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Holiday shopping

How a Seattle retailer hopes to navigate an uncertain holiday season

by Mitchell Hartman
Dec 3, 2020
Sales estimates are all over the place. Small business owners are hoping to ride out the uncertainty.
Tom Butcher, right, and Cindy Reichel, left, co-owners of Patchwerks in Seattle. The four-year-old store and online business specializes in synthesizers and other electronic music instruments.
Image provided by Tom Butcher
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Fast-Track Vaccines

Vaccine, gift delivery intensify holiday shipping rush

by Victoria Craig
Dec 3, 2020
Delivery giants like DHL Express have prepared for a unique workload by adding to their aviation fleets.
Package-delivery companies like DHL Express are under even more pressure this holiday season to not only get gifts where they need to go but also vaccines to people around the world. (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP) (Photo credit should read TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP via Getty Images)
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My Economy

"All the pandemic has done is shine a horrifyingly clear spotlight on every inequality in our community. And my community is the book community."

by Alli Fam
Dec 1, 2020
Independent bookseller Hannah Oliver Depp is struggling with suppliers in her mission to tell the stories of struggling people.
Loyalty Books, which centers the stories of people of color and queer people.
Courtesy of Hannah Oliver Depp
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COVID-19

Holiday surge in e-commerce could cause delivery crunch

by Meghan McCarty Carino
Nov 27, 2020
It won't be as bad as early in the pandemic, but shoppers should plan ahead.
A postal worker loads packages into a mail truck outside a USPS center in Los Angeles, California, in August.
Kyle Grillot/AFP via Getty Images
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COVID-19

Online shopping uptick expected to continue for holidays

by Samantha Fields
Nov 26, 2020
But the uncertainty of this holiday season could give small, local businesses an edge if they offer last-minute shopping options.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Housing Works
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Small businesses prepare for the holidays amid the pandemic

by Sean McHenry
Nov 25, 2020
Small business retailers are facing a holiday season like no other. Three owners share how they're preparing for the shopping season.
A worker decorates the Christmas tree at The Grove outdoor shopping center in Los Angeles on, Nov. 5, 2020.
Valerie Macon/AFP
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Retail sales grew a slower-than-expected 0.3% in October

by Associated Press
Nov 17, 2020
Retail sales growth slowed even as retailers offered early holiday discounts online and in stores.
Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for Macy's
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COVID-19

Retailers get creative to handle expected crush of online sales

by Marielle Segarra
Nov 13, 2020
Walmart is converting 42 warehouses that normally ship products to its stores so they can also fulfill online orders.
An employee prepares boxes for shipment at a warehouse in Draper, Utah. Retailers are preparing their warehouses for a surge in online orders.
George Frey/Getty Images
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COVID-19

Pandemic pushes holiday retail jobs off the sales floor

by Meghan McCarty Carino
Oct 27, 2020
Hiring is down overall, but up for e-commerce jobs. Warehouse and shelf-stocking jobs have tripled compared to past years.
Masks and hand sanitizer are given to customers entering a Dick's Sporting Goods during the pandemic. "The holiday season is going to look very different for retailers and workers alike," one economist says.
David McNew/Getty Images
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COVID-19

Parents are buying a lot of toys for kids during the pandemic

by Samantha Fields
Oct 26, 2020
People stuck at home bought toys, games, puzzles and more. Analysts expect that trend will continue through the holidays.
People walk past an open toy store in June in New York City.
Stephanie Keith/Getty Images
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