Consumer News: You get a gift you don’t want. Now what?

See if your hiding spot is likely to be discovered

• Many of the most popular holiday gift hiding spots like closets and under beds are also the most likely to be discovered.

• Smart decoys and disguises can make even obvious hiding places far more effective at keeping surprises secret.

• A new Holiday Gift Hiding Spot Risk Calculator helps parents gauge how likely their chosen hiding spot is to be found before the big day.

The holidays should be full of joy and surprise not the panic of a premature gift discovery!

But ask any parent, and youll hear stories of curious kids who will start digging around long before Christmas morning. In fact, nearly half of parents report that their child has found a hidden present early, and more than a quarter have had to re-wrap or re-hide gifts because the first spot didnt hold up.

So what spots work best? Lets break it down.

How the findings were gathered

To understand which gift hiding spots work best and which ones fail Alans Factory Outlet surveyed over 1,000 parents across the U.S. about their holiday habits.

Respondents were asked where they typically hide gifts, whether their children have ever found them early, and what steps theyve taken to keep surprises under wraps.

The survey also explored creative tactics parents use to disguise presents, from decoy boxes to locking storage areas. By comparing how often different hiding spots were discovered, the company was able to identify which locations carry the most risk and which are more likely to stay secret through the holidays.

Top hiding spots (and how risky they are)

Some places are classics for a reason but familiarity makes them predictable.

• Closets especially bedroom closets remain the most common choice, with nearly three-quarters of parents using them to stash gifts.

• Attics and basements are great for larger items since kids are less likely to venture there.

• Under the bed can work if you disguise the gift in a storage container or cover it with other items.

• Garage shelves and trunks of cars are popular for bulky gifts when you can keep them out of sight.

• Locked drawers or off-limits rooms add a layer of security especially with older kids.

But beware: the more often a place gets checked, the less hidden your present really is.

Creative decoys that work

Good hiding isnt just where you hide its what you pretend it is:

• Empty boxes labeled something boring (think old manuals or charity donations).

• Nesting gifts put the real present inside another innocuous box.

• Travel bags or suitcases tucked away on a high shelf.

• Disguised in plain sight like on a bookshelf among everyday items.

• Old appliance boxes or mislabeled bins no one bothers to open.

Parents have even taken things further by adding locks or cameras around secret stashes especially for high-value items.

Whether youre a seasoned hide-and-seek champion or trying to stay one step ahead of your youngster, these tips can help make this holiday season's surprises truly surprising.

FDA's approval of first pill version opens the door to more side effects complaints

• Expanded use of GLP-1 drugs may lead to more side effects, already the subject of thousands of lawsuits now moving through the courts.

• Thousands of patients have filed lawsuits claiming the makers of popular GLP-1 diabetes and weight-loss drugs failed to adequately warn about serious risks, including severe gastrointestinal injuries and vision loss.

• Federal courts have centralized some cases: A federal MDL in Pennsylvania (MDL No. 3094) handles nearly 3,000 cases over alleged gastrointestinal injuries, while a newer separate MDL focuses on vision-loss claims.

The Food and Drug Administration's approval of a pill version of Wegovy expands access to thehighly popular weight-loss medication but also clears the way for more of thecomplications and side effects that often accompany the mass introduction of new medications. There are already several thousand lawsuits alleging harm from various versions of GLP-1, most alleging that companiesdid not sufficiently warn patients or doctors about therisks.

The lawsuits target GLP-1 receptor agonists such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Trulicity, Mounjaro and similar drugs made by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly. Plaintiffs allege use of these medications caused severe side effects in particular gastroparesis and related gastrointestinal injuries.

Gastroparesis explained

Gastroparesis, a side effect sometimes linked to GLP-1 drugs, is a medical condition in which the stomach empties food into the small intestine much more slowly than normal, even though there is no physical blockage.

Symptoms include:

• Persistent nausea

• Vomiting, sometimes of undigested food

• Severe bloating

• Early feeling of fullness after starting to eat

• Abdominal pain

• Heartburn

• Poor appetite and unintended weight loss

Why it matters

Gastroparesis can be debilitating and sometimes permanent. Complications may include dehydration and malnutrition, unstable blood sugar levels, formation of hardened food masses that can block digestion and repeated hospitalizations in severe cases.

GLP-1 drugs (such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro) are designed to slow stomach emptying to help control blood sugar and appetite. Plaintiffs in current litigation allege that in some patients, this effect may become severe or long-lasting, leading to gastroparesis or gastroparesis-like conditions that persist even after stopping the drug.

Federal multidistrict litigation and vision-loss cases

Federal judges have consolidated the gastrointestinal injury cases into a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to coordinate pretrial discovery and rulings. A separate MDL has been created for claims that GLP-1 drugs can trigger non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), a serious eye condition that can lead to partial or total vision loss. These vision-loss cases are proceeding before the same federal judge but remain distinct from the GI-injury MDL, according to a Reutersreport.

Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have contested the lawsuits, arguing that known side effects are already disclosed in product labeling and that scientific evidence does not establish causation for many of the alleged injuries. The companies have challenged various aspects of the claims, including the sufficiency of medical evidence tying the drugs to specific severe outcomes.

What advertisers hoped you wouldnt notice

• 2025s worst ads looked legit but the fine print was the scam: as low as, hidden subscriptions, tiny guarantees

• Credibility bait was everywhere: Made in USA, clinically proven, or charging features that didnt fully match reality

• New playbook: AI fake endorsements + fear-based safety claimsso quick-check the claim + FTC/complaint, verify the spokesperson, and read the return window

If 2025 taught shoppers anything, its that the sketchiest ads arent always obvious . A lot of them look polished, emotional, and too legit to question, right up until you read the fine print (or realize the fine print was the whole trick).

