The Consumer Memo, 11/20: No Barnes & Noble Nook e-reader's until after Christmas

Barnes & Noble Inc. said Nook, its device for reading digital versions of books, sold out its initial production run and won’t ship new purchases until the week of Jan. 4.

The retailer said last month when it introduced the $259 device that it would ship purchases by Nov. 30. The Nook is Barnes & Noble’s entry into the market dominated by Amazon.com Inc. and Sony Corp.

“While we increased production based on the high consumer interest, we’ve sold out of our initial nook allotment available for delivery before the holidays,” said Mary Ellen Keating, a Barnes & Noble spokeswoman.

Meanwhile, at Sony...
Sony Corp. said sales of its Reader Touch Edition device are exceeding expectations and that the company is increasing supply to meet demand for the holiday season.

“The big shift over from analog to digital is happening in the reading space,” said Steve Haber, president of Sony’s digital reading unit.

New annuity product
Fidelity Investments and MetLife Inc. are offering a retirement product for investors more worried about protecting their nest eggs than seeking market gains.
The product allows individuals in or near retirement to trade some of their savings, including money in 401(k) accounts, in return for a fixed, lifetime income.

The deferred variable annuity product will allow clients to withdraw between 4 percent and 6 percent of their investment annually depending on their age.

Fewer passengers in premium seats
The number of people flying first class or business took a steep dive in September, as companies continued to reduce travel budgets and leisure trips declined with the end of the summer travel season.

The number of premium travelers worldwide dropped 14 percent in September, as compared with the same period last year, and dropped 23 percent from September 2007, according to a report released by the International Air Transport Association.

Product recalls

— About 300 stainless steel cookware sets, because the handles can break and put users at risk of burns. The cookware was sold at Cost Plus World Market stores around the country in August 2009. Details: 877-967-5362; on the Web.

--About 10,000 alpine ski bindings, made in Romania and imported by Salomon USA, of Ogden, Utah, because the product’s toe component could fail to fully secure the ski boot to the ski binding, causing the binding to release unexpectedly. The products were sold at authorized Salomon USA and Atomic USA ski dealers nationwide from September 2008 through last month. Details: 877-789-5111; on the Web.

Card clause removed
JPMorgan Chase & Co., the biggest credit-card lender, will remove a clause in its contracts that required disputes to be sent to arbitration.