Holiday shopping
FILE - In this Nov. 18, 2020 file photo, a woman, wearing a protective face mask due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak, wheels a cart with her purchases out of a Walmart store, in Derry, N.H. Walmart says it will close its U.S. stores on Thanksgiving for the second consecutive year. The nation’s largest retailer and biggest private employer said Friday, June 4, 2021, that it wants to give workers time off for all their “hard work and dedication” to the company. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
Walmart to again close its US stores on Thanksgiving Day

By Anne D'innocenzio Jun. 04, 2021 02:31 PM EDT

FILE - This April 21, 2020 file photo shows Amazon tractor trailers line up outside the Amazon Fulfillment Center in the Staten Island borough of New York. Amazon said Wednesday, June 2, 2021, that it will hold its annual Prime Day over two days in June this year, the earliest it has ever held the sales event. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
Amazon to hold Prime Day over 2 days in June

By Joseph Pisani Jun. 02, 2021 09:19 AM EDT

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 - This April 26, 2018, file photo, shows the Hasbro logo at the TTPM 2018 Spring Showcase, in New York. The critical holiday shopping season, coupled with quarantining amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, pushed board game sales up 21% at Hasbro in the fourth quarter. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
Board games the standout star in Hasbro's 4th quarter

By Michelle Chapman Feb. 08, 2021 08:32 AM EST

The logo of Apple is illuminated at a store in the city center in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. Apple’s delayed launch of its latest iPhones unleashed a holiday buying frenzy that propelled sales of the trendsetting company’s most popular product to its fastest start in years. The apparently pent-up demand for four different iPhone 12 models highlighted Apple’s latest quarterly report Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Apple posts big quarter on fast sales start for iPhone 12

By Michael Liedtke Jan. 27, 2021 05:04 PM EST

A sale sign is displayed near the entrance of a Hallmark store Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Orlando, Fla. Retail sales fell for a third straight month, as a surge in virus cases kept people away from stores and restaurants during the holiday shopping season. The report released Friday is yet another sign that the pandemic is slowing the U.S. economy. Last month, the country lost jobs for the first time since the spring.(AP Photo/John Raoux)
U.S. retail sales fell in December for 3rd straight month

By Joseph Pisani Jan. 15, 2021 08:45 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

Health inspectors scrutinize crowding at Los Angeles malls

Dec. 26, 2020 06:11 PM EST
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Health inspectors and authorities stepped up enforcement at restaurants and shopping malls over the post-Christmas weekend as they...

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

Editorial Roundup: Florida

By The Associated Press Dec. 23, 2020 12:10 PM EST
Recent editorials from Florida newspapers: ___ Dec. 21 The Sun Sentinel on legalizing recreational...

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

A woman pulls a suitcase past the Christmas tree on the concourse of Waterloo Station in central London, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020. Millions of people in England have learned they must cancel their Christmas get-togethers and holiday shopping trips. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Saturday that holiday gatherings can’t go ahead and non-essential shops must close in London and much of southern England. (Victoria Jones/PA via AP)
More EU nations ban travel from UK, fearing virus variant

By Kirsten Grieshaber And Sylvia Hui Dec. 20, 2020 07:43 AM EST

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a news conference in response to the ongoing situation with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, inside 10 Downing Street, London, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020. Johnson says Christmas gatherings can’t go ahead and non-essential shops must close in London and much of southern England as he imposed a new, higher level of coronavirus restrictions to curb rapidly spreading infections. (Toby Melville/Pool Photo via AP)
UK nixes Christmas gatherings, shuts London shops over virus

By Sylvia Hui Dec. 19, 2020 09:08 AM EST

Editorial Roundup: New York

By The Associated Press Dec. 16, 2020 06:32 PM EST
Recent editorials of statewide and national interest from New York’s newspapers: Build on Common Ground The New York...

A parking lot nearly empty of the cars of holiday shoppers is shown at the Mall of New Hampshire, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, in Manchester, N.H. Retail sales fell 1.1% in November, the biggest drop in seven months, a sign that Americans held back on spending during the start of the holiday shopping season. The U.S. Commerce Department also revised October’s number, saying on Wednesday that retail sales actually fell 0.1% that month, instead of rising 0.3% as it previously reported. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Retail sales fell 1.1% in November, biggest drop in 7 months

By Joseph Pisani Dec. 16, 2020 08:56 AM EST

Editorial Roundup: Iowa

By The Associated Press Dec. 14, 2020 10:00 AM EST
Quad-City Times. Dec. 13, 2020. We need to keep up with the other vaccines, too We’re all eagerly awaiting the full...

Editorial Roundup: Michigan

By The Associated Press Dec. 14, 2020 09:00 AM EST
Detroit News. Dec. 9, 2020. Charter students worth less? Wrong message The Michigan Civil Rights Commission, tasked...

People queue on a bridge to buy pot at a nearby coffeeshop after being directed by a security guard, left in orange vest, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is expected to impose a tough lockdown Monday night in a speech to the nation as coronavirus infection rates in the Netherlands rise sharply despite a two-month "partial lockdown." Dutch media citing unnamed government sources said Rutte will likely order schools to close from Wednesday, and shut non-essential shops and businesses such as hair salons, museums and theaters from Tuesday until Jan. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Dutch leader announces tough new nationwide virus lockdown

By Mike Corder Dec. 14, 2020 08:32 AM EST

Christmas trees for sale on the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020. Chancellor Angela Merkel said she and the governors of Germany’s 16 states agreed Sunday to step up the country’s lockdown measures from Dec. 16 to Jan. 10 to stop the exponential rise of COVID-19 cases. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Germany's health minister urges EU to approve vaccine faster

By Kirsten Grieshaber Dec. 14, 2020 02:51 AM EST