By PAUL GRIMALDI, The Providence Journal

Shoppers have shown up in stores in large numbers in the last couple of weeks, and browsed retailers online when not searching for a mall parking spot, according to consumer research firms.

Americans seem most willing to part with money when they spot deeply discounted electronics.

People who have taken advantage of "no interest" or "same as cash" deals to buy big-ticket items such as HDTVs, living-room furniture and appliances may have a harder time finding those deals next year when new federal rules go into effect.

Shoppers were thinking earlier this year about "green" gifts for the holidays, and retailers reacted by stocking their shelves with environmentally friendly products and creating marketing campaigns to bring in eco-friendly buyers.
Then the economy darkened.

Tech-savvy consumers hunting for Christmas gifts this year are expected to spend more money online than in stores, according to a quarterly report released by a New York-based public-interest group

Toy maker Hasbro Inc. will try to help children learn how to mind their manners with a new line of games.Marketing managers at the Pawtucket, R.I.-based company expect the games will get a good reception from the parents of young children.

BRISTOL, R.I. -- The coffee chain once considered emblematic of New England is spreading across the nation these days, reaching into every corner of the country for people who share its "blue-collar" soul, according to its chairman.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The largest retailer in human history shapes the American landscape and experience nearly every minute of every day in some way, through its draw on shoppers, its demands on suppliers, the pressure it exerts on competitors and its push across the country's landscape.