For the past few years, holiday cheer has been in short supply for electronics retail chains.
Wal-Mart's much-awaited Black Friday deals will focus on a gamut of gadgets such as high-definition TVs, laptops and Blu-ray players, as well as holiday gift favorites such as toys and DVDs, according to a copy of the retailer's circular obtained by CNNMoney.com.
Wal-Mart Stores reported a third-quarter profit Thursday that beat analysts' estimates while its store sales fell in the period amid a "difficult" selling environment.
In preparation for the traditional kickoff of the holiday shopping season, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced Wednesday that most of its stores will be open 24 hours for "post-Thanksgiving Day events."
Halloween is finally here. But many investors have been getting more treats than tricks for nearly eight months now.
It seems like only days ago that Wal-Mart was the most evil company on the planet.
As it faces down Wal-Mart in a book price war, Amazon could take a few lessons from Toys "R" Us.
Wal-Mart and Amazon continued a price war on Friday as the retail heavyweights vie for online book sales ahead of the critical holiday shopping season.
Wal-Mart is looking to jump-start holiday sales by expanding last year's $10 toy incentive tenfold, the company said Wednesday.
It's a blog where people post, and make fun of, pictures of out-of-shape, poorly dressed and otherwise awkward people shopping at Wal-Mart.
For the past few years, holiday cheer has been in short supply for electronics retail chains.
Wal-Mart's much-awaited Black Friday deals will focus on a gamut of gadgets such as high-definition TVs, laptops and Blu-ray players, as well as holiday gift favorites such as toys and DVDs, according to a copy of the retailer's circular obtained by CNNMoney.com.
Wal-Mart Stores reported a third-quarter profit Thursday that beat analysts' estimates while its store sales fell in the period amid a "difficult" selling environment.
In preparation for the traditional kickoff of the holiday shopping season, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced Wednesday that most of its stores will be open 24 hours for "post-Thanksgiving Day events."
Halloween is finally here. But many investors have been getting more treats than tricks for nearly eight months now.
It seems like only days ago that Wal-Mart was the most evil company on the planet.
As it faces down Wal-Mart in a book price war, Amazon could take a few lessons from Toys "R" Us.
Wal-Mart and Amazon continued a price war on Friday as the retail heavyweights vie for online book sales ahead of the critical holiday shopping season.
Wal-Mart is looking to jump-start holiday sales by expanding last year's $10 toy incentive tenfold, the company said Wednesday.
It's a blog where people post, and make fun of, pictures of out-of-shape, poorly dressed and otherwise awkward people shopping at Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart is recalling 4.2 million Durabrand DVD players, expanding a previous announcement, because of a potential for the device to burst into flames, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Tuesday.
Wal-Mart is recalling about 1.5 million Durabrand DVD players because of a potential for the device to burst into flames, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday.
Wal-Mart has won market share during the recession by relentlessly lowering prices -- a strategy echoed in its advertising slogan, "Save Money. Live Better."
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, said Thursday that sales at its U.S. stores open at least a year, or same-store sales fell 1.2%, in the past quarter although profit from continuing operations was at the high end of its expectations.
In 1997, with $100 billion in annual sales and 750,000 employees in 8 countries including the U.S., Wal-Mart decided to open 85 stores in Germany, a move Wall Street analysts applauded because it would pave the way for expansion into all of Europe. The retailer bought up a couple of smaller German store chains, and sent over an executive who had successfully run 200 U.S. Wal-Mart stores from headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., to manage the German operations. Nine years later, in July of 2006, Wal-Mart announced it would close down its German stores. The resulting loss: About $1 billion.
If Target builds it, will shoppers come?
With Hannah Montana and the newest American Idol in the house, Wal-Mart's CEO touted the retailer's improved performance at the annual shareholder meeting Friday, saying he expects new customers to stick around even after the recession is over.
Most retailers continued to suffer sagging sales in May despite reports that showed more American consumers are regaining confidence in the economy.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Thursday that it expects to hire more than 22,000 people to staff its new or expanded domestic stores this year.
Wal-Mart Stores, the world's largest retailer, reported fiscal first-quarter earnings Thursday that met analyst expectations, although sales declined from a year earlier.
