Mindful Shopping
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Concerns about shopping safety during holiday season

Kristen S. Sykes

Multiple stores have been hit, prompting law enforcement to step up patrols and warn shoppers to be on the look out.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif — Black Friday officially kicks off the holiday shopping season, but now concerns about safety and security are being raised. There have been a series of burglaries at high-end stores across California in the last few days.

No one, including retailers, expect to be robbed especially while people are shopping. But in the past week multiple stores have been hit, prompting law enforcement to step up patrols and warn shoppers to be on the lookout.

Just east of San Francisco, three people were arrested after about 80 people stormed a Nordstrom store in Walnut Creek last weekend. In Hayward, a group of burglars also smashed jewelry cases at Sam’s, grabbing items and running out the door.

On Wednesday, police say at least 18 people broke

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Mindful Shopping
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Holiday Shopping Scams: Do Not Fall for These 4 Info, Money-Stealing Attacks

Kristen S. Sykes

As cyber sales move closer, holiday shopping scams also increase. For this reason, consumers must be mindful of several holiday scams–including the free gift cards we often see online. 

2021 Holiday Shopping

For background information, Adobe has unveiled its online shopping forecast for the 2021 Holiday season. They evaluate direct consumer transactions online to give a complete perspective of e-commerce in the United States and throughout the world through their Adobe Digital Economy Index.

Adobe predicts that online holiday sales in the United States will reach $207 billion from November 1 to December 31, setting a new high record. The said new record is a 10 percent increase from 2020, which is a big leap following a year in which the pandemic rendered e-commerce a necessary service.

Cyber Week, which runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, is estimated to generate $36 billion in online sales, accounting for 17 percent of

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Mindful Shopping
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Holiday shopping season shifts into high gear, but discounts may be harder to find

Kristen S. Sykes

The holiday shopping season shifts into high gear this week, but Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday sales aren’t likely to have quite the sizzle as in years past.

Many shoppers started earlier this year, mindful of possible inventory shortages stemming from supply chain issues. And with retailer costs rising along with inflation generally, industry analysts have been predicting fewer blockbuster deals centered specifically on Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, the coming weekend or Cyber Monday.

“There will be some (deep discounts), but they might not be as enticing as in the past,” said Sabrina Helm, an associate professor of retailing and consumer sciences at the University of Arizona. “For certain products, supplies aren’t available, so there will be fewer promotions.”

Many people have gotten the message: Nearly two in five shoppers said they planned to start earlier this season, according to a survey of 4,000 consumers by consultant and professional-services company

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Online Shopping
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Virginia Tech cybersecurity expert on how to avoid online shopping scams this holiday season

Kristen S. Sykes

The holiday shopping season is now well underway, and watchdogs want to help people avoid, detect and report online shopping scams.

The holiday shopping season is now well underway, and watchdogs want to help people avoid, detect and report online shopping scams.

“Reports about online shopping issues aren’t new for the Federal Trade Commission, but the supply chain issues related to the pandemic have made matters much, much worse,” Christina Miranda with the Division of Consumer Business Education at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said.

“If you’re spending some of your hard earned money online, just make sure you know where it’s going,” she said.

Beware of fake websites. They can show up in your search results, or be in phishing emails that look like they came from companies you trust, but actually take you to a fake site or a site that’s just there to rip you off.

“The

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