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BEST BUY

Last-minute shoppers wait in line at area stores in pandemic-era holiday

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – A pandemic didn’t seem to affect the procrastinators waiting in a long line to get into Best Buy in Pembroke Pines. Around 11 a.m. Thursday, the line was moving, but it was wrapped around the building. Miguel Figueroa picked up some last minute Christmas gifts at Target in Pembroke Pines Thursday. One last minute shopper told us that everything is practically sold out on line, so she was ready to get in line at Best Buy. Many of the stores were trying to limit how many people were indoors at one time, so shoppers were finding long lines outside of stores waiting to get in.

Holiday trends to watch: Adult Play-Doh; stores that ship

(AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)NEW YORK – The pandemic is turning this into a holiday shopping season like no other. And with more people shopping online, stores are doing double duty as shipping centers to try to get gifts to doorsteps as fast as possible. Meanwhile, Best Buy says that 340 of its stores are being specially designated to handle a higher volume of online orders, though all its stores ship e-commerce packages. Its goal: to have the 340 stores ship more than 70% of its ship-from-store units during the holiday quarter. Typically, 25% of holiday shopping is based on impulse, according to Marshal Cohen, chief industry advisor at NPD Group, a market research firm.

Weak 0.3% US October sales gain spreads some holiday unease

NEW YORK – Retail sales in the U.S. grew a sluggish 0.3% in October, even as retailers offered early holiday discounts online and in stores. Economists had expected sales to rise 0.5%, already a significant tail off from September's gain of 1.6%. Sales rose at home and garden stores, electronics and appliance stores, and online retailers. Nationwide, spending fell to 7.4% below a year ago, JPMorgan said, a drop of about 2.5 percentage points from two weeks earlier. Yet at clothing stores and sporting good shops, sales fell more than 4%.

Pandemic pushes start of holiday shopping earlier than ever

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)NEW YORK – Add last-minute holiday shopping to the list of time-honored traditions being upended by the coronavirus pandemic. Black Friday has long been the unofficial start to the U.S. holiday season, though retailers have been pushing holiday shopping earlier for the last decade or so. The first big holiday push will come from Amazon, which is positioning its mid-October Prime Day as a kickoff to the holiday shopping season. Even with the early start to the season, holiday sales are expected to deliver smaller gains than in recent years. Joel Bines, who runs the retail practice at AlixPartners, thinks the earlier shopping will stick even when the pandemic is over.

Businesses weigh reopening - or close again - as cases rise

Businesses reopening across states after months of shutdown have been met with fanfare. Its not the reopening businesses were hoping for. Apple, which started reopening its stores May 11, has closed at least 32 stores in hot spots like Florida and Texas. Some businesses have been requiring customers and employees to sign a waiver saying they wont sue if they get sick. Adam Orman, who runs LOca dOro Italian restaurant in Austin, Texas, may delay a planned July 30 reopening for outdoor seating.

US consumer spending up 8.2%, partly erasing record plunge

(AP Photo/Jim Mone)WASHINGTON American consumers increased their spending by a sharp 8.2% in May, partly erasing record plunges the previous two months, against the backdrop of an economy thats likely shrinking by its steepest pace on record this quarter. In May, those stimulus checks were no longer counted as income for most people. Besides whatever unemployment aid states are providing to the 30 million jobless Americans, the federal government is providing $600 a week in additional benefits. Without the stimulus checks or an extension of unemployment aid, it's unclear whether consumers will keep spending freely. It shows that consumers have gradually but consistently increased their spending since the government distributed the stimulus checks in mid-April.

Pandemic highlights big box stores' ability to pivot

NEW YORK Late last year, Best Buy began testing curbside pickup at select stores as a way to respond to customer needs. Macys sales were down 45% and the company says it could have a loss of at least $1 billion in the quarter. Still, it shows how the pandemic is deepening the divide between big box stores and mall-based clothing chains. Target's CEO Brian Cornell said its stores were directly involved in supplying goods for 80% of online sales. It expects another 80 Macys stores to open for Memorial Day weekend and most of its stores, including its flagship stores in Manhattan, to open in mid-June.

Retailers promise speedy delivery, tech in-store for holiday shoppers

Getty Images via CNN(CNN) - Walmart, Target and Best Buy this week rolled out plans to woo shoppers during the holidays, focusing on early deals, speedier deliveries and beefed-up service in stores. "This year is a bit unique for our customers," Steve Bratspies, Walmart chief merchandising officer, said on a call with reporters. Walmart has started to offer free next-day delivery on orders over $35 for more than 200,000 items. Best Buy said Tuesday that it would offer next-day delivery on thousands of smaller items such as tablets and headphones. The National Retail Federation estimates retail sales in November and December will grow between 3.8% and 4.2% compared with a year ago.

Family of Boca Raton woman fatally beaten, burned during washer and dryer delivery sues Best Buy

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The family of a 75-year-old woman who was fatally beaten and burned by a Hialeah man who delivered a washer and dryer to her Boca Raton home is suing Best Buy. Evelyn Smith Udell, 75, was fatally beaten and burned by a man who was hired to deliver and install a washer and dryer she bought from Best Buy. According to the lawsuit, Best Buy retained third-party companies J.B. Hunt and XM Delivery to deliver and install the appliances. Instead, the lawsuit claims, the retail giant accepted the employees of J.B. Hunt and XM Delivery "as employees of Best Buy." "If you're going to use the word 'best' before Best Buy, they should have the best background and daily monitoring in the industry," Morgan & Morgan attorney Nick Panagakis said.

Man caught on camera stealing headphones from Best Buy in Pembroke Pines

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. - Pembroke Pines police are searching for a man they said stole two stereo headphones from a Best Buy store earlier this month. The incident was captured on surveillance video around 7:30 p.m. Sept. 8 at the Best Buy at 11450 Pines Blvd. According to authorities, the man took the headphones, valued at $259, off a shelf and concealed them in one of his pants pockets. He then left the store without paying for the merchandise, police said. Anyone with information about the man's identity is asked to call Detective Aju Thomas at 954-431-2225.