Winter Holidays

Walmart unveiled its top toy list Friday morning and couldn’t resist taking a shot at Toys "R" Us which launched a toy reservation program earlier in the week.

Walmart said its layaway program and top toy offering gives parents the confidence to shop now for the toys kids want at every day low prices. And in an obvious dig at Toys "R" Us, the press release for Walmart’s top 20 toys declared, "no reservations required: America’s largest toy seller’s hassle-free layaway program begins this Sunday."

GRAPEVINE, Texas — The struggling video game category should see a much-needed boost with the arrival of Nintendo's Wii U.

GameStop is wasting no time getting in on the buzz by announcing that it has begun taking pre-orders for the platform along with many popular Wii U games, including "Call of Duty: Black Ops II," "ZombiU," "New Super Mario Bros. U" and "Batman: Arkham City: Armored Edition."

Retailers plan to hire an increased number of temporary workers this holiday season, according to a survey by the global consulting firm Hay Group.

"Retailers are betting that 2012 is going to be a great holiday season," said Craig Rowley, vp and global practice leader for Hay Group’s retail practice. "After four years of economic turbulence, they have figured out how to operate in an uncertain business environment and are calm and cool, knowing that they are ready, as they head into the holidays."

New York -- Microsoft Corp. will open 32 pop-up stores in the United States and Canada in time for the holiday shopping season.

Although the company did not say when the stores would open, it did provide a list of the locations, which include Roosevelt Field Mall, Garden, City, N,Y.; Time Warner Center: The Shops at Columbus Circle, New York City; Perimeter Mall, Atlanta; Oakridge Centre, Vancouver, B.C.; Dadeland Mall, Miami; and San Francisco Centre, San Francisco, to name a few.

CHICAGO — As holiday sales and foot traffic historically account for about 20% of annual retail activity, a new report by ShopperTrak revealed that consumers will shop more and visit more stores during the peak holiday shopping months of November and December.

WAYNE, N.J. — Get them in early and often seems to be the motto for Toys”R”Us this year, as the toy retailer is hoping new initiatives will encourage customers shop for holiday toys well before December.

New York -- Toys “R” Us’ holiday 2012 plans include a “hot toy” reservation program, free and expanded layaway services and offering more exclusive toys from branded manufacturers along with more proprietary products. The nation’s largest specialty toy retailer also will open 150 to 200 temporary locations for the holidays under the Toys “R” Us Express banner.