U.S. retail chains reported October sales that rebounded from the lows of a year ago but many failed to surpass Wall Street's boosted expectations as consumers spend selectively headed into the holiday season.
Take a classic Christmas tale, a dollop of Jim Carrey and a sprinkling of innovative movie technology.
U.S. online sales are expected to rise 8 percent this holiday season, with mass market retailers who can offer discounts performing best, according to Forrester Research Inc.
Foreman Danny Miranda remembers the days when the Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, ports were so jammed that ships waited in line to unload. Now the lingering recession has longshoremen waiting in line for work.
Some store chains are hedging a major bet they made this year by slashing inventories, sometimes as much as 25 percent, to make sure they do not get stuck with a glut of merchandise for a second consecutive year.
Foreman Danny Miranda remembers the days when the Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, ports were so jammed that ships waited in line to unload. Now the lingering recession has longshoremen waiting in line for work.
U.S. employers are slowly hiring workers, despite the worst labor market in 26 years, according to a survey on Monday that suggested companies are becoming more confident in the economy's prospects.
U.S. retailers that pushed deep, margin-sapping discounts in 2008 to try to lure holiday shoppers during the recession are going to try to break consumers of the 70 percent-off habit in 2009.
U.S. retailers gave investors an early Christmas present, posting their first monthly sales increase in more than a year and suggesting that wounded consumers might begin to heal in time for the crucial holiday season.
U.S. retailers probably saw sales decline again in September, signaling weak demand leading into the holiday season that will require chains to sharpen their focus on value.
The economy is still spooking shoppers. U.S. consumers plan to spend an average of $56.31 on Halloween this year, down from $66.54 in 2008, according to a National Retail Federation survey.
U.S. holiday spending is expected to be flat versus a year ago, as consumers remain cautious and the national unemployment rate hovers at nearly 10 percent, Deloitte said in a forecast released late on Sunday.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc is expecting a late Christmas as consumers continue to carefully manage spending, CEO Mike Duke said at an investor conference on Thursday.
After clamping down last year, U.S. holiday shoppers are more willing to crack open their wallets in 2009, but still intend to hunt for discounts, a survey released on Tuesday found.
U.S. retailers are likely to get an incomplete mark for the key back-to-school season when they report August sales this week, as a later Labor Day is expected to pull some sales into September, pressuring August results.
U.S. retailers could see sales in the 2009 holiday season decline from last year's dismal results or show only a slight increase, even in the best scenario, according to a new forecast.
SEATTLE - U.S. retailers could see sales in the 2009 holiday season decline from last year's dismal results or show only a slight increase, even in the best scenario, according to a new forecast.
Rock icon Bob Dylan will sing the old yuletide standards
The official Michael Jackson's photo book will be available for customers on the Christmas holiday season, according to a publishing company.
U.S. consumers will spend 8.5 percent to 12 percent less this year on back-to-school items than they did last year, as cash-strapped parents try to get children to wear last year's fashions, a retail industry monitor said on Tuesday.
With only 160 shopping days left, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in some stores.
Whether you come by your sweet tooth naturally, suddenly find your pants slipping southward from too much road grub, or just can’t face another plate of mystery meat, desserts on the road are a great way to get to know a country’s culinary culture.
