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WEATHER ALERT

BLACK FRIDAY

Retail sales fell 1.1% in November, biggest drop in 7 months

U.S. retail sales fell a seasonally adjusted 1.1% in November, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. The Commerce Department on Wednesday also revised October’s report, saying that retail sales fell 0.1% that month, instead of rising 0.3% as it previously reported. Economists expect retail sales to fall again this month as virus cases spike and states add more restrictions. “It will take a miracle to keep retail sales positive in December," said Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at global financial group MUFG. The few bright spots were online sales, which rose 0.2%, supermarket sales, up 1.9%, and sales at home improvement stores, which were up 1.1%.

Shopping for toys for your kids? Beware these hidden dangers

According to Safe Kids Worldwide, 174,000 children under the age of 15 were treated in emergency rooms for toy-related injuries in 2016 alone. She also had this advice: “Beware of third-party or independent sellers, which may not conform to CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) standards.”Some toys and regular household items also carry a hidden risk. According to Safe Kids, more than 2,800 children are treated in ERs every year after swallowing small batteries known as button batteries. “But with adult items such as key fobs, even music cards, they have button batteries in them as well. There are very common items we can see that have all these button batteries.

Black Friday sees record online as US shoppers stay home

Black Friday online sales hit a new record this year as pandemic-wary Americans filled virtual carts instead of real ones. Consumers spent an estimated $9 billion on U.S. retail websites on Black Friday, according to Adobe Analytics, which tracks online shopping. Field said stores may be rethinking the cost of paying employees and opening on Thanksgiving when they could easily make up for those sales online. Adobe expects Monday to be the largest online sales day in U.S. history, with estimated spending of $10.8 billion to $12.7 billion. One reason for the big numbers is that people are shopping online for things such as groceries and alcohol that they bought in person before the pandemic, Adobe said.

Want to support small businesses? Shop locally for the holidays

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Given the number of businesses owners who have been forced to close this year because of the pandemic, there’s a big push to shop locally this year to support the small businesses that have been able to stay open. And now that the country is seeing a surge in coronavirus cases, small retailers have no idea what to expect this holiday shopping season. “We keep everything clean.”But supporting small business is about more than just minimizing the spread of COVID-19. “It’s giving back to local children and it’s definitely full circle.”Khanna told News4Jax that supporting small businesses this holiday season greatly impacts the local economy. So to me, shopping small business is everything.

4 easy ways to increase cybersecurity during holiday shopping

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – With even more Black Friday sales online this year, cybersecurity experts say scammers are also more prepared than ever to log in and take your hard-earned money. Here are some easy things to do to help you shop safely. More and more people are having their personal information stolen this way, according to Tech TimesUse your credit card instead of your debit card to shop online. When it comes to getting duped over a really good deal, experts say there’s one rule of thumb that never fails to save you money. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Jacksonville shoppers flock to stores seeking Black Friday savings

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Shoppers in Jacksonville didn’t let the COVID-19 pandemic keep them from scoring a good deal on Black Friday. In addition to traditional tips, like wear running shoes, masks will be must-wear items at virtually every store. Health experts remind you, the mask is not just to protect yourself, but to protect those working the holiday weekend. Shoppers said the lines were long because stores aren’t letting everyone inside together. Saturday, known as Small Business Saturday, is another shopping holiday aimed at showing support for local and small businesses.

Police called to Jacksonville GameStop for line cutter

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was called twice to a GameStop at River City Marketplace over a man who disrupted the line outside the store. According to the first two-people standing in line who had front-row seats to the incident, a man joined the line around 10 a.m. Thursday. The next time the man showed up, his family came with him. Donnell Malpress said he brought his son to get him the new Xbox Series X. The three gaming consoles most popular with consumers this year include the Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, and the Nintendo Switch.

The Latest: Illinois surpasses 12,000 deaths from COVID-19

(AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois has risen above 12,000 deaths from COVID-19, while also surpassing the 700,000 mark for confirmed coronavirus infections. The Health Department said the situation constituted an “alert,” and said that nationwide, infections had risen by over 8% last week. Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech have asked the FDA to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The state health department reported 5,704 new cases on Friday, putting the state at 3,476 deaths and 295,001 cases since March. ___TORONTO — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he expects more than half of Canadians to receive a COVID-19 vaccine by next September.

Virus keeps Black Friday crowds thin, shoppers shift online

Black Friday shoppers wear face masks as the leave Saks Fifth Avenue flagships store empty handed, Friday, Nov. 27, 2020, in New York. Crowds at stores were dramatically diminished as shoppers shifted online. Black Friday is projected to generate $10 billion in online sales, a 39% bump from the year ago period, according to Adobe. And Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving, will remain the biggest online shopping day of the year with $12.7 billion in sales, a 35% jump. At a popular shopping area in St. Petersburg, Florida, several storefronts were empty, and the only line was at a plasma donation center.

