holiday shopping – News Stories About holiday shopping - Page 7

Nov 24, 2010 6:48 AM CST

On Black Friday, $89 Kindles

Amazon.com announces deal on Facebook

(Newser) - There's no need to leave your house to snag a killer Black Friday deal, like the one Amazon just announced: a Kindle e-reader for $89. The site disclosed the deal on its Facebook page, David Carnoy reports for CNET . The only catch: You can only get the previous generation (Amazon's...

Must We Shop
on Thanksgiving?

OPINION

Nov 17, 2010 10:54 AM CST

Must We Shop on Thanksgiving?

Sears and Kmart will be open, moans Francine Kiefer

(Newser) - Forget the Grinch, or Scrooge: This year's holiday-spoiling honors go to Sears, writes Francine Kiefer. Last year the title went to Kmart, which kept its doors open all day long on Thanksgiving. Sears will join it this year, tempting not-yet-stuffed shoppers from 7am until noon—and it's "enough to...

Walmart Rolls Out
Free Shipping

Nov 11, 2010 7:41 AM CST

Walmart Rolls Out Free Shipping

No minimum purchase. Online retailers gulp.

(Newser) - Walmart just got cheaper: The retail giant today rolls out free shipping on its website with no minimum purchase, reports the New York Times. With cost-conscious consumers 55% somewhat likely to back out of a purchase if they have to pay for shipping, the move puts a ton of pressure...

Dow Climbs 27 as
Year-End Rally Weakens

MARKETS

Dec 28, 2009 3:15 PM CST

Dow Climbs 27 as Year-End Rally Weakens

Mastercard reports better-than-expected holiday sales

(Newser) - Stocks faltered but managed to reclaim most of the day's gains in the final hour of today's session. The day saw light trading volume and news of a bump in retail sales from MasterCard's SpendingPulse unit, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The Dow gained 26.98 points to close at

...

Holiday Sales Up 3.6%

Dec 28, 2009 3:29 AM CST

Holiday Sales Up 3.6%

Online spending surge fuels modest recovery

(Newser) - Retail holiday sales ticked up this year for a 3.6% improvement over 2008's disastrous showing. The modestly improved overall picture included a 15.5% surge in online shopping, thanks in part to snowstorms that stranded many shoppers at home the week before Christmas, as well as an almost 6%...

This Holiday's Worthy
3rd-World Charities

NICHOLAS KRISTOF

Dec 24, 2009 11:22 AM CST

This Holiday's Worthy 3rd-World Charities

Nicholas Kristof's annual list focuses on little-known aid groups

(Newser) - “Tired of celebrating spiritual holidays with crass commercialism?” writes Nicholas D. Kristof, in full pitchman mode. Have no fear: “Nothing says ‘happy holidays’ like donating in Aunt Tilda’s name to build a composting toilet in Haiti.” A sampling of the New York Times columnist’s...

Suspect, 3 Hostages
Leave Va. Post Office

UPDATED

Dec 23, 2009 10:32 PM CST

Suspect, 3 Hostages Leave Va. Post Office

Suspect may have explosives taped to body

(Newser) - The suspect in today’s hostage situation at a western Virginia post office looks to have surrendered to authorities, leaving the Wytheville building along with three of his apparent captives. The hostages came out with hands raised, WSLS-TV reports, followed by a man in a wheelchair, whom police with shields...

Credit Reform May Drain $9B
in Holiday Sales

Dec 23, 2009 2:46 PM CST

Credit Reform May Drain $9B in Holiday Sales

Consumer protections result in lower limits, less spending

(Newser) - The impending enactment of new credit card law is poised to rob retailers of $9 billion in holiday sales compared to last year. The law, designed to protect consumers from rates being raised on the sly and sneaky fees, already has led to lower credit limits and more rejected applications...

Attention Procrastinators:
It's Free Shipping Day

Dec 17, 2009 2:22 PM CST

Attention Procrastinators: It's Free Shipping Day

E-tailers try to lure the laziest of last-minute shoppers

(Newser) - Too lazy to physically go to a store, and such a procrastinator that you haven’t ordered your holiday gifts online already? Then today is a very important day for you, my friend. A group of almost 700 online retailers (complete list here ) have declared today “Free Shipping...

Holiday Shoppers Embrace
Price-Comparing Apps

Dec 16, 2009 9:26 AM CST

Holiday Shoppers Embrace Price-Comparing Apps

Secure deals with a wave of the smartphone, or go elsewhere

(Newser) - Smartphone downloads of apps designed to help shoppers find the product they want at the cheapest price are way up this holiday season, making it what the Wall Street Journal calls the “first app-powered Christmas.” Particularly useful are programs that utilize the camera of, say, your iPhone to...

