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Hi, blog readers. I will be away from the Storefront some this week.

Until I'm back with daily updates, here's the latest on the holiday retail front.

As you've probably noticed, the holiday promotions are out in full force now that Halloween is over.

One of the ways that online retailers entice holiday spenders each year is with free shipping. And Target recently said that it is offering free shipping two weeks earlier than it did last year. According to this Target news release, shipping is free on orders of $50 or more through the Christmas holiday.

Also, Target claims that additional items are eligible for free shipping this year. This promotion began on Sunday.

Along with Target's deals, look for special discounts each Saturday at Sears until Christmas, according to this story. These deals are marketed as Black Friday door buster sales. But Black Friday, which is the day after Thanksgiving, still is weeks away.  It marks the official start of the holiday shopping season.

Every year, there are Web sites that post some of the Black Friday sales early as a sneak peak for those of you who will brave the early morning shopping crowds that day. Here are two of those sites:

http://bfads.net

www.theblackfriday.com

Layaway no longer is a service of the past. This holiday season, Toys R Us is bringing back this gift-payment option that allows consumers to pay for purchases gradually in a specific period of time. Many consumers have begun using layaway to avoid paying with a credit card.

Sears and Kmart stores already have layaway, but this year, they are offering the service online.

Here are the particulars of Toys R Us' layaway. It requires that you pay 20 percent of the total purchase price upfront and a $10 service charge.

With the rise of layaway this year, below are some tips from Shop Smart magazine about how to get the most out of this payment option:

1. Sign up to have payments automatically taken out of your account. It will help you to keep up with the payments.

2. Think before you buy to be sure that you can afford to pay off the item and set a realistic budget.

3. Bundle items, especially at stores that require a flat layaway fee.

I'm looking for people who are using layaway or plan to use layaway for Christmas purchases this season. If you'd like to talk about it, e-mail me at jenny.boone@roanoke.com.

Yesterday, I listened to a conference call with the National Retail Federation and BIG Research. It was a discussion of some of the spending trends that we're likely to see or take on ourselves this holiday season.

The NRF reported yesterday that the average consumer will spend $682.74 on holiday purchases this year, which is down from $705.01 in 2008.

For a run-down of the NRF's projected top 10 trends for the holidays, click here to read the organization's blog.

Some of the trends that I think are most interesting from this list are that greeting card spending is expected to be steady this year, alongside purchases of candy and food (including restaurant gift cards and gift certificates).

Also, 11 percent of people say they will buy Christmas gifts at thrift stores or resale shops. This is a new and obviously important category in the consumer survey this year, according to the NRF.

This year's holiday season may not be as bad as last year's.

The National Retail Federation reported today that it projects retail sales to decline by 1 percent to $437.6 billion. That's not as large of a decline as 2008, when holiday retail sales dropped 3.4 percent. But it's still below a 10-year average of 3.39 percent holiday sales growth.

During a conference call today, the NRF said that this latest forecast is a signal that the economy is beginning a slow recovery.

Still, expect retailers to have aggressive promotions this holiday season and to push low ticket items, such as Wal-Mart's recent promotion of 100 toys for $10, said Ellen Davis, an NRF spokeswoman.

Also, consumers will be shopping for the basics.

"This will be the holiday season of the blue jean, instead of the blue ray," Davis said, during the conference call.

Sears continues to push the holiday shopping season to the forefront, even though it's still August. The retailer has announced a new Christmas Club card that's modeled after Christmas Club accounts that some banks still offer. This card, which can be used at both Sears and Kmart stores, allows consumers to add value to it as a way of saving for holiday gift purchases.

I've already seen these cards hanging from kiosks inside Sears' store at Valley View Mall in Roanoke.

These red cards can be activated (with a minimum balance of $5) through Nov. 14. If you activate a card by Oct. 31, you receive a 3 percent reward on the total value.

And don't worry if you don't spend the entire card by Christmas. It doesn't expire.

Click here for more details.

Sears and Kmart aren't the only retailers pushing the Christmas shopping season this summer.

Toys R Us is joining the lineup. The toy retailer is planning holiday activities for children and apparently, will begin discounting certain toys next week.

Check out this Washington Post story for the details.

The day after Christmas starts the annual surge on returns for those holiday gifts that are the wrong size, the wrong color or just plain unsuitable. We all have stories about our worst Christmas gifts.

There's good news for those of you who find yourself in one of the long gift return lines today or this weekend. Retailers are adjusting their polices this year to make it easier on you to return an undesirable Christmas gift.

A survey by the National Retail Federation found that 52 percent of retailers planned to offer more lenient return polices during this year's holiday. In past years, return policies have tightened so this is a definite change from other Christmas seasons.

"As retailers grapple with a struggling economy, providing great customer service remains a top priority," said NRF president and chief executive officer, Tracy Mullin, in a news release. "Retailers will make sure they have extra staff available to assist with holiday returns this year."

Still, I wonder if having "extra staff" will mean that lines will be shorter or just as long as in year's past!

Also, are you one of those gift givers who includes a gift receipt with your presents? Nearly 60 percent of consumers surveyed by the NRF said they include a gift receipt some of the time. I've been trying to include gift receipts more often, particularly if I am giving clothing.

Also, remember, to resist the urge to open a gift until you've decided whether to return it. Providing the original packaging gives you a better chance that a retailer will take your gift back, according to the NRF.

Good luck out there! And if you're brave, tell me about the worst Christmas gift that you ever have received and whether or not you were able to exchange it.

I've donated some unexchangable gifts at thrift stores in the past, though this year, I may try to get cash back at stores that will buy unwanted clothing and accessories.

Merry Christmas! I hope your day is full of joy and merriment.

In the midst of much of the depressing retail news this holiday season, here's a good news story. With the rise of people making homemade gifts this year to save money, craft retailers, such as Michaels Stores and Jo-Ann Stores, are reporting sales increases, according to this New York Times story.

It seems that do-it-yourself Christmas gifting is a trend this year. Did you receive any homemade gifts today or this holiday season?

If you’re still hunting for Christmas gifts, you’re officially a very last minute holiday shopper!

Many malls have shorter hours today and other retailers will close their doors earlier than usual. Be aware of the following opening hours if you’re headed to one of these regional shopping centers.

Valley View Mall (Roanoke): 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tanglewood Mall (Roanoke County): 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
New River Valley Mall (Christiansburg): 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
River Ridge Mall (Lynchburg): 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Also, if you're in the mood for bargaining, Christmas Eve likely is your best time to get a great deal, since it's crunch time for retailers to move items off shelves. Check out this interesting story about how more shoppers are haggling for lower prices on holiday gifts this year.

If you have tried to negotiate for a deal this season, let me know how it worked out for you.

It's four days until Christmas, and retailers are hoping that you haven't finished your shopping and spending. Some national chains that do not typically pull 24-hour days are keeping their doors open at all hours through Christmas Eve.

They include Macy's and Toys R Us, according to this Wall Street Journal story.

Sorry night owls. The Roanoke locations for these chains aren't included in the all day and night shopping sprees.

Macy's has opened 13 stores in New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Northern Virginia and Detroit for 24 hours until Dec. 24, when they all will close at 6 p.m.  Some began these all day shopping sprees on Dec. 19, for a total of 132 straight hours through Christmas Eve.

The department store chain opened its first 24-hour store during the holiday season in 2006. Last year, Macy's added more 24-hour stores.

This year, Macy's at Tyson's Corner in McLean joined the all day and night party.