Even though retailers got some much-needed relief from their sales drought in April, industry watchers cautioned against concluding that American consumers are back to shopping with a vengeance.
Wal-Mart has agreed to pay nearly $2 million and take extra safety precautions after a stampede killed a store employee in Long Island, New York, last year.
Wal-Mart Stores reported March sales Thursday that were much softer than analysts' forecasts, citing an "Easter calendar shift" that it expects to push holiday-related purchases into April.
Retail sales were dismal last year and analysts are predicting another rough patch ahead - some spring merchandise is already hitting the sale rack.
Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, reported unexpectedly strong sales Thursday, a bright spot in an otherwise gloomy retail market. U.S. same-store sales increased 5.1% compared to February 2008, not counting fuel sales. Fortune spoke with ThinkEquity analyst Edward Weller about Wal-Mart's results and the broader retail market. Excerpts:
Americans bagged plenty of discount goods and even some pricey fashion merchandise in February, giving retailers reason for hope after a protracted recession-induced sales slump.
Wal-Mart Stores reported Tuesday that fourth-quarter sales rose, while profit fell - both missing analyst estimates.
Wal-Mart Stores announced Tuesday that it is eliminating as many as 800 positions at its headquarters in an effort to reduce costs.
Sales at leading chain stores were caught in a deep freeze in January as mounting concerns about job security kept more shoppers away from the mall.
If retailers were hoping for some respite from a protracted slump in monthly sales, it didn't happen in December.
For most merchants, the 2008 holiday shopping season couldn't be over fast enough.
Wal-Mart agreed Tuesday to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to settle allegations that the company didn't pay workers for overtime or let them take breaks.
You've heard the conventional wisdom: Entrepreneurs drive innovation and job creation in the U.S. Yet two recently published books draw starkly different conclusions about the state of small business in America today.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced Tuesday it will pay up to $54.25 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that alleged it cut workers' break time and permitted them to work off the clock.
Children who are forced to pick cotton in Uzbekistan, farmers scratching out a living in Guatemala and salmon fishermen in Bristol Bay, Alaska, would not seem to have much in common. But all are feeling the global impact of Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart Stores reported November sales that trounced expectations Thursday as the discounter continues to gain market share from its rivals in a worsening economy.
The family of a man trampled to death in a New York Wal-Mart on Friday filed a lawsuit Wednesday, claiming the store failed to control the crowd pushing to gain entry on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
When stores report their November sales Thursday, analysts expect the scorecard will look pretty bleak once again.
Two customers are suing Wal-Mart for negligence after being injured in a mad rush for post-Thanksgiving bargains that left one store employee dead, the men's attorney said Tuesday.
While chain retailers like Wal-Mart and Best Buy began this year's Black Friday with their traditional throngs of bargain-hunting shoppers, things are quieter at small, independent shops throughout the nation.
Three violent deaths in two stores marred the opening of the Christmas shopping season Friday.
The death of a temporary Wal-Mart worker trampled by customers amid frantic Black Friday shopping could have been avoided, the union that represents retail workers said Saturday.
The maintenance worker is killed as he tries to hold back hundreds of people seeking Black Friday deals
Wal-Mart - expected to benefit this holiday season from its deep discounting in a tough economy - had its Black Friday marred when an employee was trampled to death as thousands of people rushed through the doors at the opening of the store in Valley Stream, N.Y.
Americans may be descending on the malls today to hunt for bargains. But this is still expected to be a blue Christmas for many retailers and a gloomy end to what's turning out to be a dismal 2008.
When Mike Duke takes over as the CEO of Wal-Mart on Feb. 1, he will be confronted with a vastly different political landscape than the one in which his predecessor, H. Lee Scott, operated for the past nine years.
Wal-Mart Stores announced Friday that CEO Lee Scott will retire and the company's board has elected Mike Duke, vice chairman of Wal-Mart International, to succeed him.
Wal-Mart is highlighting flat screen TVs, Blu-ray players, Xbox 360 consoles and home computers in its much-anticipated Black Friday deals this year, according to a copy of the retailer's circular obtained by CNNMoney.com.
