holiday shopping

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Not Very Merry: Holiday Spending Was Scrooge-Like

Shoppers eying fiscal cliff, storms sat on their wallets

(Newser) - With Christmas officially in the rearview, the first snapshot of holiday spending is rolling in and the picture isn't too pretty: In the two months leading up to Christmas, sales of popular gift items like electronics and apparel grew only .7%—a measly increase well below analysts' expectation of...

Earthly Riches Abound at Vatican's Duty-Free Store

Opulent, little-known department store sits behind St. Peter's Basilica

(Newser) - Money might not buy you a ticket to heaven, but at the Vatican's duty-free store, $3,840 can buy a 65-inch Samsung TV for that devout Christian on your list who has everything. The AP takes a look at the little-known three-story commercial haven that sits mere steps away...

Stop Giving 'Disgusting' Grapefruit as a Holiday Gift

This terrible tradition needs to die: Katy Waldman

(Newser) - It's the holidays, which means some clueless older relative is sure to force a grapefruit or 12 upon you. Giving grapefruit as a holiday gift started up during the Great Depression, because people wanted their gifts to be "nourishing" during such tough times. But the tradition—the absolute...

Stores Make Holiday Shopping Awful On Purpose
Stores Make Holiday Shopping Awful On Purpose
OPINION
Dec 9, 2012 3:57 PM CST

Stores Make Holiday Shopping Awful On Purpose

Oliver Burkeman explains how stores make you miserable to make you spend

(Newser) - Do you hate holiday shopping? Does it sometimes seem like the entire experience—from the lights, to the confusing sales, to the incredibly loud endless renditions of "The Little Drummer Boy"—is designed to make you miserable? Well, that's because it is, Oliver Burkeman writes in today'...

Microsoft Hits Google: Don't Get 'Scroogled'

Media blitz says shopping search results are skewed

(Newser) - Microsoft is trying to skewer Google as a lousy holiday shopping guide in its latest attempt to divert more traffic to its Bing search engine. The attack started today with a marketing campaign focused on a recent change in the way Google operates the part of its search engine devoted...

Coming Tomorrow: First 'Giving Tuesday'

After a weekend of shopping, a time to give back

(Newser) - If the idea of fighting over cheap towels on Black Friday or pretending to work while actually shopping on Cyber Monday just depresses you, here's something that may bring back the holiday spirit: Charitable groups have dubbed tomorrow "Giving Tuesday." As NPR optimistically puts it, the idea...

'12 Days of Christmas' Gifts Will Set You Back $107K

Hey, swans-a-swimming aren't cheap

(Newser) - The perfect gift for that person who seems to have everything? How about 12 drummers drumming, 11 pipers piping, 10 lords a-leaping, and, well, you get the idea. This year, if you tried to buy all 364 items from the "12 Days of Christmas" song, including that partridge in...

Black Friday: Traffic Up, Sales Down

Thanks to Thursday store openings

(Newser) - There were nearly 308 million store visits on Black Friday this year, a 3.5% increase from last year, but sales were down 1.8% to $11.2 billion, according to a ShopperTrak analysis. Why? Blame stores that actually opened on Thursday night, CNN reports. "While foot traffic did...

10 Crazy Expensive Celeb Gift Ideas

Not sure what to buy? Go with a trip to space

(Newser) - Now that the holiday shopping season has officially begun, you're probably wondering what to get that friend who has everything. Maybe you can score some ideas from this list of the craziest, most expensive gifts of the stars, courtesy of E! :
  • Last year for Christmas, Nick Cannon got wife
...

The Craziest Black Friday Stories, Videos

Inside this year's throngs, crimes

(Newser) - It's not Black Friday until mob violence has erupted at a Walmart. Some of the craziest stories coming out of the day so far:
  • The Atlantic Wire points to two videos of crazy-looking throngs fighting over cheap cellphones at Walmart, and Mediaite has video of hundreds of young girls
...

