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October 13, 2008 5:09:28 AM CDT

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Stories related to: holiday shopping

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  • October 2008

    • No More Bling? Even the Jet Set Feels the Pinch

      Wall Street Journal  |  Oct 9, 08 7:04 PM CDT

      No More Bling? Even the Jet Set Feels the Pinch

      (Newser) - Not even the super-rich are immune to the present crisis, prompting Christina Binkley to wonder in the Wall Street Journal : "Is this the end of bling?" In a word, maybe. The world, of course, will always have rich people, but they may not want to flaunt it as much amid all this "anti-wealth sentiment." More »

      Tags

      credit crisis  • consumer spending  • holiday shopping  • luxury goods  • bling  • retailers  • financial meltdown

    • Wal-Mart Launches $10 Toys, Stores Vow 'This 'R' War'

      Wall Street Journal  |  Oct 9, 08 5:39 AM CDT

      Wal-Mart Launches $10 Toys, Stores Vow 'This 'R' War'

      (Newser) - Toy retailers have commenced a fierce price war as a particularly tough holiday season bears down upon them, the Wall Street Journal reports. Wal-Mart cut prices to $10 on key toys including Barbie and Hot Wheels last week, a move quickly mirrored by rivals KB Toys and Target. Toys 'R' Us, meanwhile, plans to focus on choice instead of cheapness. More »

      Tags

      Wal-Mart  • retail sales  • holiday shopping  • toys  • Target  • Toys 'R' Us  • price war

  • September 2008

    • With Eye on Xmas, Microsoft Cuts Xbox Price

      Financial Times (UK)  |  Sep 1, 08 1:24 PM CDT

      With Eye on Xmas, Microsoft Cuts Xbox Price

      (Newser) - Microsoft appears to have fired the first shot in a new round of game-console price cuts, the Financial Times reports, trimming the cost of its Xbox 360 today in Japan. It plans to do likewise shortly in the US. In Japan, the Xbox now costs $184—less than half the price of rival Sony’s PlayStation 3—and Microsoft is primed for a Christmas bonanza unless Sony follows suit. More »

      Tags

      Microsoft  • Sony  • holiday shopping  • Xbox 360  • PlayStation 3

  • January 2008

    • Amazon Holiday Traffic Winner

      New York Times  |  Jan 15, 08 11:21 AM CST

      Amazon Holiday Traffic Winner

      (Newser) - Nielsen Online has declared Amazon the pageview winner for the holiday season, reports the New York Times . Amazon had 59,624,000 views to eBay’s 59,374,000, a slim margin, but a big turnaround on previous years. Brad Stone cites consumer concerns over fraud and counterfeit as possible explanations for eBay’s slump, which amounted to 10% less than last year. More »

      Tags

      eBay  • Amazon.com  • holiday shopping

    • Retail Scores Big on Unused Gift Cards

      New York Times  |  Jan 5, 08 8:20 PM CST

      Retail Scores Big on Unused Gift Cards

      (Newser) - Retailers are likely rubbing their hands with glee after shoppers snapped up $97 billion in gift cards this year, up from $83 billion in 2006. Why the excitement? The industry makes billions each year from “breakage," or gift card money that is never spent. Lost, discarded, or under-used cards amounted to $7.8 billion in “free money” last year, the New York Times reports. More »

      Tags

      website  • retail  • holiday shopping  • Maine  • gifts  • bills

  • December 2007

    • E-Commerce All Grown Up, Sales Growth Finally Slows

      New York Times  |  Dec 28, 07 8:39 PM CST

      E-Commerce All Grown Up, Sales Growth Finally Slows

      (Newser) - Online sales continued to out-pace traditional retailers this season, boasting a 19% spike, but fell compared to 25-30% growth rates in past seasons, the New York Times reports. While e-tailers beat the scrawny 3.6% sales growth of traditional stores, experts attribute the slowdown to the maturing of online shopping. More »

      Tags

      US economy  • Amazon.com  • holiday shopping  • online shopping  • retail shopping  • comScore  • e commerce

    • 'Black Friday' Not Such a Deal

      Boston Globe  |  Dec 28, 07 6:03 PM CST

      'Black Friday' Not Such a Deal

      (Newser) - With the holiday shop-fest all but over, the Boston Globe reports that the day after Thanksgiving doesn't always yield the best bargains, as consumers have been led to believe. The paper surveyed prices for 52 consumer-electronics products during the holiday shopping season—and found that only five were cheapest on "Black Friday." More »

