In these precious few holiday shopping days left, e-readers make for an easy gift for a wide range of family and friends. So, DailyFinance has assembled a guide to the major e-readers and what each one is best suited for as well as what issues you should consider before buying.
Retail sales have perked up, but consumers aren't resuming their old habit of using credit cards to splurge on gifts. According to a new poll, more than half of American adults say they're sticking with cash this holiday shopping season.
'Tis the season to remember the less fortunate, and Jim Gibbons, CEO of Goodwill Industries, hopes his nonprofit will be on the receiving end as you make out your charitable giving list. With unemployment still hovering near 10%, his organization is serving more people than ever with aid, inexpensive goods and job training.
Retailers and shipping companies are adding fewer new jobs than they did a year ago. One reason: employers began shopping for seasonal workers earlier than usual, boosting hiring in October. But if holiday retail sales hold up, it could equal more hiring in December.
Retailers saw their sales figures jump in November with a strong Black Friday and a record-breaking Cyber Monday. The news could suggest this holiday season will be better than the last two, but could also mean that consumers have finished their shopping early.
As the market for electronic book readers has grown, Apple's iPad has been pulling e-reader market share away from Amazon.com's Kindle, according to a new report from ChangeWave Research. The Kindle's market share has slipped to 47% from 62% in three months.
It looks like online retailers had a good Cyber Monday: Early estimates indicate sales could have surpassed last year's numbers by 12.7% or more. But unlike Black Friday, Cyber Monday rarely has been the most important shopping day of the year for e-tailers.
As the holiday shopping season kicks off, a report this month from ChangeWave forecasts that Apple will lead sales of consumer electronics, outpacing other sellers of computers, tablets and home electronics in buyers' shopping plans.
As retailers wrapped up their earnings reports this week, most said they're back in cost-control mode and will tighten inventories after the holidays. Shoppers are still spending cautiously and costs are on the rise, so profits will have to be squeezed out of slowly rising sales.
On average, U.S. consumers will spend about 4% more on gift cards this upcoming holiday season than they did a year ago, as improving financial conditions allow people to spend a little more on presents, a new report predicts.
If expectations become reality, retailers will have a good holiday season this year. According to a report from the International Council of Shopping Centers on Wednesday, retailer optimism is at a three-year high.
Retail sales in September showed more of the same modest, mildly encouraging growth for the third month in a row, according to a Commerce Department report released Friday.
At many companies, Columbus Day and other federal holidays are just another work day. This can wreak havoc on working parents' schedules because most school districts honor federal holidays. That's especially true if the day in question creeps up with little notice.
The toy retailer's holiday hiring spree will exceed the number of employees it has added to its payroll in each of the last three holiday seasons. But Toys R Us' CEO was quick to note that the company is "not projecting a dramatic increase in the [economic] environment."
It's official. When it comes to holiday shopping, we're a nation of procrastinators. Official tallies of holiday sales show the week of Christmas was golden for retailers, with sales rising over last year's numbers. More important, perhaps, Christmas-week activity represented the third consecutive week of rising sales.
Feeling the pinch as you scan your holiday gift-giving list? You should be heading for a dollar store to get great gifts that you can dress up as fancy gifts. How much can you save? We put ourselves to the test to see what we could get for the people on our list.
