Retailers have been promoting aggressive deals to balance out the bad news on their bottom lines. Jaime Bedrin shows us what tactics companies are employing to win customers and what deals will be particularly good.
With so many big-name toy recalls this year, parents have had to be extra cautious about safety. But Ashley Milne-Tyte reports that most won't change their shopping habits, because they don't want to be seen as a Grinch.
What if, in order to get a discount on an item, you could join a group of shoppers to buy that product in bulk. Some Internet start-ups hope that kind of online buying will be the next big thing. Andrea Gardner reports.
The real Santa Claus was too busy to talk to Marketplace about the holiday season, but we found one of his stand-ins at a nearby mall. He explained how he works and how wish lists are changing.
They call today Black Friday because holiday sales supposedly help retailers climb into the black for the year. Yet, despite the long lines seen today, this could be the slowest holiday season in five years. Scott Jagow got a perspective from Rob Snowden, general manager of Outlets at Hillsboro in Texas.
Depending on how you look at it, today is also "Buy Nothing Day," a holiday counteracting the effects of Black Friday. Lisa Napoli talked about the day with founder Reverend Billy and his wife, Savitri.
With high gas prices and the lack of a must-have, big-hit item, consumer spending isn't expect to grow much this holiday season. But, as Amy Scott reports, people will still be doing plenty of shopping.
Many shoppers got a head start on their shopping this morning before the sun rose. But for those in the market for clothing, a visit to this fashion website could have made their trip much shorter. Cash Peters has more.
Shoppers across the nation will flood to retail stores on Black Friday. But some of the best deals are on the Web — and one site in particular has some retailers angry, because it's spoiling some savings surprises. Andrew Phelps reports.
Retailers know consumers can't negotiate with their nose when it finds something it likes. Lisa Napoli talks to Rachel Herz, author of "The Scent of Desire," about how some stores are using smell to seal the deal.