Truth in Advertising (TINA.org) flagged a lineup of the years worst offenders and the patterns are worth memorizing to protect yourself in the future.

A few 2025 examples that hit consumers hardest

Subscription trap marketing

Homeaglow touted a $19 house cleaning but TINA discovered that when you sign-up for the cheap initial cleaning, you get put into an auto-renewing monthly membership.

This is not uncommon, but this membership comes with monthly fees (that dont cover actual cleanings) and an early termination fee thats hard to spot during checkout.

Made in USA vibes with imported parts

Renewal by Andersen created ads for their windows and doors that leaned heavy on the custom built in the USAclaim.

The truth is that their windows and doors contain imported parts. According to the FTC, the Made or Built in the USA claim is only accurate if there is no foreign content in the products at all.

Feature implied, but not included

Nobl promoted their carry-on luggage with charging capabilities for your wireless devices.

But TINA discovered that you still need to supply your own power bank, it only comes with a phone port. The luggage does not contain any power source like their ad implies.

Clinically proven health claims that didnt hold up

NuBest promoted height-growth claims from their dietary supplement.

But when TINA dug into their cited study, they described the results as inconclusive.

AI deepfake endorsement

A Memory Defender video used AI created audio and visuals to make it look like Meryl Streep and Dr. Sanjay Gupta endorsed a natural remedy that helps your memory.

Gupta publicly called it an AI Generated Fake and a total scam.

Marketing safety while targeting fear

Bulletproof school supplies (backpacks, laptop bags, clipboards, etc.) from a company called Hardwire, claimed via their marketing messages that their bag inserts were bulletproof.

While their claims can sound reassuring, the truth according to TINA is that most of their school supplies do not protect from rifles and none protect against all bullets.

How to not get played in 30 seconds

Treat starting at and as low as as a warning label. Get in the habit of always assuming theres a condition (subscription or minimum spend) until proven otherwise.

Search the exact claim + the word FTC or complaint. If an ad is dancing around a regulated phrase like Made in USA or clinically proven, theres a good someone noticed and the company is now trying to skirt the topic while keeping the claim.

For video ads, do one fast credibility check: If a you find an ad with a celebrity or doctor endorsement and it feels shocking or makes you think, why havent I heard this? pause and look for a real source outside the ad.

Unfortunately, AI fakery is now part of the playbook and you have to do your own due diligence if something feels off.

Before you buy, find the return window in the policy. Dont just trust a big homepage headline guarantee.

Unfortunately, those big, friendly guarantees can often shrink once you hit the actual rules and checkout page.

The growth of data centers is just one reason

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• U.S. residential electricity prices are expected to keep climbing in 2026, averaging about 18.02/kWh, up from 17.29/kWh in 2025, according to the latest U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecast.

• Demand is rising fastest where data centers and other large loads are clustering (notably ERCOT/Texas and PJM), tightening regional power markets and nudging bills higher.

• The biggest pressure on bills isnt just fuelits the grid. Utilities are pouring money into transmission, reliability, and storm/fire hardening, costs that often flow through to customers over time.

After two years of inflationary increases, U.S. households should brace for another step up in electricity prices in 2026though the pain will vary widely by region.

The U.S. Energy Information Administrations December 2025 Short-Term Energy Outlook pegs the average U.S. residential price at 18.02 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2026, up from 17.29 cents in 2025.

In higher-cost areas, the forecast shows prices staying elevated and rising further: New England averages about 30.01/kWh in 2026 (vs. 28.97 in 2025), while the Pacific region averages 24.88 (vs. 24.40).

Thats the headline: rates are rising again. The more important story is why.

Supply and demand

A surge in big electricity users is colliding with a grid built for a different era. For most of the 2010s, U.S. power demand was relatively flat. Thats changing quickly.

EIA says power-sector generation growth in 20252026 is being driven primarily by increasing demand from large customers, including data centers, concentrated in regions run by ERCOT and PJM.

In PJM, the data-center boom is no longer an abstract trend lineits reshaping market rules and reliability planning. In December, Reuters reported federal regulators pushing PJM to clarify how very large loads, including AI-driven data centers, connect to the grid, amid concerns about reliability and rising costs.

Fuel costs can still move bills

Even as renewables grow, natural gas often sets the marginal price of electricity in many markets. EIAs latest outlook has Henry Hub natural gas averaging about $4.01/MMBtu in 2026, higher than $3.56 in 2025.

Fuel isnt the whole billdelivery charges matter a lotbut gas-price swings can lift wholesale power prices, and those increases can filter into retail rates depending on how utilities and regulators structure fuel and purchased-power pass-throughs.

The grid buildout shows up in your monthly statement

The fastest-growing slice of many power bills is the wires side: transmission and distribution spending, plus resilience work to keep the lights on during more frequent extreme weather.

A recent FERC winter reliability assessment noted thousands of new transmission projects and pointed to storm and fire hardening and system reliability as the biggest drivers of projected transmission line mileage.

At the same time, FERCs transmission planning and cost-allocation rule (Order No. 1920) is designed to push more long-term regional transmission planningimportant for reliability and new generation, but also a reminder that big builds come with big price tags that must be allocated and paid.

What it means for households in 2026

The national forecast implies another year of upward pressure, not a sudden spike everywhere. But the regional spread is the tell: places already paying morelike New England and the Pacificare projected to remain high, while fast-growth regions facing large-load connections and reliability upgrades could see added upward pressure even if their starting point is lower.

For consumers, the drivers to watch in 2026 wont just be fuel headlines. Theyll be local rate cases, grid upgrade riders, storm-hardening plans, and where the next wave of data centers landsbecause increasingly, the bill is about paying for a more crowded, more complicated, and more resilient electric system.