Author: Christina Cheddar Berk

Thank you, Easter Bunny.  Americans are expected to spend more on candy, flowers and little trinkets this year as they celebrate Easter, according to a survey by BIGinsight on behalf of the retail industry trade group, the National Retail Federation.

The nation’s oldest operating toy store, FAO Schwarz, is turning 150 years old this year. To commemorate this milestone, the company has assembled a collection of more than 20 iconic toys spanning the decades that customers can view at its Fifth Avenue store in New York until April 10.

If you have ever had to wrestle your iPad from your child’s clutches, you know that kids love playing on tablets and smartphones. The trend has not been missed by toymakers. They know that even before a child can read or speak, they have an affinity for these devices.

Toymakers are looking to new products to excite shoppers and get them to buy, and that’s what Toy Fair is all about. Click ahead to see some of the coolest toys from Toy Fair 2012.

Although you may have plenty to be thankful for this year, the cost of Thanksgiving dinner may not be one of them, as the cost has increased from 2010.

Retailers are counting on shoppers to return to an old holiday tradition: buying gifts for themselves.

Wealthy Americans may appear to the masses as a unified group, but there is divergence in the attitudes of the rich toward holiday spending this year – which means that the key to how the holiday season unfolds may rest in the hands of the wealthiest.

As shoppers hunt down bargains and gift ideas for the holidays, it will be hard for some to remember a time when they couldn’t pull out their smartphone and hunt down a store location, compare a product’s price, or scan customer reviews.

Let’s face it, everyone’s more careful with money these days. After several years of dealing with thrifty consumers, retailers have gotten the message and even high-end department stores such as Nordstrom and specialty stores like Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel are offering a wide range of gifs that cost less than $25.

It's a pretty fair bet that someone on your shopping list is a gadget hound. While the odds aren't quite as good, it's still better than average odds that you're going to indulge them.