The Consumer Memo, 11/25: Palin pushing the product

A hot itemSarah Palin sold at least 469,000 copies of her memoir in the first five days, according to Nielsen BookScan data.

“Going Rogue: An American Life,” which went on sale Nov. 17, is published by HarperCollins Publishers Worldwide. New York-based Nielsen’s data don’t include sales from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. or BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc.

Palin got a $1.25 million advance for the book, the Associated Press reported, citing a disclosure statement.

Mortgage rates fall again
Rates for 30-year fixed home loans fell for a fourth straight week, matching a record low of 4.78 percent set in April.

The rate dropped from 4.83 percent last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Wednesday.

The average 15-year rate was 4.29 percent.

Toyota recall
Toyota Motor Corp. plans to repair accelerator pedals on about 4 million vehicles in the U.S. that are involved in its biggest recall.

The
company will also install a brake override system on some of the vehicles after drivers reported cases of sudden acceleration, the U.S. Transportation Department said Wednesday. The recall affects models of Toyota’s top-selling Camry as well as its Lexus and Prius cars and Tacoma and Tundra trucks.

Toyota plans to shorten the accelerator pedals and in some vehicles will reshape the floor surface under the pedal, said Irv Miller, a group vice president for the company’s U.S. sales unit.

Cheaper pork and vegetables
Retail-food prices in the U.S. are rising at a slower pace than expected a month ago as the recession slows demand for pork and fresh produce, the government said.

Food costs will rise 1.5 percent to 2.5 percent this year, less than the October estimate of 2 percent to 3 percent, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday.

Google apologizes
Google Inc. is apologizing for an offensive image of the first lady that appears at the top of the list when users search for pictures of Michelle Obama on its site.

A text ad placed above the image is titled “Offensive Search Results.” Users who click on the ad are directed to a letter from Google that explains its results “can include disturbing content, even from innocuous queries” but that Google doesn’t endorse content on these Web sites.

The letter explains that Google’s search formula relies on thousands of factors to rank a Web page’s importance, and notes that Google doesn’t eliminate search results simply because of user complaints.

“We apologize if you’ve had an upsetting experience using Google,” the company wrote.