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Seasonal

  • Import cargo to increase 8.5% in September as strike worries mount

    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.

  • Are you ready for some Snickers?

    Football fans and chocolate aficionados can satisfy both cravings this season at Walmart thanks to an initiative with Mars Chocolate North America.

    The candy company teamed up with Walmart to offer a 40 ounce bag of Snickers limited edition NFL Minis in which product wrappers feature logos of all 32 NFL teams.

  • Kmart joins trend of cutting layaway fees

    HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — The trend of doing away with layaway fees continues, this time with Kmart announcing that it has removed its layaway service fee both in stores and online through Nov. 17.

    The retailer follows suit with Toys"R"Us, which said it would drop the $5 upfront service fee and eliminate the minimum purchase requirement for all orders created in stores through Oct. 31 and Walmart, which, while not cutting back its layaway fee, has rolled it back to $5 from $15.

  • Simon puts comps, other initiatives in perspective

    Walmart U.S. president and CEO Bill Simon was feeling pretty good earlier this week as he reeled off accomplishments and emerging opportunities during a presentation at a Goldman Sachs retail conference.

    Simon appeared at the same conference two years earlier when Walmart was in a very different place in terms of its financial performance and its share price. His presentation this year was markedly different given all that has occurred under his leadership.

  • ODP, NASCAR auction to raise money for BTS charity

    BOCA RATON, Fla. — Office Depot will auction off items worn by NASCAR driver Tony Stewart to raise money for the Office Depot's National Backpack Program.

    Through Sept. 14, fans can bid on an autographed firesuit and helmet worn by Stewart, driver of the No. 14I Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The auction is accessible via www.OfficeDepotRacing.com.

  • Sears, Kmart jump on layaway bandwagon by waiving fees

    Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings Corp. said Friday that both its Sears and Kmart banners would waive layaway fees for the holidays, allowing shoppers to open interest-free pay-over-time programs at both stores and online with no customary initial fees. Kmart’s program will run through Nov. 17, but Sears Holdings had yet to set a timeframe for its namesake stores.

    In the past, Kmart and Sears have charged $5 for an eight-week layaway contract and $10 for the 12-week program.

  • Walmart tweaks layaway fees to match rival

    Walmart this week modified a layaway program that had yet to begin after Toys "R" Us said it wouldn’t charge a service fee and lifted minimum purchase requirements for its program.

    The layaway saga began in late August when Walmart said the start date of its layaway program would begin on September 16, a month earlier than the prior year. Curiously, Walmart also said at that time the fee to open a layaway account would increase to $15 from $5 the prior year.

  • Dollar General Q2 profit jumps 47%; raises fiscal year forecast

    Goodlettsville, Tenn. -- Dollar General Corp. on Wednesday said it had earned a better-than-expected $214.1 million in the second quarter, ended on Aug. 3, up from $146 million a year earlier. The discounter also raised its earnings forecast for the year.

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