Target continues to thrive in whirlwind retail environment

NEW YORK (AP) — Target's strong sales streak extended through a pandemic-shrouded holiday season after a hard push online and an increased effort to provide alternatives to customers who are trying to minimize risk. The retailer reported Wednesday that online sales surged 102% between November and...

Holiday sales tick up as shoppers invest in their homes

NEW YORK (AP) — Retail sales increased a modest 3% during a longer holiday season this year, as homebound shoppers spent more on furnishing and food but less on clothing and jewelry, according to figures released Saturday by a firm that tracks all forms of payments. The increase fell short of predictions...

Retailers brace for flood of returns from online shopping

NEW YORK (AP) — A huge surge in online shopping during the pandemic has been a savior for retailers, but it comes at a price. Shoppers are expected to return twice as many items as they did during last year's holiday period, costing companies roughly $1.1 billion, according to Narvar Inc., a software and...

'We are struggling': A bleak Christmas for America's jobless

NEW YORK (AP) — Last Christmas, Shanita Matthews cooked up a feast for her family of three: Roast chicken, barbecue spareribs, spinach, macaroni and cheese. This year? They’ll stick with tuna fish and crackers, among the few items she can afford at the supermarket. “We’re not really...

The holidays could make or break struggling stores

NEW YORK (AP) — Clothing stores and specialty retailers are offering big discounts and heavily promoting curbside pickup in hopes of rescuing a lackluster holiday shopping season in which surging coronavirus cases have kept many shoppers at home. For some, it could be their last chance at survival. And...

Apple unveils headphones that cost twice as much as AirPods

SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) — Apple has one more thing for the holiday shopping season: over-the-ear, wireless headphones that will test how much people are willing to splurge on for high-quality sound. The headphones, called AirPods Max, will cost $549 — far more than similar products from Bose and Sony...

This holiday season, everyone is shopping from home

NEW YORK (AP) — The viral pandemic is accelerating a transformation of America's holiday shopping season. Few people showed up at the mall this weekend, with millions of pandemic-wary shoppers staying home to shop online. The result? Overall holiday sales are projected to rise a slight 0.9% in November...

VIRUS TODAY: Black Friday shoppers stay home

Here's what's happening Friday with the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S.: THREE THINGS TO KNOW TODAY — The coronavirus pandemic kept crowds thin at malls and stores across the country on Black Friday, but a surge in online shopping offered a small beacon of hope for struggling retailers after months of...

Black Friday sees record online as US shoppers stay home

Black Friday online sales hit a new record this year as pandemic-wary Americans filled virtual carts instead of real ones. Consumers spent an estimated $9 billion on U.S. retail websites on Black Friday, according to Adobe Analytics, which tracks online shopping. That was a 22% increase over the previous record...

Correction: Virus Outbreak-The Latest story

In a story Nov. 25, 2020, about a new U.S. estimate of missed coronavirus infections, The Associated Press erroneously reported an earlier calculation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Previously, the CDC estimated nine of every 10 cases were being missed, not one of every 10.