24,500 Metal Folding Chairs Recalled

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a press release on Wednesday announcing the recall of approximately 24,500 folding metal chairs which can collapse and cause injuries. The chain of stores where they were sold is offering a refund to customers who return them.

According to the press release, the Taiwanese-made Bistro Chairs have faulty rivets which can cause them to collapse. The distributor, Cost Plus Inc., has reported seven instances of the chairs collapsing, including a minor injury in one such incident.

The press release indicates that the chairs were sold at Cost Plus World Market stores throughout the United States, during the first six months of this year, for about fifty dollars each. The chairs were available in four different colors (red, green, blue, and white), with the following SKU numbers printed on their sales receipts: 390225, 390228, 390229, 390230. According to reference.com, an SKU number refers to a Stock Keeping Unit, which is used to define specific items in retail businesses' inventory.

The CPSC press release indicates that customers who have purchased the chairs should discontinue use of them immediately and return them to any Cost Plus World Market store, where they will be provided with a full refund.

The same store chain also recently recalled about 12,600 Speckleware beverage containers and a particular type of glass water tank because of the possibility for exposure to lead when using them with some types of beverages. More details are provided in a PDF file on the store's website. Despite the recalls, Yahoo! Finance indicates that the value of Cost Plus World Market (CPWM) stock increased on Wednesday.

According to the Cost Plus World Market website, their chain of stores includes two-hundred and ninety-six locations in thirty-four states. Most states have at least one store, with the exception of the northeast and a few midwestern states. Their first store was opened in the city of San Francisco, in 1958. Among the items available in their stores are gourmet foods, wine, furniture, rugs, gifts, baskets, and jewelry. Their products include items made in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and Australia.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission works to protect American consumers from dangerous products. It frequently issues recalls in cooperation with businesses to help customers become aware of the need to return unsafe items so as to prevent injury or other harmful effects.

For more information, visit cpsc.gov or worldmarket.com.

SOURCES:

1. Consumer Product Safety Commission, http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07265.html
2. Reference.com, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/SKU
3. Cost Plus World Market, http://www.worldmarket.com/corp/corp.jsp, http://www.worldmarket.com/custserv/store_locator.jsp
4. Cost Plus World Market, http://www.worldmarket.com/assets/corporate_files/speckleware_070803.pdf
5. Yahoo! Finance, http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=cpwm