      Tags

      holiday shopping  • Thanksgiving  • Black Friday

    • Late Shoppers Spread Some Holiday Cheer

      Los Angeles Times  |  Dec 25, 07 7:30 AM CST

      Late Shoppers Spread Some Holiday Cheer

      (Newser) - Shoppers swarmed in a last-minute buying binge that will help most, but not all, retailers make the season’s sales projections. For the week ended Saturday sales rose 33% over a year ago and for the final weekend of the season were up 18.7%, reports the Los Angeles Times . Still, “a lot of retailers are going to be disappointed,” said one analyst. More »

      Tags

      US economy  • retail sales  • holiday shopping

    • Online Buyers Want Blenders, Not Diamonds

      New York Times  |  Dec 24, 07 3:03 PM CST

      Online Buyers Want Blenders, Not Diamonds

      (Newser) - With a shaky economy causing consumers angst this holiday season, online e-tailers say shoppers are opting for functional over frivolous. E-sales of furniture and appliances have spiked more than 70%, while sales of jewelry, watches, and flowers have dropped, reports the New York Times . “It’s certainly counter to our expectations,” said the CEO of Furniture.com. More »

      Tags

      retail sales  • holiday shopping  • luxury goods  • jewelry  • flowers  • watches

    • Wild Boars Run Amok in France

      Independent (UK)  |  Dec 24, 07 11:31 AM CST

      Wild Boars Run Amok in France

      (Newser) - Shoppers weren't the only thing going hog-wild over the weekend, reports the Independent. One wild boar rampaged amid last-minute gift-buyers in a clothing store in France, while another stepped in front of a high-speed train, delaying trains for hours.  More »

      Tags

      animal  • holiday shopping  • train  • travel delays  • wild boars

    • Retailers Await Last-Minute Gift From Shoppers

      Wall Street Journal  |  Dec 24, 07 9:17 AM CST

      Retailers Await Last-Minute Gift From Shoppers

      (Newser) - Last-minute shoppers navigated long lines over the final pre-Christmas weekend, nudging retailers toward the modest growth in sales they’d expected. Deep discounts cut into profits, but retailers like Macy's and Kmart stayed open around the clock to accommodate shoppers, the Wall Street Journal reports. “The procrastinators finally got out there,” one consultant said. More »

      Tags

      retail sales  • Christmas  • holiday shopping  • online retailers  • Best Buy  • Macy's  • discounts

    • Retailers Slash Prices to Boost Slumping Season

      Bloomberg  |  Dec 23, 07 6:43 PM CST

      Retailers Slash Prices to Boost Slumping Season

      (Newser) - Retailers slashed prices nationwide this weekend in a bid to draw last-minute shoppers and lift a slumping holiday season, Bloomberg reports. Pressed by high gas and food prices, consumers are holding out for zero-hour deals; retailers have obliged with half-off sales and extra hours, counting on the last days before Christmas for 9% of season sales. More »

      Tags

      US economy  • gas prices  • food prices  • retail sales  • retail  • consumer confidence  • holiday shopping  • consumer prices

    • Best Buy Profit Soars 52% in 3Q

      Wall Street Journal  |  Dec 18, 07 12:21 PM CST

      Best Buy Profit Soars 52% in 3Q

      (Newser) - A consumer hankering for big-ticket items—and a willingness to pay closer to full price for them—helped Best Buy's third-quarter profit rise 52%, reports the Wall Street Journal . Absent last year's discounting on flat-screen TVs, the country's largest electronics chain posted Q3 net income of $228 million, or 53 cents a share, versus 31 cents a share a year earlier and analysts' forecast of 41 cents. More »

      Tags

      retail sales  • holiday shopping  • Best Buy  • revenue  • profits

    • Ho-Hum Season Sees Drop in Women's Apparel Sales

      New York Times  |  Dec 17, 07 2:07 PM CST

      Ho-Hum Season Sees Drop in Women's Apparel Sales

      (Newser) - Women's spending on apparel for the first half of the Christmas season is down, alarming retailers and spawning broad worry in the industry. Experts blame a bleak economy and blah fashions for a slump of nearly 6% compared with a year ago, reports the New York Times . Men’s clothing sales, on the other hand, rose 4.5% in the first 20 days of the season. More »

      Tags

      US economy  • retail sales  • holiday shopping