Confirmed: Cintra Wilson Says Goodbye to Critical Shopper

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

We'll admit it: When we saw that the Shophound was speculating about the end of Cintra Wilson's reign as the NYT's Critical Shopper, we were doubtful. Wilson always seemed like a perfect recession-era corrective to Alex Kuczynski's boom-time reports, shifting the voice of the column in a sharper, funnier direction. And we thought she was bulletproof after weathering both this summer's J.C. Penney debacle and the firing of her colleague Mike Albo. (To recap: She made some unfortunate fat jokes, then he accepted an unrelated junket in violation of Times freelancer rules.) But we've checked around, and the rumor is true. According to what we hear, Critical Shopping is now reserved for Times staffers only—no freelancers allowed. If we're lucky, we might get Cintra back when everyone else is on vacation—keep your fingers crossed.
· Wilson Out As NYT Critical Shopper? [The Shophound]
· Cintra Wilson Probably Wishes She Never Laid Eyes on JC Penney [Racked NY]
· Albo Ousted From NYT [Racked NY]