holiday retail

Many retailers are reporting solid sales gains for December, capping a decent holiday season, but shoppers bent on discounts exacted a high price.

Last minute shoppers gave merchants a solid lift during the final week before Christmas, according to a report from a mall trade group Wednesday. Revenue at stores open at least a year rose 0.9 percent for the week ended Saturday compared with the previous week.

U.S. shoppers spent 15 percent more in online holiday buying compared to last year, after what may have been the busiest week of the season, said research firm comScore on Sunday. Shoppers have spent $30.9 billion online from Nov. 1 through Dec. 16, up from $26.9 billion at the same point last year, said the Reston, Va., company, which tracks Web use.

Buy Nothing Christmas and groups like it are on a mission to recast the holidays so that they're richer in meaning, smaller in environmental impact and greater in giving to people less privileged. They also aim to expose the downside of an economy largely reliant on consumer purchases. It's an idea whose time has come.

With the final Christmas countdown begun, the National Retail Federation has upgraded its holiday sales forecast, reflecting growing optimism that much more spending is to come. The NRF now expects holiday sales to rise 3.8% to a record $469.1 billion. That's up from its more modest 2.8 percent forecast made in early October, though it's hardly stellar.

When Emily Russell's sons wake up on Christmas morning, they'll find that Santa left them a note instead of the videogames they requested. Some people have always postponed Christmas celebrations because their jobs don't pause for the holiday. But in the weak economy, folks are delaying Christmas for another reason: money.

Americans spent more on autos, furniture and clothing at the start of the crucial holiday shopping season, boosting retail sales for a sixth straight month. Retail sales rose 0.2 percent in November, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.

NEW YORK (AP) - Macy's Inc. says it will open all of its namesake stores at midnight following Thanksgiving for the first time, becoming the latest retailer to extend hours on the traditional kickoff to the holiday season. The opening is four hours earlier than last year. The Macy's stores, which...

Retailers are so desperate this holiday season that they're willing to lose money to get you to spend yours. Not every retailer will go as far as giving away merchandise during the holidays -- although some are doing just that -- but many will offer profit-busting incentives.

The holiday shopping season is looking pretty bleak for retailers. Best Buy recently announced that it plans to hire fewer holiday workers than it did last year, and now new data from the consumer research group NPD suggests that Best Buy won't be the only chain stuck in a holiday sales rut.