• retail Report: Gift Cards Are The New Fruitcake by Tanya Irwin

    "The attractiveness of captive store gift cards appears to be waning, particularly in an economy in which retail inventories are shrinking and consumption is concentrated on more practical purchases like food, gasoline and heating oil," said Brian Riley, research director, bank cards, at the Needham, Mass.-based TowerGroup. ...Read the whole story

  • retail Black Friday: America Shopped More, Spent Less by Sarah Mahoney

    "It just wasn't the start to the holiday season that we were hoping for, and quite frankly, we were downright disappointed, especially given the recent buzz that shoppers might loosen purse strings for holiday gifting," writes Retail Eye. ...Read the whole story

  • automotive Year-End Sales Events Beckon Buyers by Karl Greenberg

    Kelley Blue Book's latest Market Intelligence survey of in-market new-car shoppers suggests that new-car buyers are ready, willing and able -- but the onus is on automakers to tell them that the deals are coming to the dance. ...Read the whole story

  • Who Drinks Hot Specialty Coffee? by

    Top 10 DMAs in which adults reside who drank hot specialty coffee in the past week: 1 Seattle/ Tacoma 2 San Francisco/ Oakland/ San Jose ... ...More

point-of-view Reading Holiday Tea Leaves by Jim Lucas

Given shoppers' reticence, retailers' reduced inventory, and the attempts to spread holiday shopping out over an earlier and longer period, it is likely that winter ... ...More

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