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Economic signals mixed as year comes to a close
Mark Garrison Dec 24, 2012
Fiscal cliff negotiations continue to worry markets, but end of the year holiday sales are bringing some cheer to the economy.
Merry Christmas and many unhappy returns
Queena Kim Dec 25, 2012
The day after Thanksgiving is known as the biggest retail sales day of the year. The day after Christmas is the start of the biggest week for holiday gift returns and a tough time for retailers.
Stores make the most of long shopping season
Sally Herships Dec 20, 2012
Christmas is on a Tuesday this year, meaning procrastinators get an extra day at the beginning of next week to finish up their shopping. And because Thanksgiving was as early as it could be this year, it's an extra-long holiday season for retailers.
The brave new world of dynamic pricing
Stacey Vanek Smith Dec 19, 2012
Online retailers are changing their prices multiple times a day, raising prices when they can, lowering them when they must. Want a better deal? Wait 10 minutes.
McDonald's plans to stay open on Christmas Day
Juli Niemann Dec 18, 2012
McDonald's is telling franchisees to open this year on Christmas Day. Staying open on Thanksgiving this year gave a nice boost to McDonald's sales, and they'd love a repeat performance.
Imagine a calendar without a holiday shopping season
David Weinberg Dec 13, 2012
How would the economy be affected if we didn't have Christmas and other holidays to stimulate our spending?
Optimism at the mall: Retail sales up
Jeff Horwich Dec 13, 2012
Despite some worries about consumer demand this holiday season, U.S. retail sales rose 0.3% in November.
The bigger influence on retail: Black Friday, or Sandy?
David Weinberg Dec 13, 2012
Hurricane Sandy sparked spending in the Northeast, but Black Friday is national and so has more impact on retail sales.
Retailers could step up freebies for shoppers
Dan Bobkoff Dec 10, 2012
As holiday season heads into the last stretch, retailers are gauging just how much they have to give away to get skittish shoppers to spend.
Retailers try to thwart holiday shoplifters
Mark Garrison Dec 4, 2012
Retailers could lose $9 billion this holiday season to thieves. So stores are trying to stay one technological step ahead of the crooks.
