The Los Angeles Times is reporting that traffic was up in stores around the country, but that shoppers were spending about 3.5% less per person than last year, or about $347.44.
holidays
The 12 Days Of Christmas Will Cost You $19,507 This Year
By 11.26.07
Every year since 1984 PNC has been calculating the cost of the items mentioned in the 12 days of Christmas, resulting in a pointless, but highly amusing version of the Consumer Price Index.
National Christmas Tree Association Says Real Trees Are "Green"
By 11.23.07
Apparently there’s some debate about whether or not it’s more eco-friendly to buy a real Christmas tree every year or a fake one once every billion years or so.
Who To Tip And How Much
By 11.21.07
Ah, holiday tipping, that peculiarly American pastime that erupts into an orgy of envelopes and awkward “thank you”s at the end of every year. Kiplinger tries the impossible: putting together a guide for who to tip and how much to give. Even they admit that it’s nigh impossible to create a definitive guide—they suggest “handing out end-of-the year tips for one to three people who have given you exemplary service during the year.”
TSA: Pies Are OK, But May Be Subject To Additional Screening
By 11.21.07
The TSA has a holiday food travel guide up on its website and the verdict is in: Pies and cakes are OK, but “be advised that they might be subject to additional screening.”
39 Million People Are Traveling Today
By 11.21.07
If you’re traveling today, you’ll have some company: 39 million other people, according to USAToday:
Free Photos With Santa At Walmart Starting November 24
By 11.20.07
Is Billy Bob Thornton available? For the first time ever, every single Walmart will feature Santa. Also, there will be free 5″ x 7″ photos to be had while supplies last.
By 11.19.07
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Wise Bread’s Black Friday strategy guide is comprehensive. Good luck out there. We’ll be on the couch.[Wise Bread]
Nordstrom Opposes Christmas Creep
By 11.18.07
Nordstrom has conquered the urge to celebrate Christmas before Thanksgiving. The retailer announced its decision to respect the calendar and common sense by hanging signs declaring that they will wait until the day after Thanksgiving, the earliest acceptable moment, to display their Christmas decorations. The vainglorious announcement is an important indicator that Nordstrom’s competitors have overdone the unseasonable cheerfulness schtick.
Toys R Us Tries To Reassure You After Year Of Recalls
By 11.16.07
Toys R Us has written a reassuring letter to its customers outlining its toy safety policies and threatening to discontinue selling products from any company that ignores them. Since Toys R Us still sells Mattel toys and Thomas & Friends wooden train sets, it’s hard to imagine a company that wouldn’t make the cut.
Drought To Affect Christmas Tree Prices
By 11.16.07
Christmas trees might be more expensive this year, thanks to a drought in the southeast, says NPR. Don’t worry, the trees didn’t die or anything, they’re just much more expensive to grow thanks to the water shortage.
Cheap Ideas For Holiday Parties
By 11.16.07
Kiplinger set itself three basic rules to follow for affordable holiday entertaining: “make it a team effort” by splitting hosting duties or having guests bring food, “borrow what you don’t have,” and ” be creative.” Following these rules, they came up with ten ideas for holiday get-togethers that even people on tight budgets can pull off. Here are the first three.
JC Penney Sales Down, Blames Subprime Meltdown, Bad Weather
By 11.15.07
JC Penney isn’t doing so well this fall and has cut its forecast, admitting sluggish same store sales and citing bad weather and the subprime meltdown as the reasons for the downturn.
Watch Out For Fees With Gift Cards
By 11.12.07
Like candy canes and drunken family dinners, gift cards have become a Christmas staple. Bankrate has reviewed a wide number of them and published the results to help you pick the best one for your needs. To avoid fees, you should stick with “closed-loop” cards—that is, a card issued by a specific retailer for use only with that retailer. Almost all retailers now offer cards that don’t expire and don’t charge maintenance fees, with the notable exceptions of Macy’s and Bloomingdales, whose cards both expire two years after purchase. However, several retailers—CVS, for example—still charge “dormancy” fees on cards that have been inactive for anywhere from 6 to 24 months, so be sure to check the fine print to see how this is addressed.
Starbucks Rolls Out Christmas Cups, Christmas Blends, And Christmas Music – Seven Weeks Before Christmas
By 11.10.07
Corporate America has a new ally in the war to spread unseasonable holiday cheer. Thanksgiving may be two weeks away, but according to one sharp-eyed reader, that isn’t stopping the coffee behemoth Starbucks from bludgeoning consumers with Christmas.
Consumer Confidence At 2 Year Low, Again
By 11.9.07
Another consumer confidence index has plummeted to its lowest post-Katrina level, and retailers are crying in dark corners of their bedrooms, waiting for the inevitable disastrous holiday season.
Use A Spreadsheet To Plan Your Gifts
By 11.7.07
This professor of finance proposes you take all the fun out of wildly overspending on last-minute gifts for friends and family, and replace it with the measured, predictable joy of a spreadsheet. However, if you follow his advice, the odds will be much better that you’ll end the year with healthier checking and credit card accounts.
Insurer Says, "Turn Medical Costs Into Holiday Gifts!"
By 11.5.07
Nothing says “I love you, Mom,” like some more medicine for her diabetes, or “You’re the best, Dad,” like a refill of nitro tablets. That’s why the health insurance company Highmark is offering new Healthcare Visa Gift Cards—for about $5 plus an unspecified shipping and handling fee, you can load it with anywhere from $25 to $5,000 to be used exclusively on medical expenses. After the first 9 months, the card emerges from the womb of “I already paid for this!” and starts charging you a monthly $1.50 maintenance fee. Won’t your kid be excited come Christmas morning when she finds out her staph infection is going to get treated?!