Most Americans Plan to 'Self-Gift' ... to Tune of $140

We love shopping ... for ourselves

(Newser) - Go ahead and buy yourself that discounted cashmere sweater today. You deserve it. Wait. What? You had already planned to do just that? Yeah, we thought so. The National Retail Federation reports that "self-gifting" is poised to hit a 10-year high this year, with shoppers set to spend an...

Scenes From Black Friday
 Scenes From Black Friday 
Nov 23, 2012 6:30 AM CST

Scenes From Black Friday

Long lines, but no riots ... yet

(Newser) - So far, no reports of waffle-maker-esque madness yet, as hordes of shoppers descended on stores to snap up the best deals of the year. This year, stores such as Target and Toys R Us opened on Thanksgiving evening, while retailers from Macy's to Best Buy opened their doors at...

Your Black Friday Strategy Guide

If you insist on going into the fray, here's what to do

(Newser) - "Black Friday is for suckers," declares Farhad Manjoo in Slate —but, assuming you still insist on going shopping tomorrow, he has some advice. So do Caity Weaver in Gawker , Matthew Ong in US News and World Report , and Herb Weisbaum on Today :
  • Download some of the new
...

Walmart Workers Walk Out, Plan Black Friday Protest
Walmart Workers Walk Out, Plan Black Friday Protest
in case you missed it
Nov 18, 2012 1:17 PM CST

Walmart Workers Walk Out, Plan Black Friday Protest

Chain insists protestors represent a very small portion of its workforce

(Newser) - Workers at a number of Walmart stores walked out yesterday, in the first salvo of a larger series of strikes planned in response to the retailing giant's plan to begin its Black Friday festivities on Thanksgiving . At least 30 workers at six Seattle-area stores went on strike yesterday, the...

Target Jumps on Black Thursday Bandwagon

Joins Walmart, among other places, in opening its doors on Thanksgiving

(Newser) - Target is joining the chorus of retailers who want you to shop on Thanksgiving , announcing that it will open its doors at 9pm, up from last year's midnight opening. Tasteless? Not according to a Target VP, who describes the 9pm opening as "a perfect balance." And it...

Walmart's 'Black Friday' to Start 2 Hours Earlier

On Thursday, doors will open at 8pm

(Newser) - Last year Black Friday became Black Midnight . This year, Walmart is instituting Black Thanksgiving Dessert Hour. That's right: The store's doors will open at 8pm on Thanksgiving, a full two hours earlier than they opened last year, reports the Wall Street Journal . And in a bid to ensure...

What Election? Sandy Recovery Continues

Marines head to Staten Island, Queens

(Newser) - Sure, it's Election Day tomorrow—but to plenty of families still reeling from Sandy's effects, civic duty is a secondary concern, the Washington Post reports. "Everyone’s trying to live. They got kids. How’s anybody gonna go out and vote?" says a Manhattan school lunch helper....

FedEx Expects Big Holiday Season

Prediction seen as a positive sign for the economy

(Newser) - FedEx is expecting to ship 280 million packages between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, a 13% improvement on last year's figures that means the Memphis-based company will hire 20,000 additional workers to handle the surge. FedEx attributed its growing shipment figures to the ever-increasing popularity of online shopping,...

Best Buy to Match Amazon's Prices

Congratulations, showrooming shoppers

(Newser) - Best Buy is changing things up this holiday season. Amid concerns over "showrooming"—when customers visit stores, check out products, and then buy them online—Best Buy is set to match online prices, including Amazon's, the Wall Street Journal reports. It's also going to throw in...

Neiman Marcus Joins Forces With ... Target

Rodarte, Derek Lam among designers participating

(Newser) - Move over Oscar and Felix: There's a new odd couple in town. Neiman Marcus and Target yesterday announced that they're teaming up this holiday season, with plans to offer 50-plus limited-edition items from big name designers like Diane von Furstenberg and Marc Jacobs, reports the Wall Street Journal ...

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