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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: holiday shopping

holiday shopping stories: 67 news summaries

41 - 60 of 67 Stories | << Prev 1 2 3 4 Next >>

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Amazon Holiday Traffic Winner

Dethrones eBay in pageviews for first time

Jan 15, 08 11:21 AM CST
(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... More »

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eBay • holiday shopping • Nielsen Online • pageviews • Amazon.com

Retail Scores Big on Unused Gift Cards

$7.8B in cards unused annually; some states want cut of profit

Jan 5, 08 8:20 PM CST
(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... More »

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retail • Maine • website • bills • holiday shopping • gift • gift card

E-Commerce All Grown Up, Sales Growth Finally Slows

Internet sales set new records, but rise more slowly than last year

Dec 28, 07 8:39 PM CST
(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 »

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

'Black Friday' Not Such a Deal

Globe investigation finds better deals closer to Christmas

Dec 28, 07 6:03 PM CST
(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... More »

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Thanksgiving • holiday shopping • Black Friday

Late Shoppers Spread Some Holiday Cheer

But not enough to rescue some
slumping retailers

Dec 25, 07 7:30 AM CST
(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.... More »

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US economy • retail sales • holiday shopping

Online Buyers Want Blenders, Not Diamonds

Luxury takes a
backseat to the
practical this season

Dec 24, 07 3:03 PM CST
(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... More »

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luxury goods • retail sales • holiday shopping • jewelry • flowers • ComScore • furniture.com • watches • e sales

Wild Boars Run Amok in France

One scatters shoppers, while another ties up trains

Dec 24, 07 11:31 AM CST
(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 »

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train • animal behavior • holiday shopping • Poitiers, France • travel delays • animal • boar

Retailers Await Last-Minute Gift From Shoppers

Procrastinators find
big sales, long lines

Dec 24, 07 9:17 AM CST
(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... More »

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

Retailers Slash Prices to Boost Slumping Season

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

Dec 23, 07 6:43 PM CST
(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... More »

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

Best Buy
Profit Soars
52% in 3Q

Less discounting helps retail giant best expectations

Dec 18, 07 12:21 PM CST
(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... More »

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

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

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

Dec 17, 07 2:07 PM CST
(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... More »

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US economy • retail sales • holiday shopping

Holiday E-Commerce Still Suffers Growing Pains

Net surfing window shoppers blamed for crashes, meltdowns

Dec 15, 07 10:14 AM CST
(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... More »

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Yahoo • online advertising • online retailers • retail sales • holiday shopping • Black Friday • Cyber Monday • Sears

Guaranteed Wii ... Come January

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

Dec 14, 07 6:25 PM CST
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Nintendo Wii • video game console • shortage • holiday shopping • video games

Wii Remains
Hottest Seller
for Holidays

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

Dec 14, 07 9:59 AM CST
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Nintendo Wii • holiday shopping • multiplayer games • Call of Duty • video games

Omaha Mall Reopens
Under Heavy Security

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

Dec 8, 07 12:35 PM CST
(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... More »

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murder-suicide • Omaha • Nebraska • mall • holiday shopping • Omaha mall shooting • mall shooting • Robert Hawkins • mall security

By Any Means Necessary: Buying a Wii

Shoppers explore varied strategies to get Nintendo's rare console

Dec 8, 07 12:26 PM CST
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Nintendo Wii • video game console • shortage • holiday shopping

Good Wii Hunting!

Tips for savvy shoppers trying to track down elusive console

Dec 5, 07 4:05 AM CST
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Nintendo Wii • gaming • holiday shopping • 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

Nov 29, 07 10:43 AM CST
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
children • toys • holiday shopping • consumer electronics • gadget

'Cyber Monday' Breaks Records

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

Nov 28, 07 6:29 AM CST
(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 »

MORE ABOUT:
shopping • online retailers • holiday shopping • Cyber Monday

Done With Black Friday? Here Comes Cyber Monday

Online retailers offer big discounts to kickoff holiday shopping

Nov 25, 07 4:39 PM CST
(Newser) - Black Friday has worked out pretty well for brick-and-mortar retailers, but for their online counterparts the action is on Cyber Monday. Tomorrow, 75% of online retailers will have special promotions, CNNMoney reports, up from 43% two years ago. It’s not actually the biggest online shopping day of the year,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
online retailers • holiday shopping • Cyber Monday

41 - 60 of 67 Stories | << Prev 1 2 3 4 Next >>


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