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Open for business on Christmas
Eve Troeh Dec 25, 2012
More businesses are open on Christmas Day than before. So what's behind the working holiday?
Breaking down Santa, Inc.
Sally Herships Dec 24, 2012
Christmas is coming up and needless to say, Santa Claus must be busy. He is, after all, really the world’s ultimate personal shopper. And since Marketplace is a business program, we couldn’t help but wonder what sort of enterprise Santa runs.
Scrooge: Generous to a fault?
Christopher Werth Dec 21, 2012
Ebeneezer Scrooge seems the epitome of a bad boss. He keeps the thermostat low, you have to beg for a day off and forget about a holiday office party. But is Scrooge's bad reputation undeserved?
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 Christmas tree: A consumer conundrum
Tony Cox Dec 24, 2012
Every December, millions of Americans spend their hard-earned money on Christmas trees. To find out why this tradition persists and how consumers decide which tree is right for their budget, Tony Cox visited a busy Christmas tree lot in L.A.
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?
Have a very Homo Economicus Christmas
Stephen Dubner Dec 12, 2012
What economists like to give (and get) as Christmas gifts. Spoiler alert: economists don’t think like the rest of us.
Feel-good end to 2012
Joel Patterson Dec 27, 2011
Two surveys out today have spenders and scholars upbeat about the health of the U.S. economy, for now at least.
How did you spend Christmas?
Jeremy Hobson Dec 26, 2011
Two families, from two different economic backgrounds, on how they spent one of the biggest holidays of the year.
Final retail rush kicks off today
Mitchell Hartman Dec 26, 2011
Ten percent to 15 percent of holiday sales occur in the week after Christmas. Discounting is deep this year.