Older, Cheaper Gadgets
Make Great Gifts

RECESSIONOMICS

Dec 12, 2009 7:58 AM CST

Older, Cheaper Gadgets Make Great Gifts

Spend much less, get slightly less, but hey, it's a recession

(Newser) - A bunch of older gadgets—read: last year's models—"work fantastically well yet have been largely forgotten," Farhad Manjoo writes on Slate . What's more, they're relatively cheap, and perfect for the penny-pinching holiday shopper. A sampling:

Kindle 1: The design is a bit "off-putting," and the

...

Feds: Zhu Zhu Pets OK

UPDATED

Dec 7, 2009 9:06 PM CST

Feds: Zhu Zhu Pets OK

Chemical levels don't violate standards

(Newser) - Zhu Zhu Pets robotic hamsters—one of the holiday season's hottest toy crazes—do not violate safety standards, federal toy regulators say after a consumer group raised concerns over the presence of a heavy metal on one model. The toy "is not out of compliance," says a spokesman...

Zhu Zhu Pet Maker: Get Off Mr. Squiggles!

damage control

Dec 7, 2009 5:17 PM CST

Zhu Zhu Pet Maker: Get Off Mr. Squiggles!

Watchdog site used cheap equipment to back chemical claim

(Newser) - The maker of Zhu Zhu Pets is aggressively defending one of its toy hamsters against claims by a watchdog group that Mr. Squiggles contains unsafe levels of a dangerous chemical. Tests by an independent lab show the toy does not contain dangerous levels of antimony, as claimed by the GoodGuide...

Dangerous
Chemical in
Zhu Zhu Pet:
Watchdog

hot holiday toy

Dec 6, 2009 1:51 PM CST

Dangerous Chemical in Zhu Zhu Pet: Watchdog

Maker denies stuffed hamster contains unsafe level of antimony

(Newser) - The manufacturer of Zhu Zhu Pets is defending Mr. Squiggles against charges the stuffed hamster contains unsafe levels of a dangerous chemical. The robotic toys are the big hit of the holiday shopping season—or they were, before GoodGuide said one model has more than the permitted level of antimony,...

DVD Box Sets
of TV Shows
Are Pure Evil

OPINION

Dec 1, 2009 5:37 PM CST

DVD Box Sets of TV Shows Are Pure Evil

Even the best programs will end up seeming superficial

(Newser) - This holiday season, have some pity on your friends and relatives—spare them the DVD box sets of their favorite TV shows. "The DVD box set is the newest and most terrifying form of ritualistic abuse we inflict on one another," writes Grady Hendrix. Not only are we...

Sales Rise Even Though
Shoppers Spend Less

thanksgiving weekend

Nov 29, 2009 4:58 PM CST

Sales Rise Even Though Shoppers Spend Less

$41.2B weekend total beats 2008 haul by $1.2B

(Newser) - Thanksgiving weekend retail sales totaled $41.2 billion, a .5% jump over last year's $41 billion, but the average shopper spent 8% less than in 2008, $343.31 against $372.57. Discounts, especially on electronics and toys, were the overwhelming attraction as cautious consumers pried open their wallets, Bloomberg reports....

Black Friday Sees
Strong Crowds,
Picky Shoppers

Nov 28, 2009 10:12 AM CST

Black Friday Sees Strong Crowds, Picky Shoppers

Early reports suggest a decent start to the holiday retail season

(Newser) - It will take a few days for the Black Friday sales numbers to be crunched, but early indications show a decent, if unspectacular, shopping day. A retailer trade group reported "strong crowds" across the board, notes Bloomberg , with high-def TVs, laptops, winter coats, and those ubiquitous Zhu Zhu hamsters...

Black Friday Brings Out
the Shoppers

Nov 27, 2009 9:05 AM CST

Black Friday Brings Out the Shoppers

Consumers not too downtrodden for 5am campouts

(Newser) - Economic woes didn’t prevent shoppers from camping out outside stores across the country this morning, as retailers offered especially deep Black Friday discounts. Most opened early as well, with some, including Wal-Mart and many Old Navy stores, opening yesterday to get a jump on things. Toys R Us opened...

Sleep in Tomorrow; Better Bargains Begin Sunday

Nov 26, 2009 9:10 PM CST

Sleep in Tomorrow; Better Bargains Begin Sunday

Cyber Sunday joins Cyber Monday as deals shift online

(Newser) - Black Friday ain’t what it used to be. “Stay at home and shop online,” a Saks exec advises, as retailers shift away from the traditional after-Thanksgiving bargain stampede to discounts spread throughout the holiday season. Most in-store deals tomorrow, especially in electronics, will be on lower-end products...

Holiday Shopping Tip: Money Can Buy You Love

george will

Nov 26, 2009 9:49 AM CST

Holiday Shopping Tip: Money Can Buy You Love

Yuletide economics dissected

(Newser) - Christmas is coming, and the "voluntary December calamity" of destruction of billions of dollars in value is under way, writes George Will. People will splurge on gifts their relatives and friends don't want or need, and the discrepancy between the cost of the present and its value to the...