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The average shopper spent $423.55 on Black Friday. That’s a lot of money!  And today online retailers are expected to haul in $1.5 billion. 

The average shopper spent $423.55 on Black Friday. That’s a lot of money! 

And today online retailers are expected to haul in $1.5 billion. 

Don’t have any money to shop for clothes? Don’t worry, new members-only website Bib + Tuck will let you barter and trade for fashion! 

Gray Thursday is the new Black Friday. Millions of Americans gobbled up their turkey and snarfed down their stuffing in record time so they could get a head start on their holiday gift-buying.  Even for die-hard shoppers, trekking to the mall on Thanksgiving was a first-time experience. Store openings for Black Friday, the day that businesses often turn a profit for the year, have crept earlier and earlier. But never have retailers had the nerve to compete with watching football on TV and putting up Christmas lights — until yesterday. The biggies that led the charge — Walmart, Toys R Us and Sears — threw open their doors at 8 p.m. to huge crowds. Target followed suit a hour later. A few Kmart outlets, though, had a leg up on everybody, turning on the lights at 6 a.m. yesterday to sell LCD televisions for $97 each and $49 Android tablets.

Gray Thursday is the new Black Friday.

Millions of Americans gobbled up their turkey and snarfed down their stuffing in record time so they could get a head start on their holiday gift-buying. 

Even for die-hard shoppers, trekking to the mall on Thanksgiving was a first-time experience. Store openings for Black Friday, the day that businesses often turn a profit for the year, have crept earlier and earlier. But never have retailers had the nerve to compete with watching football on TV and putting up Christmas lights — until yesterday.

The biggies that led the charge — Walmart, Toys R Us and Sears — threw open their doors at 8 p.m. to huge crowds. Target followed suit a hour later. A few Kmart outlets, though, had a leg up on everybody, turning on the lights at 6 a.m. yesterday to sell LCD televisions for $97 each and $49 Android tablets.

Olivia Palermo styled an outfit for us!

Former Apple exec and “rock star of retail” Ron Johnson is giving JC Penney a massive makeover. But can he beat the decline of the American mall? Since the Feb. 1 launch of his drastic company makeover, cozy Rockwellian images have replaced the live-action catalog style of Penney’s ads. Penney’s TV spots now portray funny-looking folks with imperfect teeth reveling at backyard barbecues, auctions and other all-American gathering places. He’s trying to give wholesome families a new gathering spot: the department store.

Former Apple exec and “rock star of retail” Ron Johnson is giving JC Penney a massive makeover. But can he beat the decline of the American mall?

Since the Feb. 1 launch of his drastic company makeover, cozy Rockwellian images have replaced the live-action catalog style of Penney’s ads. Penney’s TV spots now portray funny-looking folks with imperfect teeth reveling at backyard barbecues, auctions and other all-American gathering places. He’s trying to give wholesome families a new gathering spot: the department store.

Stores that begin with “B” — Barneys New York and Bergdorf Goodman — are the last bastion of free gift wrap. The department stores that no longer offer free gift wrapping include Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor and J.C. Penney. Macy’s finished shutting down the majority of its ribbon-ing and papering operations last year as a way to cut costs. “Unfortunately, customer demand for gift wrapping has diminished in recent years, which is why Macy’s began phasing out gift wrap departments,” said Macy’s spokeswoman Alison Kmiotek.

Stores that begin with “B” — Barneys New York and Bergdorf Goodman — are the last bastion of free gift wrap.

The department stores that no longer offer free gift wrapping include Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor and J.C. Penney. Macy’s finished shutting down the majority of its ribbon-ing and papering operations last year as a way to cut costs.

“Unfortunately, customer demand for gift wrapping has diminished in recent years, which is why Macy’s began phasing out gift wrap departments,” said Macy’s spokeswoman Alison Kmiotek.

Happy Cyber Monday! »

It’s heeeeere. The day when all ye masochistic shoppers who didn’t get enough eye-popping deals on Friday log on to their computers and cross more items off their holiday gift lists. Here are our favorite online sales of the day.

Our Travel section guides you through the 10 trendiest places in the world to shop, from the Excelsior in Milan to Louis Vuitton’s Island Maison in Singapore. 

She’s the queen of mean on the red carpet, but on QVC, Joan Rivers is the queen of green. After nearly two decades, she’s still selling strong, making more than 50 appearances a year on the 24-hour network.