The Holiday Wrap Up Business Blog

Gift Card Problems at Wal-Mart

Mark Chediak — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 11:00:27 -0500

Mega-retailer Wal-Mart said Thursday its stores had trouble processing gift cards the day after Christmas. The company said in a statement that the issue was caused by a glitch in its third-party card verification system and the problem has been...

More on CompUSA's closing

Etan Horowitz — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 15:40:42 -0500

I've been monitoring the sales at CompUSA as the electronics giant shuts down its 103 stores. Last time I checked, the discounts were up to 30 percent off on certain items while hot products like iPods and Apple computers remained...

'Twas the day before Christmas...

Anika Palm — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 13:01:17 -0500

and at Altamonte Mall few people were shopping, not many at all. I just returned from Altamonte Mall and was surprised at how light the crowds are today. I had no trouble finding parking this morning. Even Santa only had...

VIDEO: Advice for Holiday shoppers -- Week 7

Laura Brost — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:36:55 -0500

This week: A chat with Santa and a countdown of the last shopping days until Christmas.

Shoppers, find out whether that fur is faux

Anika Palm — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 12:10:39 -0500

For the second year in a row, the Humane Society of the United States says it has found that several major retailers are selling apparel with real animal fur marked as synthetic fur. The report names Sak's Fifth Avenue, Neiman...

No more fancy gift card holders at Orlando Starbucks

Mark Chediak — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 15:17:54 -0500

Starbucks always seems to have fancy gift card holders. It's s the company's way of trying to spruce up a gift that is essentially a thin piece of plastic. This year, the coffee chain has been giving away cute knitted...

To card, or not to card

MaryAnnHorne — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 18:36:08 -0500

Before you head out to buy a fist full of gift cards to complete your Christmas shopping list, you'll want to read the Sentinel's explainer on gift card fees, which ran in Wednesday's paper. When you read it online, you...

Have you finished your holiday shopping?

Anika Palm — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 14:35:04 -0500

Are you finished with your holiday shopping? There's a good chance that you may be one of the people who won't finish until the very last minute. According to a survey from the Consumer Reports National Research Center, a quarter...

Get your Wii...

Sara Clarke — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 18:05:17 -0500

More on the Nintendo Wii, which has emerged as one of the hard-to-find holiday items: Bass Pro Shops faxed over an announcement that they're going to give away Nintendo Wii Systems daily from Dec. 17 to Dec. 23. They weren't...

Publix here we come...

Sara Clarke — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 17:53:46 -0500

What's not to love about chewy butterscotch nut bars, Russian tea or french herb blends? When it comes to holiday shopping, you can skip the mall and head to the nearest supermarket instead. Orlando Sentinel Food Columnist Heather McPherson gives...