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BEST BUY

Refrigerator recall: GE models from Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowe’s

General Electric (GE) Appliances is recalling six models of refrigerators sold nationwide at retailers such as Best Buy, Home Depot and Lowe’s because they had been causing injuries. The handles on these free-standing refrigerators’ doors had been detaching, posing a fall risk to anyone trying to pull open the freezer doors. These caused 37 injuries, three of them serious falls, according to a notice published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). About 155,000 of the stainless steel refrigerators with bottom freezers are on the recall list with models selling between $1,900 and $2,500 from Feb. 2020 to Jan. 2022. ET Monday through Friday, or through their website here to replace the freezer’s faulty handle mounting fasteners.

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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%.

Amazon Prime day marks the new start of the holiday shopping season

Amazon kicked off two days of Prime Day deals and a slew of retailers are following suit with major discounts. READ: Amazon Prime Day starts today: Here are some of the best discountsThe days of waiting until Black Friday are over. Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Kohl’s and other retailers have said they will remain closed on Thanksgiving due to the pandemic and the growth of online shopping. Amazon Prime day started Tuesday morning and continues into Wednesday. There are stores offering big online deals to compete including Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Kohls and Hom Depot.

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.

What will Black Friday look like amid the pandemic?

DETROIT – The 2020 holiday shopping season will be very different due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sept. 11, 2020: Michigan coronavirus (COVID-19) cases up to 110,832; Death toll now at 6,578Black Friday is so last year. Home Depot is one of many retailers that are passing on Black Friday deals. Amazon will start offering deals Oct. 26. Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Target, Kohl’s and other retailers have said they will remain closed on Thanksgiving due to the pandemic and the growth of online shopping.

Best Buy will be closed on Thanksgiving Day amid coronavirus pandemic

Best Buy announced Tuesday that all of its stores will be closed on Thanksgiving Day this year amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Best Buys announcement comes just after both Walmart and Target announced that they will be closed on Thanksgiving Day this year due to the pandemic. Many American stores offer a jump-start on Black Friday shopping by opening a day early to customers on Thanksgiving Day. As the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic worsens throughout much of the U.S., stores are beginning to rethink their Black Friday plans -- which often include large crowds and chaos. Related: Walmart, Sams Club to require masks in stores amid COVID-19 pandemic

Walmart latest retailer to require customers to wear masks

Last week, Starbucks announced that customers who visit its company-owned café locations in the U.S. will be required to wear face coverings. Costco Wholesale Club was one of the first major retailers to require face coverings for customers at all of its stores. “I think Walmart's decision will give cover to other retailers to require masks," said Michael J. Hicks, an economist at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Social media is full of videos capturing clashes between those who are asked to wear masks, and employees who are under orders to make sure people wear them. About half of U.S. states require masks in public places, according to the RILA.

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.

Thanksgiving 2019: List of stores open, closed for early Black Friday shopping

Its the ever controversial time of the year to debate if stores should open on Thanksgiving evening for early holiday shopping! The trend really picked up a few years ago, but there has been a noticeable push back by consumers, and some stores have backtracked on plans to open on the evening of Thanksgiving. Nonetheless, many stores will open on Thanksgiving this year. Heres a look at whos open and whos closed. Stores opening on ThanksgivingBest Buy (opens at 5 p.m.)Bed Bath and Beyond (first time opened on Thanksgiving)Big Lots!

Millennial Money: Secrets of a Black Friday Shopper

Some people cringe at the thought of shopping on Thanksgiving or Black Friday, but I revel in it. You can snag savings throughout November, but despite early deals, retailers like Walmart, Target and Best Buy reserve some of their best bargains for Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday. Retailers like Amazon, Best Buy and Kohl's have done this in the past. Years prior, I stood in a two-hour line at Best Buy to purchase a single TV. Select the best deals and stick to those items.

Man wanted in connection with shoplifting case at Bloomfield Township Best Buy store

The man was accompanied by a black female child, about 6 years old, with braids and white beads in her hair. (WDIV)BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Police are searching for a man wanted in connection with a case of shoplifting that happened recently at the Best Buy located at 2169 Telegraph Road in Bloomfield Township. On Friday, Bloomfield Township police responded to the Best Buy store on a retail fraud complaint. The man was caught on video surveillance entering a restroom with store merchandise. Evidence was found in the restroom that led officers to believe the man removed two Nintendo Switch 2 games.

Police say 3 people stole $1,200 worth of smart thermostats in Utica

UTICA, Mich. - Police are hoping to identify three people accused of stealing $1,200 worth of smart thermostats in Utica. Detectives said the thermostats were stolen from a Best Buy store. Police released a photo of the woman and two men suspected of being involved. Anyone who recognizes the people in the photo above or has information about the incident is asked to call Utica police at 586-731-2345. Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

Here's what stores and restaurants are open, closed on 4th of July

Here's a list of stores and restaurants that are open or closed on this 4th of July holiday. Stores open: Aldi, Bed Bath and Beyond, Best Buy, Big Lots, CV, Home Depot, Kmart, Kohl's, Lowe's, Meijer, Menards, Michaels, Nordstrom and Rack, PetSmart, Sam's Club, Target, Walgreens, Walmart, Whole FoodsStores closed: CostcoRestaurants open: Applebees, Benihana, Bonefish Grill, Boston Market, Buca di Beppo, Buffalo Wild Wings, Burger King, California Pizza Kitchen, Chipotle, IHOP, Olive Garden, Panera BreadCelebrate Independence Day with The Salvation ArmySave big at The Salvation Army thrift stores during the annual Fourth of July Sale. Visit any of the 35 southeast Michigan locations to enjoy 50 percent off men's, women's and children's clothing on Thursday, July 4. All stores will have extended hours from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. for the one day sale. Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.