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Those watches, handbags and sunglasses might look awfully alluring when laid out on a New York City street corner — but the feds want holiday shoppers to keep walking. That was the message they hammered home Tuesday as federal authorities warned people not to shell out their hard-earned dollars for fraudulent goods — whose very existence poses a shadowy threat to the country, they said. “Today we’re here to warn the public again with an old saying that will stand the test of time: If the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is,” Marina Vides, assistant special...

The problem of rampant shoplifting at San Francisco drug stores, grocery stores and retail stores has become obvious to everyone at this point. And yet, as Beege noticed this morning on Twitter, you still have reports like this one from NBC News about the “perception of crime,” as if the crime isn’t real, it’s just a misperception.In a report for NBC on the closing of San Francisco's Westfield Mall, correspondent Miguel Almaguer claims it's merely the "perception of crime" as the reason the mall is closing. pic.twitter.com/uzg1eoYng7— Kevin Tober (@KevinTober94) June 14, 2023It is fair to say that violent crime...

(NewsNation) — Grocery shoppers have become resourceful amid America’s ongoing record inflation, which has spiked grocery prices by 13% over the last year. According to a September Food Dive study, six out of 10 of the 2,000 surveyed consumers reported buying foods close to the expiration date due to affordability, with 46% saying they disregard the printed expiration date altogether. While discount grocery shopping isn’t new, the report did find this eye-opening stat: 16.6% of those shopping for bargains started doing so this year. Just ask Ron Rojas — the owner of Chicago, Illinois, discount grocery store Continental Sales Lots...

Americans buying guns alongside their toilet paper and canned goods in anticipation of Nov. 3With just four days until the 2020 presidential election, early indicators show American shoppers concerned about political fallout, a spike in coronavirus cases and the possibility of more lockdowns are stockpiling goods. As tensions run high, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and other basic goods are reportedly flying off store shelves once more in anticipation of a night of civil unrest next Tuesday. Approaching the close of a chaotic year, in which social and racial justice protesters have frequently clashed with federal law enforcement, uncertainty has served...

SÃO PAULO, Brazil — Shoppers here with a notion of what items cost abroad need to brace themselves when buying a Samsung Galaxy S4 phone: the same model that costs $615 in the United States is nearly double that in Brazil. An even bigger shock awaits parents needing a crib: the cheapest one at Tok & Stok costs over $440, more than six times the price of a similarly made item at Ikea in the United States.

More than half of Britons cannot cope on their current salaries with one in five forced to borrow money to buy groceries and other household essentials because of the soaring cost of living, a new survey revealed today. One in four people revealed they've had to use their savings to buy food or other daily essentials while one in five have gone into debt to do this. Another 10 per cent said they could envisage needing to borrow buy food in the future. Only 43 per cent currently feel they can afford to live on their current income while 36

A proposal in Virginia to charge shoppers a 20-cent per bag fee on all plastic bags used by grocery shoppers to carry purchased goods has sparked intense debate, WTOP reported. The fee would not apply to durable, reusable bags, or bags used for ice cream, meat, fish or poultry. Sponsors of the measure say it is not meant to raise money, but to cut down on litter and pollution. They expect it will likely be cut down to 5 cents once a review begins in committee, according to WTOP.

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A man collapsed while doing some Black Friday shopping in a crowded store, and people nearby continued to shop. Witnesses tell WSAZ.com some shoppers walked around and even over the man's body. Click here to find out more! Family members tell WSAZ.com that Walter Vance, of Logan County, W.Va., passed away after being taken to the hospital. It happened at Target in the Southridge Shopping Center in South Charleston about 12:15 a.m. Friday. Vance got sick and collapsed on the floor while shopping for Christmas decorations for his newly remodeled workplace. Vance started working at...

Occupy protests can't stop S.F. shoppersKevin Fagan, Chronicle Staff Writer San Francisco Chronicle November 26, 2011 04:00 AM **SNIP** Two dozen Occupy protesters began marching around downtown at sundown, chanting protest slogans. They'd hoped to make their anti-consumption point at the annual Christmas tree-lighting ceremony in Union Square, but the crowd was so massive they couldn't get near. The marchers then blocked the intersection of Market and Fourth streets for 15 minutes beginning at 7 p.m., but left when police arrived. "Don't use credit cards to show love this holiday," said Occupier Michael Byrnes, 31. Josh Delacruz shook his head...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Attention holiday shoppers: your cell phone may be tracked this year. Starting on Black Friday and running through New Year's Day, two U.S. malls -- Promenade Temecula in southern California and Short Pump Town Center in Richmond, Va. -- will track guests' movements by monitoring the signals from their cell phones. While the data that's collected is anonymous, it can follow shoppers' paths from store to store. The goal is for stores to answer questions like: How many Nordstrom shoppers also stop at Starbucks? How long do most customers linger in Victoria's Secret? Are there unpopular...

