Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

Minneapolis -- Best Buy Co. reported Thursday that net income for the quarter ended Feb. 26 fell 16% to $651 million, compared with $779 million in the year-ago period. However, adjusted results beat Wall Street expectations.

The retailer cited restructuring costs and weak TV and other electronics sales for the performance decline.

A monthly pricing survey by Credit Suisse showed Walmart had the lowest overall basket price in Dallas and Chicago and suggest that where prices head from here is up to Walmart.

CINCINNATI — Procter & Gamble's Crest Pro-Health portfolio now includes the new Invigorating Clean toothpaste and mouth rinse.

New York City -- Almost 80% of respondents in a national survey of moms’ shopping habits said that the recession has permanently altered their shopping habits, inducing overall cuts in spending by purchasing items on sale and using coupons. The survey was conducted by the online shopping site Totsy.

Houston -- A survey released Tuesday by NPD Group found that morning and evening commutes are a peak time for super heavy users of convenience stores to visit, while moderate and light users tend to visit more during the evening commute.

The nation’s capital tops a list of the healthiest retail markets for 2011. The ranking, “ChainLinks/Terranomics Retail Power Rankings for 2011,” is based on the general overall health of a marketplace and includes such factors as overall economic indicators, income growth, ongoing construction, rental rate trends, and the amount of retail demand in the market.

Redwood Shores, Calif. -- A survey released Tuesday by Oracle and Art Technology Group, which Oracle acquired in November 2010, found that mobile commerce is experiencing dramatic growth.

Retail is a hard enough business without muddying the waters with all sorts of activities that have nothing to do with selling stuff shoppers want and need. To recap, Target gave some money to a homophobic politician who a lot of people thought was a jerk, which created an uprising in the gay and lesbian community and resulted in the company adopting a new policy to govern the political contribution process.