Computer Shopping? No Need to Go for Broke

Sales slowdown hides fact that low-cost laptops are taking over

(NEWSER) - You may not be able to buy a "netbook" in the not-too-distant future, but a new generation of low-power, low-priced laptops descended from the netbook are poised to conquer much of the PC market, experts tell Wired. Sales of the netbook—one of last year's hottest gadgets—haven't met expectations so far this year, but manufacturers are turning their attention to new categories like "consumer ultralow-voltage notebooks." More»

It didn't go well for David Sherman, 49

(NEWSER) - We don’t want to imply that there’s a right time to shoplift, but there’s definitely a wrong one, and that wrong one is on "Shop With a Cop" night. David Sherman, 49, tried to make off with a $79 DVD player from a Nebraska Walmart on Wednesday, apparently unaware that more than two dozen cops were in the store, WFIE 14 reports. More»

Black Friday madness in Madison!

(NEWSER) - Not a recommended Black Friday shopping strategy: cutting to the front of the line of patiently waiting shoppers ... then threatening to shoot them after they complain. A 21-year-old Wisconsin woman was arrested last night after making just such threats. The incident happened outside a Toys 'R' Us store in Madison that opened at 10pm last night. Police reported that several hundred shoppers were in line around that time when the woman tried to jump to the front. More»

People in Austin, Texas, most likely

(NEWSER) - It's Black Friday, so Americans are out spending money in droves—but who's spending the most? In the Daily Beast , Anneli Rufus gets us a little closer to an answer, by way of 15 spending stats:

• If you're an online shopper ... you spend 24.6% more than a brick-and-mortar shopper.
• If you're an LGBT adult ... you spend 26% more on holiday gifts than heterosexuals.
• If you're a heterosexual adult ... you are 85% more likely to shop for bargains during the holiday season than LGBT adults.

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 turn my gravy lumpy." It's no big surprise why this is happening, Kiefer writes for the Christian Science Monitor : Retailers are nervous about their bottom line, and weary Americans are on the hunt for the best deal. But "must America always put shopping first?" More»