Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Do you plan to spend more on holiday gifts this year? If you’re the average shopper, one survey says you probably will.
If you’re the average shopper, chances are you may be spending a bit more on gifts this season than in years past. Earlier this month, American Research Group reported that its phone survey earlier this month showed that Americans plan to spend an average of $854 on gifts this holiday season, up nearly a third of last year’s average of $646. That’s also the highest average since ARG’s 2007 survey, when survey respondents’ average was $859—that amount fell by about half in 2008. Here are the average amounts of planned spending survey takers have reported since 2002. Year Average Spending Percent Change 2012 $854 + 32% 2011 $646 - 2% 2010 $658 + 58% 2009 $417 - 3% 2008 $431 - 50% 2007 $859 - 5% 2006 $907 - 4% 2005 $942 - 6% 2004 $1,004 + 3…
Monday, November 19, 2012
Want a great deal? You may have to spend part of your Thanksgiving to get it. Tell us what you think about retailers pushing the start of the holiday shopping season onto Turkey Day.
Looking to grab some great Black Friday deals? Better be prepared to scarf down the turkey and put away the pumpkin pie quickly. It’s becoming a tradition for the holiday shopping season to start well before the Thanksgiving leftovers are gone. But your holiday food might still be warm by the time retailers offer the first “Black Friday” deal. Take, for example, Walmart. The retailer is rolling out its first Black Friday deals Thursday—that’s Thanksgiving night—at 8 p.m. Not to be outdone, Target is inviting customers to grab its Black Friday deals at 9 p.m. Thursday. The early deals means those hoping to save money during their holiday shopping will be spending part of another holiday heading to stores, fighting the crowds and waiting in …
Friday, November 25, 2011
Georgians are part of a national movement to keep holiday cash at home.
“Look, Charlie, let's face it. We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket. It's run by a big eastern syndicate, you know.” – Lucy van Pelt to Charlie Brown in “A Charlie Brown Christmas” Americans have worried about losing the true meaning of Christmas since at least 1965, when Charlie Brown lamented the holiday’s commercialization in a Peanuts special. This year, there’s a movement afoot to bring Christmas closer to home. An apparently anonymous essay circulating on the Web has drawn the attention of people in Georgia. It calls for buying local services as gifts instead of products manufactured in foreign countries: You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so that China can build another glittering city…
P D Murray
8:21 pm on Monday, November 19, 2012
It leaves nothing for kids to get excited about, by the time you start decorating and putting out displays in the store the same time as halloween, it's confusing. Let us have the opportunity to "Give Thanks" with our families. The poor folk who work retail deserve that time for themselves. Enough already! more ›