Seasonal

PHOENIX and MIAMI — Visitors to Walmart this fall have the opportunity to learn about Straight Talk Wirelsss and support the Make-A-Wish foundation in the process.

The company announced that for every shopper who participates in a demonstration of a Straight Talk Wireless Android smart phone. it will donate $1 to Make-A-Wish, with the ultimate goal of $1,000,000. The event will take place over four consecutive Saturdays starting September 22, 2012 at over 3,000 participating Walmarts under the banner "One Minute One Million."

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 -- 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.

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.

NEW YORK — Macy's on Sept. 12 will debut a new fashion line from Nicole Richie. The Nicole Richie for Impulse collection will include 1960s and 1970s influenced silhouettes, prints and fabrications and be sold at approximately 100 Macy’s stores and on Macys.com/impulse.For the first time, Macy’s Facebook fans will be the very first to shop the collection at facebook.com/macys before it hits stores Wednesday.

With the political conventions coming to an end, it’s clear now that election season is in full swing. And, while I don’t pretend to know what the long-term implications of an Obama re-election or a Romney win would mean for our economy or our country, I do think that what happens on Nov. 6 will almost certainly have an impact on our industry — particularly, shopper sentiment and ultimately holiday sales.

WASHINGTON — Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 8.5% in September compared with the same month last year, and strong increases are expected into the holiday season despite talk of a possible strike at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

Washington, D.C. -- Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 8.5% in September compared with the same month last year, and strong increases are expected into the holiday season despite talk of a possible strike at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

Philadelphia -- Three-fourths (75%) of retailers forecast an increase in holiday sales this year, according to a survey by Hay Group, a global management consultancy.

The annual Seasonal Staffing Survey report also finds that retailers have more confidence in holiday hiring plans. While 57% of retailers plan to hire seasonal workers at the same level as 2011, 36% say they will be hiring more. This stands in contrast to 2011 when just 10% planned to hire more seasonal workers than the year prior.