holiday sales

Santa delivers for U.S. retailers

New York -- Inventory control, coupled with last-minute shopping and post-holiday bargain hunting, drove U.S. retailers' best monthly sales in more than 20 months, results showed Thursday, and several -- from discounter Target Corp. to upscale retailer Nordstrom Inc. -- gave rosier profit outlooks. Read more...

Returns, bargains at the mall

Wilkes-Barre Twp. – A post-holiday calm filled the air of the Wyoming Valley Mall Saturday as shoppers leisurely strolled in and out of stores in search of bargains. Many came to return gifts they received or bought for others.

“I bought a sweater for my dad, but he needed a warmer one,” said Kelly Connelly of Ashley at a Macy’s checkout counter. “Instead, I ended up buying two.” Read more...

Christmas week shopping surged

New York -- Retail sales surged 8.8% during the week that included Christmas, although foot traffic was down slightly, according to an industry group report issued Wednesday. Read more...

Retailers' pockets jingling after spirited holiday shopping season

Despite the struggling economy, SouthCoast retailers enjoyed a gift from consumers this season with relatively strong sales. While retail chains have not yet released their end-of-the-year numbers, local stores saw steady business in the days before and after Christmas. The season could end up improving upon last year's dismal numbers, according to store owners, mall managers and retail experts. Read more...

Retailers get a modest gift this holiday season

After a holiday season marked by uncertainty and discounts, early sales figures coming out of the nation's malls, big-box stores and supermarkets showed improvement in a range of retail categories.

Total retail sales from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24 improved 3.6% from the same period a year earlier, according to data released Sunday by SpendingPulse, an information service of MasterCard Advisors. That figure includes traditional holiday-shopping destinations such as apparel and electronics chains as well as outlets such as grocery stores, furniture sellers and drugstores. Read more...

Season very merry at malls

While snowstorms may have resulted in lost weekend sales for East Coast shopping centers, the malls in sunny Honolulu ushered in plenty of crowds.

"It was fantastic," said Fred Paine, manager of Pearlridge Center. "From what I'm hearing, merchants are extremely excited. People were spending almost like the good old days." Read more...

Last-minute buyers keep Rochester-area retailers bustling

No, not the silver bells on Santa's sleigh, though those will be heard soon enough. It's the cash registers — noiseless now, through the gift of technology — of Rochester-area retailers as the holiday shopping season reaches a crescendo. Read more...

White out dampens shoppers' outing

It's less than a week until Christmas, a time when shoppers are wondering how low prices will go -- and retailers are wondering how deep consumers will reach into their pockets.

Two-thirds of shoppers have yet to mark the last gift off their list -- and one in four consumers will shop this week, including Christmas Eve, according to the first annual American Express Spending and Saving Tracker research report. Read more...

Shop Talk: Retailers pulling out the stops for procrastinators

Procrastination seems to be mixed in with the cold holiday air these days.

I have not yet determined what cookie I’m baking for my friend’s holiday party, cleaned my house so it will be presentable when my in-laws come for Christmas dinner, or mailed out any of the presents for family members who live on the other side of the country.

But procrastinators will play a big role for retailers who are pulling out discounts and other tactics to draw shoppers through their doors in the final days before Christmas. Read more...

Christmas countdown drives shoppers to Southwest Florida malls, downtowns

Naples, FL — Shoppers flocked to downtown Naples, the malls and a Bonita Springs flea market Saturday for the last weekend of shopping before Christmas.

Shortly before noon Saturday, shoppers meandered along Fifth Avenue South’s sidewalks, sipping Starbucks coffee, while others shopped and dozens sat outside Fifth Avenue Coffee Co., reading newspapers and talking. Read more...