Consumer Confidential: FedEx in high gear, OJ getting pricey, ‘Man Up’ warning

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Here’s your more-more-more Monday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and he drives a FedEx truck. The shipping giant says it expects to ship 16 million packages Monday in what will probably be the busiest day in company history. FedEx says shipments should be nearly 13% higher than its busiest day last year, and double the volume that the company handles on an average day. From Thanksgiving to Christmas, FedEx expects to move more than 223 million packages around the world, an increase of 11% from the same period last year. FedEx expects to ship more than 63 million packages this week, up from 57.5 million last year. That may not be the most accurate economic indicator, but it should count for something.

--Orange juice may be good for your health, but not your wallet. The price that traders are willing to pay for future OJ purchases jumped to the highest level in more than three years after Florida, the biggest grower after Brazil, declared a state of emergency because of the threat of severe cold and crop damage. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said extreme temperatures and possible crop destruction threatens the state with a ‘major disaster.’ Some areas may be subject to freezes through Dec. 15, Crist says. Prices have jumped as much as 6.2%. ‘This kind of temperature will freeze the fruit,’ says Jimmy Tintle, an analyst at Transworld Futures in Tampa. And frozen fruit means higher prices at the supermarket.

--I wouldn’t know about this firsthand, of course, but our friends at the Food and Drug Administration are warning guys to steer clear of a product called ‘Man Up Now.’ The FDA says the Man Up capsules, marketed as a dietary supplement for sexual enhancement, contain a variation of an active drug ingredient found in Viagra that can dangerously lower blood pressure. Man Up Now claims to be ‘herbal’ and ‘all natural,’ and consumers may mistakenly assume the product is harmless and poses no health risk. Consumers who have Man Up Now capsules should stop using them immediately, the FDA says.

-- David Lazarus