Black Friday Gets Holiday Season Off to Energetic Start
from The Washington Post
Consumers swarmed the nation's stores over the weekend in search of deeply discounted electronics and apparel, sending sales rising and giving retailers a little Christmas cheer, according to early reports. Market research firm ShopperTrak reported that sales on Black Friday grew 3 percent to about $10.6 billion. More

Online Retailers Offer Deals for Cyber Monday
from The Associated Press
Online retailers are ramping up heavy-duty deals to turn skittish shoppers into buyers today during "Cyber Monday" — but even so, online sales are expected to be fairly flat after years of strong growth. "Cyber Monday," a term coined by the trade group National Retail Federation in 2005 to describe the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday, is the unofficial kickoff for the busy online retail season. More

Stock Futures Point Lower Ahead of Economic Data
from USA Today
Stocks appeared ready to give back some of last week's big gains as investors, uneasy about the holiday shopping season, awaited some key economic reports. Initial reports about the start of holiday shopping pointed to sales that were better than some retailers and analysts expected. More

Green Building Could Triple in Five Years
from Greener Buildings
A new study from McGraw-Hill Construction says the potential for continued growth in the green building market is huge and projects a possible tripling in the value of eco-friendly construction starts to reach as much as $140 billion. More

Retail Faces a Long Season of Stress
from The Wall Street Journal
Economic crisis has taken the splurge out of retail. The real draw for consumers is a price tag that makes sense in a recession. Preliminary data showed a healthy rise in retail spending over Thanksgiving weekend, the official start of the holiday shopping season. More

Bare Minimum
from Shopping Centers Today
Manufacturers now have more legal power to set minimum prices on their products, thanks to a Supreme Court ruling last year overturning a century-old ban on the practice. The ruling could lead to higher prices for consumers and make it harder for smaller retailers to compete. More

Restaurants Offering Holiday Deals to Boost Sales
from The Associated Press via CNN Money
Shopping up an appetite? Restaurants, which have been hit hard by the economic downturn, certainly hope so, is offering a $5 gift card to the restaurant if you purchase $25 worth of cards. To entice shoppers, chains are increasing their advertising during the holidays, offering freebies to customers who take a break from the stores and giving discounts to anyone who buys a gift card from the restaurant. More

In this Season's Credit Crunch, Holiday Shoppers are Resorting to Layaway
from The Washington Post
There was once a time, before credit cards blanketed the land, when shoppers had to pay for their merchandise in full before taking it home. That new dress, or sofa or washing machine, stayed at the store until, bit by bit, the bill was paid. They called it layaway. More

Meijer Rewards Shoppers with Up to 20 Percent Off Groceries this Holiday Season
from Reuters
The "Meijer Bonus" program provides holiday shoppers with a coupon for 5 percent off their next grocery purchase for every $100 spent on general merchandise or apparel items. Up to four coupons can be acquired each shopping trip, and customers can "stack" up to four coupons for a 20 percent maximum savings on their next grocery purchase. More