holiday shopping – News Stories About holiday shopping - Page 7

UPDATED

Dec 7, 2009 9:06 PM CST

Feds: Zhu Zhu Pets OK

Chemical levels don't violate standards

(Newser) - Zhu Zhu Pets robotic hamsters—one of the holiday season's hottest toy crazes—do not violate safety standards, federal toy regulators say after a consumer group raised concerns over the presence of a heavy metal on one model. The toy "is not out of compliance," says a spokesman...

Zhu Zhu Pet Maker: Get Off Mr. Squiggles!

damage control

Dec 7, 2009 5:17 PM CST

Zhu Zhu Pet Maker: Get Off Mr. Squiggles!

Watchdog site used cheap equipment to back chemical claim

(Newser) - The maker of Zhu Zhu Pets is aggressively defending one of its toy hamsters against claims by a watchdog group that Mr. Squiggles contains unsafe levels of a dangerous chemical. Tests by an independent lab show the toy does not contain dangerous levels of antimony, as claimed by the GoodGuide...

Dangerous
Chemical in
Zhu Zhu Pet:
Watchdog

hot holiday toy

Dec 6, 2009 1:51 PM CST

Dangerous Chemical in Zhu Zhu Pet: Watchdog

Maker denies stuffed hamster contains unsafe level of antimony

(Newser) - The manufacturer of Zhu Zhu Pets is defending Mr. Squiggles against charges the stuffed hamster contains unsafe levels of a dangerous chemical. The robotic toys are the big hit of the holiday shopping season—or they were, before GoodGuide said one model has more than the permitted level of antimony,...

DVD Box Sets
of TV Shows
Are Pure Evil

OPINION

Dec 1, 2009 5:37 PM CST

DVD Box Sets of TV Shows Are Pure Evil

Even the best programs will end up seeming superficial

(Newser) - This holiday season, have some pity on your friends and relatives—spare them the DVD box sets of their favorite TV shows. "The DVD box set is the newest and most terrifying form of ritualistic abuse we inflict on one another," writes Grady Hendrix. Not only are we...

Sales Rise Even Though
Shoppers Spend Less

thanksgiving weekend

Nov 29, 2009 4:58 PM CST

Sales Rise Even Though Shoppers Spend Less

$41.2B weekend total beats 2008 haul by $1.2B

(Newser) - Thanksgiving weekend retail sales totaled $41.2 billion, a .5% jump over last year's $41 billion, but the average shopper spent 8% less than in 2008, $343.31 against $372.57. Discounts, especially on electronics and toys, were the overwhelming attraction as cautious consumers pried open their wallets, Bloomberg reports....

Black Friday Sees
Strong Crowds,
Picky Shoppers

Nov 28, 2009 10:12 AM CST

Black Friday Sees Strong Crowds, Picky Shoppers

Early reports suggest a decent start to the holiday retail season

(Newser) - It will take a few days for the Black Friday sales numbers to be crunched, but early indications show a decent, if unspectacular, shopping day. A retailer trade group reported "strong crowds" across the board, notes Bloomberg , with high-def TVs, laptops, winter coats, and those ubiquitous Zhu Zhu hamsters...

Black Friday Brings Out
the Shoppers

Nov 27, 2009 9:05 AM CST

Black Friday Brings Out the Shoppers

Consumers not too downtrodden for 5am campouts

(Newser) - Economic woes didn’t prevent shoppers from camping out outside stores across the country this morning, as retailers offered especially deep Black Friday discounts. Most opened early as well, with some, including Wal-Mart and many Old Navy stores, opening yesterday to get a jump on things. Toys R Us opened...

Sleep in Tomorrow; Better Bargains Begin Sunday

Nov 26, 2009 9:10 PM CST

Sleep in Tomorrow; Better Bargains Begin Sunday

Cyber Sunday joins Cyber Monday as deals shift online

(Newser) - Black Friday ain’t what it used to be. “Stay at home and shop online,” a Saks exec advises, as retailers shift away from the traditional after-Thanksgiving bargain stampede to discounts spread throughout the holiday season. Most in-store deals tomorrow, especially in electronics, will be on lower-end products...

Holiday Shopping Tip: Money Can Buy You Love

george will

Nov 26, 2009 9:49 AM CST

Holiday Shopping Tip: Money Can Buy You Love

Yuletide economics dissected

(Newser) - Christmas is coming, and the "voluntary December calamity" of destruction of billions of dollars in value is under way, writes George Will. People will splurge on gifts their relatives and friends don't want or need, and the discrepancy between the cost of the present and its value to the...

What Not to Buy on Black Friday

Farhad Manjoo

Nov 24, 2009 11:39 AM CST

What Not to Buy on Black Friday

Netbooks, e-books and other bad deals

(Newser) - Step away from the gizmos. Even if you make it through the Black Friday crowds unharmed, you may do serious damage to your wallet, writes Farhad Manjoo in Slate , who runs down what to buy and bypass at the big box store: Don't Buy:

E-book readers: The market is heating

...

