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December 2, 2008 5:27:38 AM CST


holiday shopping

holiday shopping news stories

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Late Shoppers Spread Some Holiday Cheer

But not enough to rescue some
slumping retailers

(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 »

More about:  US economy retail sales holiday shopping

Online Buyers Want Blenders, Not Diamonds

Luxury takes a
backseat to the
practical this season

(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 »

More about:  retail sales holiday shopping luxury goods jewelry flowers watches

Wild Boars Run Amok in France

One scatters shoppers, while another ties up trains

(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 »

More about:  animal holiday shopping train travel delays wild boars

Retailers Await Last-Minute Gift From Shoppers

Procrastinators find
big sales, long lines

(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 »

More about:  retail sales Christmas holiday shopping online retailers Best Buy Macy's discounts Kmart

Retailers Slash Prices to Boost Slumping Season

Plagued by high gas and food prices, shoppers hold out for bargains

(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 »

More about:  US economy gas prices retail sales food prices retail holiday shopping consumer confidence consumer prices

Best Buy
Profit Soars
52% in 3Q

Less discounting helps retail giant best expectations

(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 »

More about:  retail sales holiday shopping Best Buy profits revenue

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

With less money to spend on family, women pull back on purchasing for themselves

(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 »

More about:  US economy retail sales holiday shopping

Holiday E-Commerce Still Suffers Growing Pains

Net surfing window shoppers blamed for crashes, meltdowns

(Newser) - As online retailers post record sales this year, holiday e-commerce meltdowns show that stores still don't have the kinks ironed out of their sites. Despite increased capacity on retail sites, crashes such as Sears.com's eight-hour Black Friday crash and Yahoo Shopping's 10-hour Cyber Monday outage continue to plague holiday online shopping, Wired reports. More »

More about:  Yahoo retail sales online advertising holiday shopping online retailers Black Friday Sears Cyber Monday

Guaranteed Wii ... Come January

Nintendo, GameStop to offer rain check on video-game console

(Newser) - Kids hoping to score a Nintendo Wii this Christmas might have to settle for a skimpy rain check instead, the Los Angeles Times reports. Nintendo has completely sold out of its popular video-game console and won't be shipping any new units until January. Instead, buyers can reserve systems with full-price "Wii Certificates" available Dec. 20-21 at GameStop. More »

More about:  video game Nintendo Wii holiday shopping video game console shortage

Wii Remains
Hottest Seller
for Holidays

1 million units gone in
a flash last month as shoppers get creative

(Newser) - Nintendo’s Wii remained the hottest-selling—and hardest to find—game console in the US in November as shoppers snapped up nearly 1 million units, Reuters reports. Shoppers desperate for holiday presents have been standing in line at stores more than 14 hours to get a crack at one, and paying double the $249 retail price on Craigslist and eBay, the Columbus Dispatch notes . Some are offering trades of wedding bands and cars. More »

More about:  video game Nintendo Wii holiday shopping multiplayer games Call of Duty

Omaha Mall Reopens
Under Heavy Security

Van Maur store, where the shooter opened fire, remains closed

(Newser) - The Omaha mall where 19-year-old Robert Hawkins unleashed his killing spree re-opened for business today under tighter security, the AP reports. “I came in here and I was wondering how I would feel about it,” the mayor said, “but I feel fine.” The Von Maur store where Hawkins actually opened fire remains closed indefinitely. More »

More about:  holiday shopping Nebraska Omaha murder suicide Omaha mall shooting Robert Hawkins mall shooting mall mall security

By Any Means Necessary: Buying a Wii

Shoppers explore varied strategies to get Nintendo's rare console

(Newser) - The holiday-season shortage of Nintendo’s Wii console is fostering some creative  shopping strategies, shared on a number of websites devoted to tracking down the device, the Washington Post reports. One advises Wii hopefuls not to ask store employees when the next shipment will arrive—instead, ask when the last one came in: "This is a question they can actually answer and gets the conversation going." More »

More about:  Nintendo Wii holiday shopping video game console shortage

Good Wii Hunting!

Tips for savvy shoppers trying to track down elusive console

(Newser) - Know where to go. Know the right people to talk to. Most importantly, get up early! Demand for the Nintendo Wii is going to far outstrip supply for the second Christmas in a row and Wired has some tips for people determined to track one down. Nintendo has stoked up production of the console, but executives admit there's bound to be a shortfall. More »

More about:  Nintendo Wii holiday shopping gaming Christmas wish lists

Screw G.I. Joe and Barbie, Gimme
an iPod

Tech toys fly off the shelves, as young kids imitate grown up gadget lovers

(Newser) - Toddlers are getting their geek on, thanks to the rash of technological toys flying off the shelves this Christmas. The long-stagnant toy industry has found a growing market in kiddie versions of grown-up gadgets like laptops and digital cameras, the Times reports. “Toy companies don’t even call it the toy business anymore,” said an industry journalist. “They’re in the family entertainment business.” More »

More about:  children gadget holiday shopping consumer electronics toys

'Cyber Monday' Breaks Records

Online shopping's biggest day rose 21%, to $733M; purchases made mostly from work

(Newser) - Online sales on Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving, soared 21% over the previous year to a record-breaking $733 million, Marketwatch reports. Some 60% of the purchases were made from work, say comScore analysts; the average dollars spent per buyer decreased 12% from the same day a year earlier. More »