Madison police arrested a 21-year-old woman after she allegedly threatened shoppers while trying to cut in line at a toy store. Police say several hundred shoppers were at a Toys R Us just after 10 p.m. Thursday, when the woman attempted to move to the front of the line. The store opened for Black Friday shopping at 10 p.m. Police say other shoppers confronted the Middleton woman and she threatened to retrieve a gun and shoot them. No gun was found but police arrested the woman on a tentative charge of disorderly conduct.

Massive Trade Deficit Raises Prospect Of Disastrous Christmas If Shoppers Don't Come Through Joe Weisenthal Oct. 14, 2010, 9:20 AM This morning the Census Department announced a yawning trade deficit, with US imports from China quickly returning to old ways. Here's specifically what they said on that: The goods deficit with China increased from $25.9 billion in July to $28.0 billion in August. Exports decreased $0.1 billion (primarily civilian aircraft, engines, equipment, and parts) to $7.3 billion, while imports increased $2.0 billion (primarily toys, games, and sporting goods; household goods; and computer accessories) to $35.3 billion. Good news, right? If...

Palestinian Authority Economy Minister Hassan Abu Libdeh warned Palestinians on Thursday against shopping at Rami Levy supermarkets in the West Bank. Thousands of Palestinians converge every day on the Rami Levy supermarkets at Sha’ar Binyamin and Mishor Adumim, the only two branches in the West Bank. The two stores also employ dozens of Palestinians. This was the first threat of its kind issued by the PA against Palestinians who visited the Israeli supermarkets, which are named after their founder.

A computer game retailer revealed that it legally owns the souls of thousands of online shoppers, thanks to a clause in the terms and conditions agreed to by online shoppers. The retailer, British firm GameStation, added the "immortal soul clause" to the contract signed before making any online purchases earlier this month. It states that customers grant the company the right to claim their soul. "By placing an order via this Web site on the first day of the fourth month of the year 2010 Anno Domini, you agree to grant Us a non transferable option to claim, for now...

Store management called Upland police at 2:44 a.m., asking for assistance in dealing with customers who were “fighting inside,” said Lt. Jim Etchason. About 300 people were in the store, which had remained open all night as a security precaution after a Wal-Mart worker on Long Island, N.Y., was trampled to death last year on Black Friday when a surging, impatient crowd rushed the doors after the store opened. But in Upland, employees said, customers began tearing into merchandise that had been shrink-wrapped and were supposed to be opened at 5 a.m. “This was without a doubt the worst I’ve...

In poor third-world countries, people riot and stampede over food and basic necessities. It is literally a matter of life and death.In America, shoppers trample fellow human beings over DVD players and video games.A worker died after being trampled and a woman miscarried when hundreds of shoppers smashed through the doors of a Long Island Wal-Mart Friday morning, witnesses said. Witnesses said the surging throngs of shoppers knocked the man down. He fell and was stepped on. As he gasped for air, shoppers ran over and around him. Paramedics treated the woman inside the store and then, according to Keys,...

Shoppers to 'abandon organic food to cut bills' By Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Correspondent Last Updated: 2:29AM BST 20/05/2008 Middle-class shoppers will be forced to abandon organic and fair trade food as inflation continues to climb, a new report warns. Retailers have not yet reported any fall off in organic food sales Shoppers who have previously been willing to pay up to 50 per cent more for organic meat, or fair trade coffee, could soon ignore ethical concerns in favour of keeping their shopping bills down. The prediction comes from the influential forecasting group, the Ernst & Young ITEM club,...

POITIERS, France (AFP) - It was no bull in a china shop, but a wild boar rampaged through a clothes shop in western France on Saturday before being felled by bullets, police said. Christmas shoppers and employees were evacuated from the store and the 90-kilo (198-pound) boar began charging at police, before falling in a hail of bullets early in the afternoon. Just how the animal entered the shop, located in a commercial area near the city of Poitiers, remains a mystery. But three boars were spotted during the day in the region bordering the countryside, a police statement said....

Scientists can now look into the brains of people making a purchase decision and predict whether or not they will buy. "...When people see something they want to purchase, a portion of the brain called the nucleus accumbens "lights up" on a brain scan. If the price is too high, another region of the brain called the insula is activated and the mesial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) is deactivated, Dr. Brian Knutson of Stanford University in California and colleagues report."...

MERCEDES, Texas (AP) -- With a blare of mariachis and a platform sagging under the weight of public officials wanting to take part, this impoverished Mexican border city recently cut the ribbon on a $50 million outlet mall that boasts status labels like Burberry, Izod and Coach. Although the median household income is half the national average and only 15 percent of its residents have graduated from college, towns like Mercedes are the jackpot for retailers who find their stores accessible to Mexican luxury shoppers, particularly from the mansion-filled hills of Monterrey, 120 miles away. And so far, cross-border holiday...