holiday

Jewelry giveaway turns Bergen into Bling County

A Wyckoff jewelry store owner’s plan to give away more than $27,000 worth of jewelry paid off Monday in a bonanza of free publicity, as at least three television networks and several radio stations aired stories about the promotion.

Store owner Nancy Schuring said the first day of giveaways accomplished her primary goal – to spread goodwill and some pre-holiday cheer in the communities that have supported her store, Devon Fine Jewelry in Wyckoff, for 30 years. Schuring plans to place 30 bags containing pieces of jewelry ranging in value from $100 to $3,000, and letters saying “This is yours to keep” in nine northwest Bergen County towns in a promotion ending Friday. Read more...

Holiday Help to Full-Time Hires

Every year around this time, thousands of workers are hired for jobs catering to holiday shoppers and usually ending in January. The work can be a short-term way to generate a paycheck. But for a select few—particularly recent graduates and prospective career-changers—the seasonal jobs could become even more.

A small percentage of these temporary recruits are offered staff positions in the months that follow—and not just behind a register, but also eventually in areas like human resources, management and finance. Read more...

Gift shoppers: Bag your best bargains early

New York, NY -- If you expect holiday bargains to get better as Christmas Eve draws near, you may be disappointed this year.

Retailers aren't as panicked about the upcoming holiday shopping season as they were last year.

That's bad news for shoppers because this could mean leaner sales, sparsely stocked stores and a run on the best deals for such sought-after items as smartphones, thigh-high boots, side-sling bags and ruffled cartigans. Read more...

Attend holiday craft shows for unique, custom gifts

Grand Rapids -- You won't find these kiln-fired, needle-stitched, hand-painted products at the mall.

For craft lovers, that's the fine-tipped point. Read more...

Retailers preparing for Christmas

Destin — With Halloween over, retailers are gearing up for their busiest time of the year with the fast approaching holiday season.

With the national economy just beginning a slow recovery, many retailers are hoping for a strong Christmas season to push them into the black.

“Everyone is feeling very positive about this year,” said Traci Stokes, marketing director for Silver Sands Factory Stores in Miramar Beach. “I feel like going into the holiday season, the stores feel more positive this year than they did this time last year. We’ve had a good year to date. Read more...

Retailers go Grinch on holiday jobs

Newark -- The holiday-season job of stocking store shelves, running a register or wrapping gifts used to be as reliable as Santa at every mall.

That was before retailers faced millions of frugal shoppers and months of dropping sales. In 2009, national surveys predict holiday store staffing levels will be well below previous years. Read more...

Fewer holiday gifts but more cheer in US, poll

Washington — More than half of Americans in a survey out Wednesday say they plan to spend more during the end-of-year holidays this year compared to 2008 as concerns about the economy subside.

The projected spending boost at Christmas, Hannukah and Kwanza won't come from more or more expensive gifts, but rather from spending on items like entertainment and home decoration, which traditionally account for a smaller portion of the holiday budget, said the annual Deloitte holiday survey of retail spending and trends. Read more...

Small Shops Make Big Play for Holiday Shoppers

Small brick-and-mortar shops that rely on seasonal sales are seeking creative ways to avoid last year's bloodbath of discounting, as cash-strapped consumers are expected to gravitate toward big-box and discount retailers. Read more...

Merchants prepare for a frightful Halloween

Bradenton — In what remains a frightful economy, consumers have plenty of scary Halloween costumes to choose from this year.

The most appropriate costume for the year may be the Bernie Madoff mask.

But it will cost consumers $40 to be “Mr. Ponzi” for a day, a price some cost-conscious shoppers may not be willing to pay. Read more...

Holiday shopping top 10 trends: Food, group gifts, eggnog parties

Sure, consumers are sick of bad news and just want to go shopping -- but they're still waiting for the recession's other shoe to drop.

And that means that this holiday season, shoppers will be very practical: giving food and other basics, cutting friends and co-workers off the gift list, and even using the gift cards they got for birthdays and graduations to pay for their holiday shopping. Analyzing new survey data, the National Retail Federation identifies 10 holiday shopping trends: Read more...