Justine Griffin/Sarasota Herald-Tribune—Between Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and three weeks of shopping from now to Christmas, shoppers have more options than ever to get all the gifts on their holiday lists. Southwest Florida moms Melissa Tomasso and Beth McCullagh are two of the 140 million people who are expected to shop during […]
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Spending: Stores get stingy about returns
Kaitlin Pinsker/Chicago Tribune—As you’re double-checking your holiday shopping list, tack on a reminder to read each store’s return policy before making your purchase. Some retailers are feeling a little less generous when it comes to returns. Such stingier policies are intended to combat return fraud. Fraudulent returns cost retailers $8.9 billion in 2012, according to […]
Washington deal may mean more deals for holiday shoppers
A congressional deal to end the shutdown may be an early Christmas gift for shoppers—and coal for retailers.
By staving off a Treasury default until after the New Year, the government also extended uncertainty, according to analysts.
Shopping forecasts don’t thrill retailers
Justine Griffin/Sarasota Herald-Tribune—Economic uncertainty surrounding the government shutdown has been pushing American consumers to take a conservative approach to spending this holiday season. The National Retail Federation predicts that the average shopper will spend $737.95 on gifts, holiday-themed decor, greeting cards and more this year, down from the $752.24 average shoppers spent in 2012. The […]
Shoppers in no mood to party
Justine Griffin/Sarasota Herald-Tribune—New chain stores and pop-up retailers have moved into Southwest Florida well before the start of October, as the push for holiday sales around Halloween begins even earlier this year. Halloween costumes, candy and decorations hit the shelves of stores in Sarasota and Manatee counties at least a month before Oct. 31 — […]
CityTarget woos Portland State shoppers with Back to College Night
Nicole Friedman/The Oregonian—Hundreds of Portland State University students boarded buses to CityTarget in downtown Portland Tuesday night to buy dorm-room essentials and hang out with friends at the store’s first Back to College Night. More than 800 students — mostly freshmen — showed up, said store manager Vincson Green. From 10 to 11 p.m., Target […]
