More technology addicts across the country are flooding electronic retailers to for repairs, not purchases. The number of in-store users in America has not been counted, but our growing gadget obsession -- especially among teens and young adults -- might spark an epidemic, experts say. And more stores are condoning the habit by letting consumers experiment freely. Apple stores set the trend by sprawling its desired devices--iPods, iPhones and Macs--across display tables. "They have shown the world that this model has legs," says James Damian, Best Buy vice president of store design. It works because the more …

Almost one-third of shoppers bought electronics based on an offer or promotion--the most popular being rebates and sale prices--according to a new survey from Omnicom's Dallas-based Integer Group. Also, most of the buyers (75%) browsed on the Web before purchasing--going online an average of more than three times to do research before buying. It was "not uncommon" for the shoppers to make 10 or more Internet visits. "When they actually get ready to buy, they do go to retail in part because they want that immediate gratification," says Kim Menier, Integer senior vice president-director of account planning. They …

The Army's core product--military service--is a tough sell right now, so its new marketing strategy will be to win over "influencers" of potential recruits with a pitch that offers up to $40,000 toward the purchase of a home or the creation of a business. "If you want to get a soldier, you have to go through mom, and moms want to know what kind of future their children will have when they leave the Army," says Lt. Col. Jeff Sterling, the program's architect. The new recruitment program, dubbed the "Army Advantage Fund," is meant to show …

Toy makers and retailers are filling shelves with new tech devices for children ages 3 and up, and sometimes even down. They say they are catering to junior consumers who want to emulate their parents and are not satisfied with fake gadgets. Jim Silver, editor of Toy Wishes magazine, says there has been "a huge jump in the last 12 months" in toys that involve looking at a screen. Six of the nine best-selling toys for 5- to 7-year-olds on Amazon.com yesterday were tech gadgets. For all of 2006, three of the top nine toys for that age …

The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association--the 113-year-old, Washington-based trade association--is changing its name to the Personal Care Products Council and is reaching out to the consumer world in recognition of how society's habits have dramatically changed. With the new persona comes a fact-laden product safety Web site--cosmeticsinfo.org--designed to win consumer trust. "We're seeing a sea change in what consumers desire in product safety information," says Marc Pritchard, president of global strategy at Procter & Gamble and chairman of the council. He adds that there is a craving for the kind of specific information that is provided on the council's …