Buyer beware

This past week had me thinking about recalls. I was shopping with my nephew in one of those 2nd hand stores that people donate to for charity. I can't remember which one it actually was, but we went into a Savers, Goodwill AND Salvation Army that day looking for Harry Potter books. Any way, as we were heading up to the check out counter, I looked at some of their baby gear. They had a bumbo that was recalled. No big deal, I let the guy know at the counter and went on with my day.

Later that night I started to think:

1. Did that guy really listen to me when I told him it was recalled? Did he take it off the shelf?
2. What if someone had bought it before I told him? 
3. And how many of recalled baby items were sitting on their floor?

Being a 2nd hand store manager and a buyer, we check every item that comes in. If something is recalled, we tell the person it was recalled and give it back. Some items, like the bumbo, I can easily get the recall piece for. Others, like a drop side crib, we don't take the risk. Some people have no idea their item was recalled.

I took a short survey of mothers in a few of the groups I am in on Facebook. A lot of them don't look up recalls for their items. Granted, most of them do register their big ticket items and should get contacted if there was a recall. Many admitted that if they were selling their item (to a 2nd hand store or donating) they don't look up any recalls for it.

After reading some of the responses, it made me think..

Facebook market place is a popular place to sell baby equipment. Do people keep track of recalls if they are selling it online? Do people do their research before buying something online?

So, I'd like to take a moment to share a few ways as to our we find out if a product is recalled. 

I literally google it. I will type in Bumbo Recall into the google search and it will tell me what, if any, recalls there are. Usually it will take me to the Bumbo website where I can request a recall piece to fix the issue, sometimes it will take me to the .gov websites that list all.

If there is a year on the item, like a stroller, I will type in 2011 BOB Jogger Recall.

We check recalls.gov often too. This site allows you to sign up for emails, which we get too, that list the most recent recalls on all items. 

If you shop in our store, or any other Children's Orchard nation wide, we check and double check our toys and equipment to make sure they haven't been recalled. Even some clothes and shoes have been recalled. Please be extra careful buying from other places or online. Most people are honest and would never knowingly put someone's child in danger, but some people don't care or are just trying to make a quick buck.

If you have any helpful tips for people concerning recalls, please feel free to comment below!

Note: this isn't meant to make anyone feel like they aren't doing everything they can to keep their child safe. It is being written because of what I have seen recently at other 2nd hand stores and on Facebook market place. 

Incredibles 2

I took my niece to see Incredibles 2 the other day after school. It was raining and the perfect ending to the school year for her.

The movie picks up where the 1st movie left off (even though it's been 14 years!) The movie starts out with the Incredibles fighting Underminer, but destroying the city in the process. Because of the damage, the authorities become concerned and as a result, Rick Dicker informs the Parr family that his department's "Super Relocation" program is being shut down, forcing supers across the world to permanently adhere to their secret identities. 
Lucius Best, their superhero friend "Frozone", is stopped by Winston Deavor, a superhero fan, telecommunications tycoon, and owner of DEVTECH, after the fight with Underminer. Frozone tells Bob and Helen about his encounter and the 3 of them to to DEVTECH to meet Winston Deavor, who proposes a publicity stunt to regain the general public's support of supers.

Helen Parr, considered the least-destructive of the supers, is selected to undertake the stunt by openly fighting crime in New Urbrem, under her old identity of Elastigirl. As part of the plan, Winston provides the family with a new home, to which Bob offers to take care of the kids while Helen is away. During her absence, Bob discovers that Jack-Jack has various super powers, but struggles with controlling the family's infant. Seeking help, Bob takes Jack-Jack to Edna Mode, a family friend and superhero-costume designer, who agrees to help upon seeing the baby's superpowers in action. Meanwhile, during her mission, Helen confronts the Screenslaver – a mysterious villain who hijacks screens in order to project hypnotic images that can brainwash civilians.

After rescuing an ambassador from the Screenslaver's clutches, she manages to defeat him, only to find that he is no more than a pizza delivery man, who has no recollection of what he did. While attending a celebration of the Screenslaver's defeat at the Deavor's, Helen realizes that the pizza delivery man was being controlled by hypno-screens within his goggles. Before she can alert anyone to this, Winston's sister Evelyn Deavor overpowers her and brainwashes her with Screenslaver's goggles glasses. Evelyn reveals herself to be the mastermind behind the Screenslaver – seeing supers as a threat to humanity's independence, she sought to undermine her brother's mission, and plans to brainwash the world's leaders so that they cannot re-legalize superheroes. Evelyn then manages to lure Bob and Lucius into a trap, and place them under her control with brainwashing glasses.

Avoiding the same fate as their parents, Dash, Violet, and Jack-Jack, whom Edna had outfitted with a super-suit, sneak aboard the Deavor's ship to rescue their parents, as the world leaders meet for a hearing on supers. After freeing their parents and Lucius, the group reveal Evelyn's plan to the assembled leaders. A battle on the boat ensues, threatening to crash the ship into New Urbrem. However, the group manage to stop it, while Helen apprehends Evelyn when she tries to make an escape. Following the incident, the Supers Relocation Program is reinstated in response to the group's heroism, making supers legal once again.

This movie had a lot of action, which held my niece's attention for the whole almost 2 hours! There is an issue with flashing lights that may cause issues for some people, but other than that it was a great movie. I highly recommend kids and adults to take the time and watch it.

As we were leaving the theater, my niece asked me if we could see it again this summer with her cousins AND if I would buy it as soon as it comes out on DVD (which will be awhile, because we watched the movie opening day! lol)