By Michele Gershberg

U.S. shoppers may stretch tight budgets this year to reward loved ones after months of thrift, a softening of heart that store chains hope will erase the holiday season sales debacle of 2008.

As stores prepare for hordes of Black Friday shoppers and mark down high-definition TVs and hot toys, they're also pushing deals on something more mundane — necessities like socks and diapers.

It's OK if your boyfriend doesn't like the digital camera you bought him. So long as he doesn't open the box.

The nation's largest traditional grocery chain is getting into the Black Friday shopping game.

The Recovery Act has about $5 billion set aside for what's called weatherization: a top-to-bottom effort to make homes more energy efficient. In terms of trickle down,  federal funds go to a state agencies, which allocate money to  local non-profit agencies, which then farm out the work to local contractors.

After showing signs of improvement in early fall, sales of clothing and luxury goods weakened a bit the first half of November, compared with a year ago, when stores pulled shoppers in with massive discounts, figures released Tuesday show.

The head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission on Tuesday promised swift action to get dangerous products off the market, acknowledging that the agency didn't move quickly enough on a record recall of more than 2 million cribs linked to four deaths.

When the holiday shopping season kicks off the day after Thanksgiving, retailers can expect to see millions of less frightened, but even more bargain-hungry customers.

By Jessica Wohl

It's easy to get caught up in the hype surrounding Black Friday, but to truly get the best deals, keep these retail secrets in mind.

Stocks tumbled Thursday after an analyst downgrade on the chip sector and gains in the dollar. Intel, Alcoa and GE were the Dow's biggest losers.

The Dow dropped over 100 points Thursday, led by Intel, after an analyst downgrade on the chip sector. A stronger dollar also weighed on the market.

Stocks fell sharply Thursday as a jobless-claims report did little to assuage economic worries and investors pushed the dollar higher.

Sears Holdings Corp. said Thursday it lost money for the second consecutive quarter as customers spent elsewhere even as the retailer offered a series of early holiday season promotions to bring them back to its brands.