Holiday spending

FILE - In this Nov. 18, 2020 file photo, a Walmart store sign is visible from Route 28 in Derry, N.H. Walmart Inc., reported on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, that it swung to a loss in the fiscal fourth quarter as the sale of its Japan and United Kingdom divisions weighed on results. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Walmart sales still surging, but a chill may be on the way

By Anne D'innocenzio Feb. 18, 2021 07:33 AM EST

FILE - In this Aug. 4, 2020 file photo, shoppers take purchases to their vehicle in the parking lot of a Target store in Marlborough, Mass. Target’s strong sales streak extended through the holiday season, as shoppers snapped up everything from clothing to home goods during the pandemic. The Minneapolis company reported Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, that its online sales surged 102% for the November and December period. (AP Photo/Bill Sikes)

Target continues to thrive in whirlwind retail environment

By Anne D'innocenzio Jan. 13, 2021 06:33 AM EST

Holiday sales tick up as shoppers invest in their homes

By Alexandra Olson Dec. 26, 2020 04:56 PM EST
NEW YORK (AP) — Retail sales increased a modest 3% during a longer holiday season this year, as homebound shoppers spent more on furnishing and food but less...

A customer is shown at the exchanges and return counter in a Target department store early Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020, in Glendale, Colo. Shoppers, who can't touch or feel products they're ordering, are expected to return items during the holiday season at a rate double from last year, costing retailers roughly $1.1 billion, according to Narvar Inc., a software and technology company that manages online returns for hundreds of brands. That puts retailers in a conundrum: they don't want the returns, but they also want to make shoppers feel comfortable to freely buy without worry. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Retailers brace for flood of returns from online shopping

By Anne D'innocenzio Dec. 24, 2020 12:24 PM EST

Shanita Matthews pauses as she speaks in her home, Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020, in Suwanee, Ga. Matthews had to close her wedding business because of the coronavirus outbreak. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

'We are struggling': A bleak Christmas for America's jobless

By Joseph Pisani And Christopher Rugaber Dec. 24, 2020 07:39 AM EST

A sign advises holiday shoppers of social distancing to battle the spread of the coronavirus Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, in Park Meadows Mall in Lone Tree, Colo. After a weak start to the holiday season for many mall-based retailers, the strugglers are making their final push in the final days before and the week after Christmas. Many are stepping up discounts while heavily promoting curbside pickup as a way to get shoppers, worried about being infected with the virus, to visit their stores. But experts believe that any burst of sales will be too little and too late to save some stores. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The holidays could make or break struggling stores

By Anne D'innocenzio Dec. 21, 2020 02:56 PM EST

This undated photo provided by Apple shows pair of AirPods Max, Apple's newest wireless headphones. Apple is rolling out the latest product for the holiday shopping season, that will test how much people are willing to splurge on for high-quality sound. (Apple via AP)

Apple unveils headphones that cost twice as much as AirPods

By Michael Liedtke Dec. 08, 2020 02:13 PM EST

A shopper looks at Macy's window displays, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

This holiday season, everyone is shopping from home

By Joseph Pisani Nov. 30, 2020 05:41 PM EST

Shoppers pass Saturday, Nov. 28, 2020, an open Disney Store that is still partially boarded up from recent vandalism on Chicago's famed Magnificent Mile shopping district. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Black Friday sees record online as US shoppers stay home

By Dee-Ann Durbin Nov. 28, 2020 01:05 PM EST

Amanda Perrone shops for Christmas decorations on Black Friday, at Corky's Garden Path Greenhouse in Scott Twp., Pa. on Friday, Nov. 27, 2020. (Christopher Dolan/The Times-Tribune via AP)

VIRUS TODAY: Black Friday shoppers stay home

By The Associated Press Nov. 27, 2020 02:15 PM EST

A currency trader watches monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Nov. 27, 2020. Asian stock markets declined Friday as questions about the effectiveness of one possible coronavirus vaccine weighed on investor optimism. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Stocks rise on Wall Street as S&P 500 hits record high

By The Associated Press Nov. 27, 2020 12:04 AM EST

Black Friday shoppers wait in line to enter the Nike store along Fifth Avenue, Friday, Nov. 27, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Virus keeps Black Friday crowds thin, shoppers shift online

By Alexandra Olson, Anne D'innocenzio And Joseph Pisani Nov. 27, 2020 12:01 AM EST

A KidiZoom Creator Cam by VTech is displayed at the Toy Fair, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in New York. The digital camera comes with a green screen and animated backgrounds allowing kids to go to outer space, get chased by T-Rex, or make things disappear. The camera comes with a tabletop tripod, which can also be used as a selfie stick. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Holiday trends to watch: Adult Play-Doh; stores that ship

By Joseph Pisani And Anne D’innocenzio Nov. 26, 2020 10:06 AM EST

Lamont: $10,000 fines on businesses that break virus rules

By Dave Collins Nov. 25, 2020 10:44 AM EST
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A few flagrant violations of Connecticut's coronavirus rules and concerns about the holiday shopping season have prompted Gov. Ned...