Wal-Mart Stores, the world's largest retailer, reported third-quarter profit Thursday that topped estimates but said a stronger dollar would squeeze profit for the rest of its year.
U.S. retailers, already struggling with a protracted sales slump this year, suffered another disastrous sales month in October as Americans continue to shun unnecessary purchases in tough economic times.
Monthly reports from Wal-Mart, Costco, J.C. Penney and other big retail chains confirm that American consumers are now sticking to buying necessities - at bargain prices - and cutting back on most other discretionary products.
Many Americans who are hoping to work in a store this holiday season could be in for a big disappointment.
Consumers nervous about the weak economy abandoned higher-end clothing store chains for discount retail giants such as Wal-Mart, Costco and BJ's, which reaped back-to-school sales in August.
If you've been watching TV lately, you may have come across Wal-Mart's new back-to-school ad. It features a well-scrubbed teenager wearing the California surf brand Op, as her Everymom exults that the giant retailer satisfied her daughter's fashion cravings without breaking the family bank. On the surface the spot doesn't look radically different from the company's advertising in years past. But its creation, part of Wal-Mart's "Save money. Live better" campaign, is a result of dramatic changes taking place behind the scenes.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. raised its full-year earnings forecast Thursday after second-quarter profit rose 17 percent, helped by tight inventory controls and a renewed focus on low prices that is attracting financially squeezed shoppers around the world
Retail behemoth Wal-Mart Stores reported a surge in quarterly profit Thursday, topping Wall Street's expectations.
Stocks futures turned lower Thursday as a sharp increase in consumer inflation outweighed a big earnings report by the retail giant Wal-Mart.
The outlook for the back-to-school shopping season seemed grim Thursday, as retailers' July sales reports showed an increasing shift toward buying necessities like food and household supplies at discounters and away from discretionary spending on clothing
Retailers faced tight-fisted consumers in July as $92 billion worth of stimulus checks from the government ran dry, signaling more trouble ahead if the economy doesn't pull out of its morass.
We've reached a dubious health milestone: More than half of insured Americans are now taking at least one "maintenance" drug for a chronic condition, according to a recent health industry report.
Wal-Mart used the occasion of its annual shareholder meeting Friday to crow about the achievements of the past year, which are considerable: sales, earnings and free cash flow have all been on the rise - at a time when most retailers are struggling.
The high cost of food and record fuel prices are limiting consumers' budgets, Wal-Mart executives said Friday at the company's annual meeting with shareholders.
The U.S. government's stimulus payments gave a lift to the May sales of discount retailers such as Wal-Mart and Costco, but it left other retailers like Gap and Stein Mart in the cold.
With gas, grain, and dairy prices exploding, you'd think the biggest seller of corn flakes and Cocoa Puffs would be getting hit by rising food costs. But Wal-Mart has temporarily rolled back prices on hundreds of food items by as much as 30% this year. How? By pressuring vendors to take costs out of the supply chain.
I became an inventor while working two jobs and taking night classes in Columbus. Every Monday, to reward my efforts, I'd treat myself to barbecued Buffalo wings - extra-saucy ones - for dinner.
In this tough selling environment, Wal-Mart's business is quite literally going to the dogs. And to a few cats as well.
Wal-Mart Stores edged past forecasts in what it termed a good start to its fiscal year, as it said that tough economic times helped sales at the discount leader.
U.S. stock futures fell Tuesday as investors awaited quarterly earnings from retail giant Wal-Mart.
Consumers gave some of the nation's retailers a little relief in April, but business was helped along by heavy discounting that could hurt first-quarter fiscal sales
Wal-Mart Stores on Thursday reported monthly sales at its stores that topped its own forecast.
In a move designed to attract consumers' rebate money, Wal-Mart Stores said Tuesday it will let shoppers cash their federal stimulus checks for free at its stores and offer additional discounts on groceries.
When Mark Publicover sees his kids bounce against the safety net that wraps around their trampoline, he beams with paternal pride - the device, invented 11 years ago, was his brainchild.