149 cats, dogs adopted during Black Friday weekend

Published: November 26, 2020, 10:40 am Updated: November 30, 2020, 11:14 amJACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Great update: 149 animals have new homes after the Jacksonville Humane Society (JHS) and Animal Care and Protective Services (ACPS) hosted a Black Friday event offering free adoptions. JHS told News4Jax that 92 cats and 57 dogs were adopted from Nov. 27 through Nov. 29. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Those interested in viewing JHS’ adoptable pets can visit www.jaxhumane.org. Visitors to can also help the pets in our community by bringing a bag of dog or cat food as a donation. For more information, visit www.

France postpones 'Black Friday' to help locked-down shops

The approach of “Black Friday," originally scheduled for Nov. 27 in France, had brought the dilemma to a head. The director of Amazon France, Frederic Duval, told France Info radio on Friday before the meeting that the e-commerce distributor was ready to sign up to a delay. The delay applies only to Amazon France, he added. “If we can’t open our shops for Christmas it will be very difficult for the sector,” she said. “There are already a lot of flower shops that suffer greatly so, today, we need help and coherence.”

Doing holiday shopping online? These are your shipping deadlines

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s being called shipmageddon: retailers and shipping companies are getting bombarded with online orders. So if you’re hoping your packages will arrive on or before Christmas Day, these companies are saying you’ll want to get an early start on any holiday shopping you’re planning to do. So major retailers such as Best Buy, Target and Walmart are rolling out holiday deals early. RELATED: Experts recommend doing your holiday shopping early this yearBut it’s worth mentioning that they’re all warning there is no guarantee your shipment will arrive on time. So, a word of advice: if you’ve got holiday shopping to do, it’s probably best to start now.

Walmart to spread out deals to avoid Black Friday crowds

NEW YORK – Walmart says it will spread out its traditional one-day Black Friday deals over three weekends in November in an effort to reduce crowds in its stores during a pandemic. The discounter, based in Bentonville, Arkansas, will kick off the deals online Nov. 4, with new deals in stores on Nov. 7. The second event will begin online Nov. 11, followed by a similar sales event in stores Nov. 14. It will wrap up its discounts online Nov. 25 with new discounts in stores Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving and the traditional Black Friday. This holiday season, many stores are starting their holiday deals in October.

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.

Target joins Walmart in ending Thanksgiving store shopping

NEW YORK Target is joining Walmart in closing its stores on Thanksgiving Day, ending a decadelong tradition of jump-starting Black Friday door buster sales. Now, the virus has turned the holiday shopping model upside down. Historically, deal hunting and holiday shopping can mean crowded events, and this isnt a year for crowds, Minneapolis-based Target said in a corporate blog posted. Despite competition from Thanksgiving shopping, Black Friday ranks as either the top or No. Like Target, other retailers will also likely start holiday sales even earlier to stretch out crowds.

Coronavirus might mean less Corona beer on Cinco de Mayo

But we’re referring to Corona beer and Cinco de Mayo. Typically, the dominant choice of beer for those celebrating Cinco de Mayo is Corona. But Corona likely will be consumed way less than usual due to the coronavirus pandemic, that is unrelated in name. In February, a report in the Denver Post said Corona was taking a public relations hit due to people fearing they would get coronavirus by drinking Corona. Cinco de Mayo has surpassed St. Patrick’s Day and the Super Bowl for beer consumption on one day, with Corona virtually holding a monopoly on advertising and sales for beer on Cinco de Mayo, according to Loop Insights.

Black Friday shopping picks up after slow start at St. Johns Town Center

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Black Friday is easily the biggest shopping day of the year, but you might not have guessed that if you woke up early to take advantage of so-called door-buster deals at the St. Johns Town Center. The outdoor shopping mall on Jacksonville’s Southside typically is the busiest destination for shoppers, no matter what time of year. On Black Friday alone, the industry trade group anticipated 114.6 million people would be shopping nationwide. For people who can’t resist heading to the store, there’s an amenity at the Town Center you might not know about. “You can just call the shuttle and they’ll come pick you up, or hail them like a cab,” said Ashlee Schneider, marketing and business development director for St. Johns Town Center parent company Simon Property group.

Target hiring 130,000 temp workers for holidays

Target said Tuesday that it would hire more than 130,000 temporary workers for its stores and distribution centers. UPS also announced plans Monday to hire around 100,000 holiday workers, roughly the same number as last year. And Amazon said it would announce its holiday hiring plans in the coming weeks. Target will pay $13 an hour to seasonal workers for the first time and offer them discounts at stores. The escalating trade war and the growing possibility of a recession have not changed retailers' hiring plans.

Walmart removes 1,000 3rd-party items from website after shootings

- Walmart has removed about 1,000 third-party items from its website in the wake of two mass shootings after determining the products violate company policy, a company spokesperson told CNN. A recent review focused on gun-related items after 31 people were killed in mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, earlier this month. Last week, Walmart pulled displays of violent video games in its stores. At least 31 people were killed in separate shootings earlier this month in an El Paso Walmart and outside a strip of entertainment venues in Dayton. The 21-year-old suspect in the El Paso shooting surrendered to police on the day of the attack.