueva on sheriff's race, Michael Gates on attorney general's race, LA28 transit, whether gap years are worth it, and a book on how leaders matter.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
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