Stocks rallied Thursday, building on the recent market advance, as investors welcomed an upgrade of Intel, lower commodity prices and improved earnings forecasts from Dow stocks Wal-Mart and DuPont.
Wal-Mart Stores on Thursday blamed an early Easter and weather woes for March sales that were at the lower end of its guidance.
Entrepreneur Maria Peevey has gone to the dogs, thanks to Wal-Mart. After the retail giant increased its order of her pet apparel and accessories late last year, annual revenues for Peevey's San Francisco company, SimplyShe, jumped from $6 million in 2006 to $25 million in 2007.
A former Wal-Mart employee who suffered severe brain damage in a traffic accident won't have to pay back the company for the cost of her medical care, Wal-Mart told the family Tuesday.
Debbie Shank breaks down in tears every time she's told that her 18-year-old son, Jeremy, was killed in Iraq.
New Yorker Evelyn Molina used to spend a lot of money eating out, buying her lunch and going out to dinner with friends about three to four times a week.
New worries about problems in mortgage and housing markets and a continued decline in the dollar could hit stocks Thursday as stronger-than-expected sales from retailers weren't enough to cheer investors.
Cash registers at some of America's best-known merchants will also be thermometers in the coming week.
Retail behemoth Wal-Mart reported a rise in quarterly profit Tuesday, but offered a cautious outlook for the coming year amid a struggling U.S. economy.
Stocks rallied Tuesday morning as investors shrugged off more bearish news for the bank sector and instead focused on Wal-Mart's improved earnings and a surge in international markets.
Stocks jumped Tuesday after the holiday break, as Wall Street is spurred by strong quarterly results from retailing giant Wal-Mart.
U.S. stocks were poised for a higher start Tuesday after the holiday break, as investors were buoyed by strong quarterly results from retailing giant Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart Stores and Toys "R" Us announced new mandatory safety checks Friday for its toy manufacturers following a wave of recalls that hurt the industry this past holiday season.
U.S. retailers reported their slowest monthly sales growth in five years, which would further cement fears that American consumers are buckling under the weight of a slowing economy.
Stocks ended a choppy session higher Thursday, breaking a three-session losing streak, as investors scooped up recently battered shares despite Cisco's lower sales outlook and some weak January retail sales.
Stocks were poised to extend declines Thursday after weak sales from Wal-Mart Stores and disappointing guidance from tech bellwether Cisco Systems sparked a new round of recession worries.
Politicians in Washington deserve praise for quickly cobbling together a stimulus package to try and rejuvenate the foundering economy.
Wal-Mart announced Tuesday that it will chop prices between 10 to 30% this week on groceries, electronics and other home-related products in an effort to keep its cash-strapped consumers excited about shopping.
For years, Wal-Mart tried to enter the U.S. banking business, but it gave up in 2007, pulling its application after endless outcries from domestic retail banks. Now it's found a more receptive audience south of the border. In November, Wal-Mart de México opened its first consumer bank, Banco Wal-Mart, in Toluca; the company plans to launch 80 more by the end of the year.
Let's face it. Tires are usually one of the most un-fun things to buy for a car. Most of us aren't too concerned about the process. We're just trying to buy a set of discount tires that turn out to be better than four pencil erasers.
Retailers reported deep declines in their December sales Thursday, reflecting a 2007 holiday shopping season that is turning out to be one of the weakest in years.
For nearly a decade, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has been outperformed by Target Corp. when it mattered the most - at holiday shopping time.
Several retailers will sell equipment enabling analog television sets owners to continue to view programming after the 2009 nationwide switch to digital broadcasting
For years, the big American retailers have tended to open new stores the way Paris Hilton goes through boyfriends: rapidly, and with little thought to the consequences.
A generally modest November employment report is due Friday from the Labor Department, and don't be surprised to find weakness in an area where you'd expect strength this time of year: the local shopping mall.
Steep holiday discounts, combined with more Americans trading down on their gift purchases, boosted sales at discounters last month, while a lack of compelling fashion trends pummeled sales at specialty clothing chains.
Are the nation's retailers giving away the store?
Even though the sun was hours away from rising, bargain-hunters at a Wal-Mart store in Union were fully awake and ready to shop.
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