wal-mart

The stock market's recent bounce has a lot of folks looking for a piece of the action. And with retail stocks shooting up faster than average, but still cheaper than a year ago, some analysts say now's the time to buy them. They're wrong. Here's why:

J.C. Penney is permanently marking down all of its merchandise by at least 40% so shoppers will no longer have to wait for a sale to get its lowest prices. The move is intended to take the guesswork out of shopping by offering customers fewer sales and more predictable pricing.

Dollar stores are luring a lot more consumers these days, and their rock-bottom prices aren't the only reason: The chains have undergone major makeovers in recent years, sprucing up their dingy digs and adding better merchandise.

Walmart's conquest of of America embodies a decades-long drive toward the lowest common denominator, off-shoring jobs, maximizing profits and reducing quality. But is it a trend we can reverse? Deep in the heart of Ohio, a new store aims to try.

On Tuesday, Sears Holdings announced it would close as many as 120 Sears and Kmart stores after a holiday sales season in which it fell flat on its face. What Sears really needs is a new image -- an idea that will lure shoppers back. Could "Made in the USA" be it?

Shares of Sears Holdings fell 27% Tuesday on news that the retailer would close as many as 120 poorly performing Sears and Kmart stores -- an unusually harsh response to a cost-cutting measure. Clearly, investors are concerned that the problems run much deeper -- and they're right to worry.

It is unusual for a stock's price to double in a year, but several well-known companies' shares have done it recently. The more important question for investors is: Which stock could be next? 24/7 Wall St. offer their list of S&P 500 companies whose stocks could double in 2012.

This is the time of year when retailers can't seem to move product out of their stores fast enough, but now Walmart and Target are scrambling to get some of their merchandise back: Potentially tainted infant formula and a children's travel case that definitely has too much lead in its paint.

On Dec. 10, Amazon offered a special deal to shoppers who used its smartphone app in brick-and-mortar stores: Scan certain items, and the Web retailer would give them an extra 5% off. Critics cried foul. In one tactless move, has Amazon cast itself as the new mom-and-pop business killer?

It's going to be another interesting holiday shopping season as retailers jockey for position for the seasonal spending sprees. Where will buyers go? What will they buy? Let me go out on a limb and predict a few things.