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Hoping to increase sales and traffic in their restaurants, fast-food and fast-casual operators are cranking up the menu innovation to produce items that stray from the gastronomic norm.
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Toymakers Stress Value for the Holidays
Posted By: Christina Cheddar Berk
You can tell it's getting close to Christmas by the frequency of the "hot toy" lists.
Stingy Santa Is Coming Back This Holiday Season
Posted By: Christina Cheddar Berk
Retailers, take a cue from Wal-Mart Stores: Shoppers will again be making a list and checking it twice this holiday season.
Will a $10 Hamster Have Them Fighting in the Aisles?
Posted By: Christina Cheddar Berk
Maybe it's a sign of the times when one of the toys predicted to be among the top sellers this Christmas Holiday is a $10 Zhu Zhu pet hamster.
Hot Holiday Toys from Toys 'R Us
Posted By: Christina Cheddar Berk
2009's Hot Holiday Toys
What will Santa have in his bag this holiday season? Toys ‘R Us, the largest U.S. toy retailer, has issued its forecast for the hottest toys.With consumers still watching their spending carefully, one theme that stands out is a focus on value. Toys on the list range from $10 (squeaking Zhu Zhu interactive hamsters ) to about $350 (Disney 's Netpals netbook computer). Click ahead to see which toys made the cut.
What will Santa have in his bag this holiday season? Toys ‘R Us, the largest US toy retailer, has issued its forecast for the hottest toys.
With consumers still watching their spending carefully, one theme that stands out is a focus on value. Toys on the list range from $10 (squeaking Zhu Zhu interactive hamsters) to about $350 (Disney 's Netpals netbook computer).
Click ahead to see which toys made the cut.
By Christina Cheddar Berk Posted 24 Sept 2009
Don't Bet on Retailers to Boost Hiring This Holiday Season
Posted By: Krystina Gustafson
Unemployed workers, who are looking forward to the holiday season, in the hope that they can snag a seasonal retail job may be disappointed.
The retail workforce is more stable than it's been in a long time, and that may put a damper on holiday hiring, consultants said.
With the unemployment rate skyrocketing toward 10 percent, fewer people have had the confidence to leave their jobs, even when they aren’t ideal. This trend has reached into the retail sector, where a preliminary report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed a voluntary turnover rate of 2 percent in July for the industry.
Unwrapping Toys 'R Us's Holiday Plans
Posted By: Christina Cheddar Berk
This week Toys 'R Us announced it was opening new "Holiday Express" toy stores in malls and Babies 'R Us locations across the country.
Don't Believe Retail Sales—The Consumer Isn't Back
Posted By: Christina Cheddar Berk
An upbeat retail sales report for August may have buoyed up some hopes for renewed consumer spending, but those on the frontlines — consumer products and retail executives — interviewed by CNBC on Wednesday weren't quite as upbeat.
Has Sponsoring Fashion Week Lost Its Style?
Posted By: Krystina Gustafson
Fashion Week has long been recognized as a hub for the hottest trends. But with the retail sector getting pounded by the economy, has sponsoring the event gone out of style?
Toys 'R Us Plans to Open 350 'Holiday Express' Stores
Posted By: Christina Cheddar Berk
At a time when many retailers are shutting store locations, Toys 'R Us is making a bold move of boosting its retail presence during its most critical selling season.
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About Consumer Nation
From the products to the pitches to the people who buy them, we are a Consumer Nation. This blog focuses on all things consumer, taking the pulse of the attitudes that shape purchasing decisions, and providing insights that will help keep marketers, entrepreneurs and investors up-to-date on where trends are heading.
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Christina Cheddar Berk is editor of CNBC.com's Consumer Nation and chief trend spotter.
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