Winter Holidays

Nearly nine-in-10 (86%) working consumers plan to spend at least some time shopping or browsing online for gifts during work hours this Cyber Monday. A new RetailMeNot retail trends report also shows that 25% of working Americans plan to actually spend four hours or more shopping online for gifts during work hours that day.

Harley-Davidson is looking to drive holiday sales by leveraging the power of Pinterest to promote its new online holiday gift guide.

Columbus, Ohio -- Despite the growing popularity of online shopping, millions of consumers will flock to the stores this Black Friday. According to a recent study from WD Partners, "Amazon Can't Do That: Consumer Desire & the Store of the Future,” 79% of consumers rank instant ownership as a top factor in influencing how they shop.

Other store-friendly top influencers include sensory experience and product immersion (75%), emotional experience of interacting with live human beings, community, and personal service.

Despite the growing popularity of online shopping, millions of consumers will flock to the stores this Black Friday. According to a recent study from WD Partners, "Amazon Can't Do That: Consumer Desire & the Store of the Future,” 79% of consumers rank instant ownership as a top factor in influencing how they shop.

Other store-friendly top influencers include sensory experience and product immersion (75%), emotional experience of interacting with live human beings, community, and personal service.

Bucking a retail industry trend this year, Sam’s Club won’t be open on Thanksgiving Day and on Black Friday it won’t open until 7 a.m. Instead, Sam’s is throwing some new promotional wrinkles at members and non-members including, “Sam’s Sunday,” event to drive sales.

Hampstead, Md. – Jos. A. Bank is attempting to get a jump on the many retailers starting their Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving by offering a “Super Tuesday” sale event on Tuesday, Nov. 26. The retailer will offer Black Friday prices on select “doorbuster” items in its 571 company-owned full-line stores nationwide.

In addition, these select doorbuster items will be offered online at Josbank.com beginning at 12:01 a.m. (EST) on November 26, 2013, and there will be other special one-day price discounts.

San Bruno, Calif. – Wal-Mart is providing a number of special holiday deals to online and mobile shoppers as part of an early Cyber Monday promotion that begins Saturday, Nov. 30. In addition, Walmart's mobile app customers, Facebook fans and email subscribers will be among the first to receive invitations to an early shopping event on Sunday, Dec. 1, featuring up to 20 of the best Cyber Monday items while supplies last, before they are widely available.

Buoyed by its performance during Back to School season, Hibbett Sporting Goods sounded an optimistic tone regarding the holidays after reporting a surprisingly strong third quarter comp increase.

The operator of 904 stores in 31 states said its same store sales increased 4.8% and total sales increased 2.5% to $208 million during the quarter ended November 2.