Holiday Shipping Costs Get the Heave-Ho-Ho

Nov 17, 2009 1:42 AM CST

Holiday Shipping Costs Get the Heave-Ho-Ho

Charges ditched as online competition heats up

(Newser) - Free shipping is quickly becoming the rule instead of a bonus as online and catalog retailers seek to lure holiday shoppers. Many shoppers searching for deals now abandon Internet shopping sites as soon as they find they must pay shipping costs, analysts are finding. Some 57% of retailers are offering...

Retailers Sell Flicks Online at Less Than Cost

RACE TO THE BOTTOM

Nov 6, 2009 10:42 AM CST

Retailers Sell Flicks Online at Less Than Cost

Big-box giants drop price of 10 hottest DVD titles to $10

(Newser) - Wal-Mart has spurred an online DVD price war by dropping prices on 10 must-have movies to just $10, which analysts agree is below wholesale cost. “We remain committed to offering our customers the lowest prices online at Walmart.com, and will continue to adjust our pricing accordingly,” a...

iPhone Users Get Leg Up on Black Friday

Nov 5, 2009 10:51 PM CST

iPhone Users Get Leg Up on Black Friday

App lets shoppers check deals, and rumored deals

(Newser) - If you’re already getting your Black Friday game face on, consider making the Black Friday app the first thing on your shopping list. The free program from dealnews can keep you up to date on both officially announced bargains and deals that have “leaked,” and lets you...

Palin's Book, Going Rogue,
Will Be Out by Thanksgiving

Sep 28, 2009 7:05 PM CDT

Palin's Book, Going Rogue, Will Be Out by Thanksgiving

Ex-candidate borrows phrase used on her during '08 campaign

(Newser) - Trading on a phrase often used to describe her actions in the final weeks of last year’s presidential campaign, Sarah Palin’s memoir will be called Going Rogue—and you’ll be able to get it for all the Mama Grizzlies on your holiday shopping list, too. Palin beat...

Christmas in September
Leaves Shoppers Cold

Sep 28, 2009 3:32 PM CDT

Christmas in September Leaves Shoppers Cold

No, you're not crazy, it is still September

(Newser) - Look around your local department store, and you might encounter a ridiculous site: a Christmas display. Yes, retailers are already decking their halls, desperate to get a piece of consumers’ dwindling holiday budgets before their competitors do. Consumers aren't buying it. “You can’t get in the Christmas spirit...

Outlook Bleak for Holiday Hiring

Sep 23, 2009 1:22 AM CDT

Outlook Bleak for Holiday Hiring

Pessimistic retailers plan to slash seasonal jobs

(Newser) - Retail jobs are expected to be in short supply even as the holiday shopping season approaches, the Wall Street Journal reports. Some 40% of retail chains surveyed say they plan to hire fewer workers this year than they did last year when the recession forced many to cut staffing levels....

Toys R Us
Pumped Up
for Holiday
Offensive

Sep 15, 2009 1:28 AM CDT

Toys R Us Pumped Up for Holiday Offensive

Chain plans to open 80 temporary stores in time for holiday shopping season

(Newser) - Toys R Us is getting ready to go on the offensive in the battle for holiday sales, the Washington Post reports. The company—which snapped up the KB Toys and FAO Schwarz brands earlier this year—plans to open 80 temporary "Holiday Express" stores in malls across the country,...

Ho-Ho-Hold on
a Minute,
Xmas in July?

Jul 31, 2009 4:38 AM CDT

Ho-Ho-Hold on a Minute, Xmas in July?

Stores launch summer promotions to snag holiday dollars early

(Newser) - It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in malls across the country as stores angle for some extremely early holiday dollars, the Wall Street Journal reports. Retailers like Toys'R'US, Sears and Kmart have dragged Santa away from his summer break and launched July Christmas promotions, hoping to boost sales...

Slump in TV Sales May Push Smaller Makers Out

Jan 20, 2009 2:09 PM CST

Slump in TV Sales May Push Smaller Makers Out

Likes of Hitachi, Pioneer don't have staying power of Sony and other giants

(Newser) - A steep decline in demand for flat-panel TVs could push smaller manufacturers out of the market, the Wall Street Journal reports. As the economy sours and larger makers achieve economies of scale, the price gap between top brands and cheaper rivals has shrunken dramatically. The top five makers accounted for...

'Sea Change' In
Store for Retail

Dec 27, 2008 10:28 AM CST

'Sea Change' In Store for Retail

Shops to shut, brands to fold as bankruptcies soar

(Newser) - Shaken by a tough holiday season and bracing for more trouble, the retail scene may look very different in 2009, the Wall Street Journal reports. Some stores will be reducing inventory and cutting suppliers, which could force small manufacturers to fold. Retail bankruptcies could abound. "We will have a...