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There's never a dull moment on Wall Street, especially when new tablets and old banks are in the way. Let's go over some of the items that will help shape the week ahead: The Kindle Fire, the Nook Tablet, and earnings reports from Sears, Gap, Hot Topic, Lowes Home Depot and Staples.

From Nov. 1 until Christmas, Walmart says it will match prices with its rivals retroactively. Buy now, and if anyone advertises an identical product for a better price, go back to Walmart and claim a refund for the difference. But of course there's a catch -- more than one, in fact.

Layaway became obsolete in the bubble years, an anachronism from bygone times when many consumers couldn't access credit. In today's rough economy, layaway is making a comeback for the holidays. But for investors who hold certain retail stocks, this may mean lumps of coal in their portfolios.

With Americans' budgets squeezed, more consumers will turn to layaway programs -- which allow shoppers to make payments in installments -- this gift-giving season, according to a new survey.

The nation's big retailers are betting on exclusive lines to ring up back-to-school sales, and also targeting kids and teens where they wile away the hours -- online -- with digital campaigns designed to both entertain and stoke a social-shopping experience tailor-made for the tech-savvy generation.

Cars 2 doesn't open until June 24, but its toy line is already revving up the summer movie-toy season. Sales of Cars 2 merchandise will surpass Disney's entire Toy Story franchise within 12 months, predicted Jim Silver, editor in chief of TimetoPlaymag.com.

Keeping track of the latest product and food recalls can be a challenge for any consumer, so Consumer Ally has collected them all in one place for you to check each week. Here is this week's roundup: Dorel Asia SRL recalled about 466,700 wooden bunk beds in the United States and Canada...

The rumor mill is roiling with tales of Walmart test projects, including the possibility of home delivery. There's just one problem, it's all rumors. An anonymous source apparently told Bloomberg News that Walmart is thinking of testing home delivery in the San Jose, Calif. area with the code name...

The lines between online and in-store shopping are getting a whole lot blurrier and the whole experience is more streamlined for shoppers: Walmart has launched "Pick Up Today." Pick Up Today is different from "Site to Store," which lets you order select items online and have them shipped to...

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has warned about using second-hand cribs after learning of a 7-month-old girl who suffocated in an accident in one that had been recalled. "Buying or accepting cribs second hand can be risky," CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum said in a statement. "Second...