Categories: Holiday Sales

Amazon Lures Shoppers Away from Stores with New App

Posted by: Nick Leiber on December 07

Brick-and-mortar retailers take note: Amazon wants shoppers to use your store as a showroom, then buy the same products via its website. It's offering up to $15 in discounts to...

Sizing Up Small Business Saturday

Posted by: John Tozzi on November 28

President Barack Obama visits Kramerbooks for shopping with his daughters Sasha, and Malia, right, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, in Washington. This year's Small Business Saturday promotion appears to have...

Buy-Local Campaigns Deliver Above-Average Holiday Sales

Posted by: Nick Leiber on January 14

Supporters of buy-local campaigns say shopping at independent retailers benefits the community more than shopping at national chains or big-boxes. They argue locally owned businesses spend more money in their...

Retail's New Reality: Affordable Luxury

Posted by: John Tozzi on December 24

One more dispatch from the retail world before Christmas. Mathias Eichler, owner of the small home and kitchen retailer Einmaleins in Olympia, Wash., reports that he's seeing more buyers, but...

Another Small Retailer Beats Expectations

Posted by: John Tozzi on December 23

Another one of the retailers we've been tracking through the holiday season exceeded expectations. David Sasson of Overstock Art, an online retailer of replica oil paintings based in Wichita, Kan.,...

Year-End Sales May Not Signal Recovery

Posted by: John Tozzi on December 21

Strong holiday sales are buoying some small businesses and blunting losses from a mostly dismal year, but the increase may not sustain them into 2010. Case in point: Aunt Sally's...

Black Friday Recap: "Cautiously Optimistic"

Posted by: John Tozzi on November 30

More shoppers crowded stores this weekend, but they each spent less on average than even last year's frugal consumers, according to the National Retail Federation. The retailers we're following say...

Holiday Sales So Far: Upbeat Awaiting Black Friday

Posted by: John Tozzi on November 25

I checked in with the three small retailers we're tracking throughout the holidays on the eve of Thanksgiving weekend. They sound cautiously upbeat. Frank Simoncioni, CEO of New Orleans candy...

Shop Local: Authenticity as a Key Holiday Promotion

Posted by: John Tozzi on November 13

Independent brick-and-mortar retailers have a key advantage over big box competitors: Their stores are rooted in their communities. Small business owners can leverage that sense of place and connection to...

Holiday Inventory: A Small Retailer's Balancing Act

Posted by: John Tozzi on November 11

One of the biggest challenges for small retailers preparing for the holiday sales rush is anticipating demand and ordering inventory accordingly. Stores that don't order enough of hot items risk...

Introducing: Tales of Holiday Retail

Posted by: John Tozzi on November 06

The eight weeks between today and the year’s end could make a big difference for the nation's small retailers. Many shops do a high percentage of their business in the...

Looking for a Few Good Retailers...

Posted by: John Tozzi on October 19

Small retailers, get ready. Forecasters say holiday sales will drop for the second year in a row. The shock of last fall's financial crisis may have dissipated, but the consequences...