TAMPA The holiday deals may be hot, but that won't be enough to convince consumers to spend like retailers hope they will, according to a University of Central Florida economist. This week's Black Friday will be a disappointing one for the retail industry, as overall consumer spending continues its downward slide this quarter. This rate of decline has not been seen in Florida since 1974, said economist Sean Snaith. ...more

November 26, 2008

Given the economic problems dominating the headlines these days, it would not be surprising if people are feeling glum. At such moments of seeming gloom we should recall that the first Thanksgiving was held during the Civil War. ...more

November 26, 2008

Given the economic problems dominating the headlines these days, it would not be surprising if people are feeling glum. Housing sales continue to fall, thwarting hopes for a turnaround for a key component of the local, state and national economies. The "Big Three" U.S. automakers are jetting, hats in hand, to Congress and asking for money to help them stave off bankruptcy. Banks and other financial institutions need help from the Treasury clearing bad loans and other dubious investments from their books. With all this and more going on, retailers are worrying that the black in the traditional post-Thanksgiving Black Friday start to the holiday shopping season will refer to more than just the mood of shoppers battling large crowds and overflowing parking lots. ...more

November 26, 2008

With Black Friday still a week away, the Shops at Wiregrass will kick off holiday shopping this weekend with its "Symphony in Lights" display. ...more

November 22, 2008

With Black Friday still a week away, the Shops at Wiregrass will kick off holiday shopping this weekend with its "Symphony in Lights" display. The program begins tonight and runs until Dec. 31. Designers have coordinated more than 250,000 LED Christmas lights with recorded holiday music performed by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. ...more

November 22, 2008

The holiday shopping purists among us don't even want to talk about the retail season ahead until the day after Thanksgiving. But with the economy looking bleaker by the day and stock indexes slumping from bad news on sales, all eyes are on holiday projections and that nebulous thing called "consumer confidence." ...more

November 17, 2008

Circuit City Stores filed for bankruptcy protection Monday, heading into the busy holiday season hoping the move will help the nation's second-biggest electronics retailer survive. ...more

November 11, 2008

Wall Street extended its devastating losses Friday, but prices swung sharply as investors scooped up some shares decimated by more than a week of intense and panicked selling. The Dow Jones industrials, down nearly 700 points in the opening minutes of trading, recovered to an advance of more than 100 before turning sharply lower again, and the other major indexes fluctuated widely as well. ...more

October 10, 2008

Time To Play(list) The weekend starts here: 1. "Friday On My Mind," ...more

October 10, 2008

Shopping the day after Christmas this year was no Black Friday, when throngs of bargain hunters lined up in pre-dawn hours. ...more

December 27, 2007