By all accounts, for any shoppers interested in buying during these tough times, do retailers have a deal for them! Apparently consumers spent 20% less on women's clothing, electronics and jewelry this month and last month versus the same period last year, so retailers slashed prices (holiday sales can make up 30-50% of their bottom lines). Retail industry analysts said the many deals will be found in "bundled" deals—like "Buy a laptop, get a free printer, ink cartridges — and paper." However, there was a bright spot for one retailer: Amazon.com said it had its best holiday season ever. The Wall Street Journal reports that on Amazon's biggest day, December 15, "it received more than 6.3 million orders, at a record pace of 72.9 items per second." The online retailer's big sellers between Nov. 15 and Dec. 19 include the Wii, Eyeclops night-vision goggles, a 52" Samsung plasma TV, Apple's 8GB iPod Touch, and the Acer 8.9" netbook. more ›

Holidays sales data has been grim, as the International Council of Shopping Centers expects "sales at established stores" to fall 1.5-2% this November and December ("the weakest holiday season since at least 1969" according to the AP) and, per credit card data, retail sales are down 5.5-8% versus last year. CNBC reports, "It took massive discounts, longer store hours and promotional giveaways to even get shoppers to the mall this season. Still that last minute rush could not save stores from double-digit sales declines across virtually every category." And while online sales did well, with consumers looking for bargains, they were still down 2.3%. more ›