holiday shopping

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Amazon Offers a New Perk on Shipping

All customers can get it free for a while, with no minimum purchase

(Newser) - Amazon made another aggressive move against rivals Monday in the quest for online shoppers. The company is temporarily offering free shipping to all customers—Prime or no—on all purchases, reports USA Today . It's the first time Amazon has made such an offer without a minimum order requirement. In...

It Was Strongest Retail Season in Years. Now, $90B in Returns

Retail sales up 4.9% over last year, biggest jump since 2011

(Newser) - The early returns are in for US retailers from the holiday shopping season, and the word "robust" comes to mind. In fact, this season has seen the strongest growth since 2011, reports USA Today . Specifically, retail sales from Nov. 1 through Christmas Eve rose 4.9% over last year,...

'Secret Santa' Pays Off $10K in Toy Store Layaway Orders

The generous stranger footed the bill for 62 orders at a New Jersey Toys 'R' Us

(Newser) - On Friday a man walked into a Toys "R" Us in Cherry Hill, NJ, with the intention of doing a little holiday shopping for his son, and walked out having paid for the layaway orders of more than 60 strangers. NJ.com reports that this "secret Santa,"...

A Guide to Black Friday
TVs May Be Best Deals
for Black Friday Shoppers
the rundown
Nov 24, 2017 6:59 AM CST

TVs May Be Best Deals for Black Friday Shoppers

The holiday shopping sprint is underway

(Newser) - Black Friday is here, and 2017's version looks like it might be the strongest one in recent years, reports Business Insider . Generally speaking, crowds are looking larger, perhaps thanks to metrics such as low unemployment and a rising stock market. "The turnout is clearly better than the last...

Consumer Group Unveils Year's 10 Worst Toys

Fidget spinners, Wonder Woman sword made the list

(Newser) - Fidget spinners, a plastic Wonder Woman battle sword, and a remote-controlled Spider-Man drone are among the toys topping a consumer safety group's annual list of the worst toys for the holidays. World Against Toys Causing Harm, or WATCH, unveiled the top 10 list Tuesday at a Boston children's...

Black Friday Sales to Watch Out For
Black Friday Sales
to Watch Out For
Nov 8, 2017 11:28 AM CST

Black Friday Sales to Watch Out For

Including $99 laptops and a $190 PS4

(Newser) - Retailers including Sears, Kmart, and Target are kicking off holiday sales early this year as a report finds more shoppers plan to spread out their purchases, reports USA Today . Then there are those hoping to draw the Black Friday crowds. Though Nov. 24 is still weeks away, these retailers are...

Target Shaking Up Black Friday Shopping

No more 24-hour Black Friday shopping

(Newser) - Target is offering shoppers a breather after holiday shopping on Thanksgiving, the AP reports. The Minneapolis-based discounter says it will open at 6pm on Thanksgiving and then close at midnight local time. Its stores will then reopen at 6am local time on Friday until 10pm, 11pm, or midnight local time....

One State's Top Holiday Gift for 2017: Duct Tape

A look at what's projected to be the hottest gift in each state

(Newser) - Will the holiday season's biggest seller this year be an electronics item, a hot toy, or duct tape? Depends on which state you live in, per a 24/7 Wall St. analysis. The site checked out both the most popular gift items on Amazon.com and projected Google keyword searches...

Target Plans Big Bump in Hiring for Holidays

Chain will hire 100K, up from 70K last holiday season

(Newser) - Target is increasing the number of people it hires to work during the holidays by 40%, to 100,000. The Minneapolis retailer said Wednesday that the seasonal hires, up 30,000 from 70,000 people it hired last year, will stock shelves at its more than 1,800 stores or...

Holiday Shopping May Be Pricier This Year

UPS to raise fees for retailers during busy weeks

(Newser) - If you’re not one of those rare birds who finishes their holiday shopping in summer, you might want to consider becoming one. As the Wall Street Journal reports, shoppers might see an increase in prices or shipping fees when the holiday rush comes around. Why? UPS announced Monday that...

The Holiday Season Was Very Good to Amazon

Online retailer says it was the best ever

(Newser) - Fans of Carrie Fisher, Wham!, and democracy are having a pretty rough holiday, but at least things are going well for one online behemoth. Amazon says it had its best holiday season ever, shipping more than 1 billion items, Reuters reports. Amazon stock went up 1.6% with the news....

Cyber Monday May Be About to Lose Its Title

'Thanksgiving has become the new Cyber Monday'

(Newser) - Cyber Monday may be in danger of losing its online sales title. The Monday after Thanksgiving is traditionally the busiest online shopping day of the year, but stores are releasing Internet deals earlier, stretching them through the week, as well as making them available in stores, the AP reports. Shoppers...

Black Friday, Ho! 4 Big Holiday Shopping Trends

'Everyone's looking for some comic relief'

(Newser) - As the 2016 holiday shopping season kicks off on Black Friday, the trends to watch for include some that are a bit wacky. The AP looks at four trends for the season:
  • Hot toys: This year's "it" toy: Hatchimals. When a child strokes the egg, it starts to
...

Toys R Us Doubles Down With Turkey Day Hours

Retailer announces 30-hour shopping marathon starting at 5pm

(Newser) - Black Friday has in recent years received a black mark as retailers took criticism for slowly pushing back the mega-shopping event until it actually started on Thanksgiving Day. Some retailers and shopping venues have given in to the backlash: Various malls (such as the Mall of America) and chain stores...

Weather Outside Is Frightful—for Retail

Retailers have lost $185M in sales of cold-weather apparel, outerwear

(Newser) - Thanks to the "blowtorch" effect , the weather across much of the US has been unseasonably mild, meaning many consumers are sitting on their wallets when it comes to apparel for frigid temps, Ad Age reports. That put a solid dent in November retail sales to the tune of $185...

Most-Played Holiday Song in Retail? No Longer Mariah

Carey is dethroned by The Shins

(Newser) - Everywhere you go this holiday shopping season, Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" will be played. There's no escaping it—but, for the first time in decades, there's another song you might hear more often. That's right: For the first year since...

The Brits Have Gone Crazy for Black Friday

They have shopping frenzy, but no Thanksgiving

(Newser) - There's a place with all the excesses of Black Friday but none of the Thanksgiving celebrations and it's not hell, it's Britain. The shopping tradition was introduced to the UK by Amazon and Walmart just a few years ago, and retailers are already trying to scale it...

Bloomingdale's Bashed for Holiday 'Date Rape' Ad

The overwhelming response to the ad has been 'creepy'

(Newser) - "Bloomingdale's must be pleased everyone is too distracted by red cups to notice its pro-roofie holiday ad," tweets one Washington Post writer. That's right, another company has found itself in some holiday hot water this week. The Wall Street Journal reports the Internet is in an...

2 Retailers Will Stay Closed on Thanksgiving

So far GameStop, Staples have made announcements

(Newser) - First there was the trend of stores opening on Thanksgiving itself to get a jump on the Black Friday sales; now, thanks to backlash, there's the trend of stores making big announcements to tout the fact that they will not be open on Thanksgiving. The two biggest names to...

The Christmas Catalog for the Super Rich Is Here Again

Stuff your stocking like the 1%

(Newser) - You know what they say: Money can't buy taste, but it can buy a motorcycle ride with Ted Logan himself, Keanu Reeves. That's right, it's time again to peek at how the 1% are treating themselves this holiday season with the 89th annual Neiman Marcus Christmas Book...

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