back to school

Despite heat waves, penny-pinching parents and a weak job market, most retailers posted solid sales in August. They benefited from better inventory control -- giving local stores more say in merchandising -- and well-timed promotions.

Back-to-school sales are traditionally one of the best times to buy, a computer, but according to financial reports from Intel, which supplies 80% of computer processors, demand during the back- to-school season was weak. The good news for computer shoppers is that manufacturers are expected to...

Despite the searing weather and a lukewarm economic recovery, major merchants are expected to report growing retail sales in their August tallies on Thursday. But don't count on the kind of increases we saw at the beginning of the year.

In this back-to-school season, a few ideas for how the working parent-teacher relationship might function more smoothly: 1. Working moms don't appreciate Mommy Homework. I'm not sure any moms do, actually. Mommy Homework includes building ancestor dolls that require a trip to crafts stores. (Note...

As shoppers head to back-to-school sales early this year, the retail industry is watching their behavior closely for hints about the coming holiday season. So far, the signals appear mixed, with analysts disagreeing about whether revenue is up or down.

Here's news from the business world and other money matters to watch out for Thursday (last updated at 7:30 a.m. Eastern time): Americans Owe Less Credit-Card Debt: Skittish consumers reduced their credit-card indebtedness sharply in the second quarter, credit-rating company TransUnion reported...

Anyone who has ever faced off with their child over a homework assignment knows the value of a tutor. I, personally, know rational, decent, intelligent folks who have been reduced to wild-eyed rants and nervous twitching (okay, maybe that was just me) in an attempt to help their kids with...

What's smaller than a bread box, easy on the environment, and cool enough for your kindergartner, fifth grader and high school student? That would be a bento box.

Medical experts are cautioning students heading back to campus this fall to take note of their posture when using laptops in order to avoid laptop-itis. Symptoms described by UNC health experts include an aching neck, throbbing head and tingling fingers, but those are just the tip of the...

College students have enough to worry about without falling prey to scammers looking to steal their identities and good credit. "Identity thieves don't care if you're a struggling student and don't have a penny to your name; sometimes all they want is to exploit your clean credit record," says...