holiday shopping

Consumers got a bigger boost to their paychecks at the end of last year, but they kept their wallets closed during the holiday shopping season, according to the government's latest readings.

Kai and crew broadcast live from the Citadel Outlets in sunny Commerce, Calif., to find out how shoppers are spending and how retailers are selling during this most-important holiday shopping season.

Lured by rewards programs and discounts, shoppers are using credit cards more for holiday shopping. That could lead to an unhappy New Year.

The holiday shopping season reportedly got off to a strong start this past weekend. But don't expect to find a thriving U.S. economy under the Christmas tree this year.

Retail sales were solidly higher in November, the government reported Tuesday, fueled in part by deep discounting on holiday merchandise.

Holiday shoppers are putting away their credit cards, the latest on the tax cuts and other consumer-focused items from Friday's Times.

Optimism about the U.S. economy grew in November, pushing the latest reading on consumer sentiment to the highest level since June -- ahead of the holiday shopping period.

Online shoppers are expected to turn out in force Monday -- the day after a strong holiday shopping weekend -- with a 10% increase over last year, according to a retail group.

Those big markdowns can help you save big on holiday shopping -- or tempt you to spend more than you intended. Here's how to snag the deals and avoid the traps.

Retail sales rose for a fourth straight month in October, the government reported Monday, signaling that consumers are keeping their wallets open as the holiday shopping period approaches.