Retailers generally avoid publicizing their Black Friday specials far in advance because of the potential of hurting sales before the big day arrives. Who, for instance, would buy a 42-inch plasma screen RCA TV for $450 today …
Retail
Election’s Over: Time to Buy a Gun!
President Barack Obama has been referred to as “salesman of the year” for the gun industry. The nickname is likely to stick around, considering that gun sales are expected to rise like a speeding bullet now that he’s been reelected.
PayPal Ups Ante in Holiday Season Price-Matching Wars
The battle for holiday shopper dollars continues with the launch of the most impressive-sounding price-matching policy offered yet. As it turns out, the policy isn’t being offered by a retailer, but the payment processor PayPal.
Former ‘Extreme Couponer’ Admits: It’s a Waste of Time
For obvious reasons, the idea that you can snag hundreds of dollars worth of groceries for next to nothing has become exceptionally popular with today’s debt-ridden, budget-strapped masses. But does the “extreme couponing” …
Why Holiday Season ‘Self-Gifting’ Is Such a Huge Retail Trend
We’ve all heard that it is better to give than receive. During the holiday shopping period, there’s a new twist to this old adage: With the rise of “self-gifting,” many consumers are clearly big fans of the idea of “giving” — …
‘Sandy Sales’: After a Tragedy, How Soon Is Too Soon to Go Shopping?
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, we’ll be greatly in need of consumers to get back to their free-spending ways to put the economy back on track. But while millions are still coping with destruction, death, and power outages, the idea of hosting a hurricane-themed sale is perhaps in bad taste.
JCPenney: Forget Coupons and Black Friday Sales. How About a Free Photo Instead?
The reason why door buster deals, coupons, dramatic markdowns, and a short-lived sales are staples of the retail holiday scene is simple: They drive traffic into the stores. So how does a store attract customers when it’s sworn …
Time It Right: Sweet Spot Emerges for Snagging Best Holiday Gift Deals
If you’re seeking the best prices on holiday gifts, Black Friday may not be all that it’s cracked up to be. Instead, be patient, and when the second week of December rolls around, be ready to pounce.
11 Weirdest Election-Themed Products
T-shirts, buttons, and bumper stickers just aren’t going to cut it for the high-stakes presidential election of 2012.
You Never Know What’ll Pop Up Next: The Newest Pop-Up Businesses
Nowadays, the pop-up business concept goes way beyond the temporary Halloween store that features costumes and novelties—and that is gone before kids finish their trick-or-treat candy.
So You Want More Free Shipping? You Got It
If there’s one thing e-retailers hate, it’s shopping cart abandonment. Shoppers fill up their virtual carts and then fail to follow through on the purchase quite frequently. While there are many reasons why this happens, one of …
How Layaway Is Starting to Resemble the Lottery
One of last year’s feel-good stories for the holidays was the rise of “layaway Santas,” in which random people decided out of the goodness of their hearts to pay off total strangers’ layaway accounts—usually at Kmart, usually …