Seasonal

Seattle –- Amazon.com will start offering daily Black Friday deals on Saturday, Nov. 1. Amazon will also start offering two Deals of the Day every day through Monday, Dec. 22.  

Whole Foods has a tendency to zig when other retailers zag and it is doing just that with a new line PBS Kids branded toys this holiday season.

No bright shiny plastic toys will be found on Whole Foods shelves. Instead, the natural grocer struck a deal with PBS Kids to offer a line of educational and sustainable wooden toys and plush products for kids ages six months to three years. Each item in the PBS Kids line is made with safe, non-toxic materials and inks, and all packaging is made from recycled materials, according to the companies.

Bentonville, Ark. –- Wal-Mart is reportedly testing a price-matching program it may use for the upcoming holiday season. According to the Wall Street Journal, Wal-Mart is currently piloting price-matching with local competitors in brick-and-mortar stores but may expand the program nationally and include online competitors like Amazon.com.  

New York –- Holiday spending among U.S. consumers is expected to rise 1.9% in 2014 compared to the prior year. According to the 2014 Nielsen Holiday Retail Sales Forecast, which surveyed more than 25,000 demographically representative American households in September, 25% of respondents had already started holiday shopping in September.

On the heels of moderating expectations for its third quarter performance, Kohl’s announced plans to improve results during the holidays, including an around the clock opening schedule beginning at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.

Kohl’s will open its doors at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and remain open through midnight Friday, Nov. 28. The retailer will also offer a variety of omnichannel holiday services, including a daily “Today’s Deals” section on Kohls.com.

Get it before it’s gone is the message Amazon is sharing with holiday shoppers as it looks to drive sales of limited duration “Lightning Deals” supported by enhanced same day delivery capabilities.

Amazon’s countdown to Black Friday and then Christmas involves a strategy of featuring roughly 15,000 products the online retailer promotes as Lightning Deals because of reduced pricing during a tight promotional window.

Seattle –- A switch from an income tax benefit to income tax expense helped drive a reduction in net income at online jewelry retailer Blue Nile Inc. during the third quarter of fiscal 2014. Blue Nile reported net income of $1.65 million, down 43% year-over-year from $2.9 million. Net sales increased 7% to $105.8 million compared to $98.9 million. The company remains optimistic for the remainder of the year.  

Atlanta –- United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) is reportedly forecasting that six days in the upcoming holiday season will be busier for shipping packages than its busiest day in the 2013 holiday season. According to Bloomberg, UPS predicts it will deliver 585 million packages in December, an 11% year-over-year increase.