There’s a long, storied history of retailers battling it out for holiday shopping dollars. Price wars, seasonal promotions aimed at one-upping the competition, and price-matching guarantees are all commonplace, and considered …
gifts
Christmas Miracle! Secret Santas Paying Off Strangers’ Layaway Items
An anonymous merrymaker spread some holiday cheer last week by paying $500 toward the layaway accounts of three strangers at a Kmart in Michigan. Since then, copycat Secret Santas have followed suit, giving thousands of dollars …
Holiday Shoppers Hitting Pawn Stores in Big Numbers
It has been a huge year for retail sales so far in the holiday shopping season, with $52 billion spent over Black Friday weekend and another $6 billion spent online during the “Cyber Week” that followed. Here’s one more hot …
New Holiday Tradition: Buying Yourself a Gift
Gift exchanges are so inefficient. Unless everyone’s picked out presents via gift registry, there’s a decent chance someone will receive an unwanted gift—which amounts to a waste of time and money. And if everyone’s picked out …
Should You Buy a Toddler a Tablet? How About a $480 Tablet?
This year’s “it” gift for the holidays seems to the tablet. Apple‘s iPad has remained in strong demand from the get-go, and the rest of the tablet and e-reader market has gotten hot because so many affordable options have hit the …
Retail Shoppers: 3 Minutes to Check-out, Or I’m Out of Here!
Long lines are bad for business. An especially long line at a store’s checkout area can scare off some customers from making a purchase, or just leave the shopper aggravated—and less likely to come back. Also, the longer the …
The Cost of Being Festive: We’re on Pace to Drop $6 Billion on Inflatable Santas and Other Decorations
The continued uncertainty and overall dreariness of the economy doesn’t seem to be dampening consumers’ holiday spirits. Nor is it stopping shoppers from stocking up on LED holiday light displays, inflatable lawn decorations, and …
Holiday Spending: Just How Important Is Free Shipping to Online Shoppers?
Increasingly, online shoppers won’t complete their orders unless free shipping is part of the deal. Nearly two-thirds of online purchases last week were shipped for free.
Why Some Experts Say the Best Toys Are Free
How’s this for a justification to spend absolutely no money on toys this holiday season?
Amazon Flurry Deals: A Week’s Worth of One-Day-Only Holiday Discounts
You have to hand it to Amazon: The e-retail giant knows how to drag out a shopping season. Its Black Friday promotions didn’t start a mere day, or even a week early, but 24 days before the Friday after Thanksgiving. While most …
The Big Mac Big Deal: LivingSocial’s Half-Priced McDonald’s Special
Tapping into the bargain-hunting mentality that resulted in an epic spending frenzy over the holiday weekend, fast food outlets are hoping that consumers have built up an appetite—for their food, of course, as well as more …
The Hot-Selling Holiday Item Everyone Already Owns: TV
Electronics are on the top of the shopping list for many consumers this holiday season: Nearly 4 in 10 shoppers purchased electronics over Black Friday weekend, contributing to the whopping $52 billion total spent at stores. …
