Consumer Goods
Private stores to start selling liquor on Friday
OLYMPIA -- Easy access to booze nearly all hours every day is what many Washington lawmakers wanted to avoid when Prohibition ended in 1933.
Date: 05/28/2012 | Local News
New look for Old Milltown
Edmonds businesses make the move to downtown center
Date: 05/28/2012 | Business
Consumer Reports rates sunscreens; drugstore brand a best buy
LOS ANGELES -- With the unofficial start of summer just days away, it's time to stock up on sunscreen. Does it matter which one you buy? Consumer Reports tested some popular brands, and found that it does, but the best choices are not necessarily the most expensive.
Date: 05/25/2012 | Business
Doctors report rise in kids eating detergent packs
DALLAS -- Miniature laundry detergent packets arrived on store shelves in recent months, touted as a solution to bulky bottles and messy spills. But doctors across the country say children are confusing the tiny, brightly colored packets with candy and swallowing them.
Date: 05/24/2012 | Nation & World
Inbox: digital groceries, pay for news, tag your bag
Miscellany from our inbox ...Electronic coupons at Safeway
Date: 05/24/2012 | Bizblog
U.S. economy perks up after early spring slump
WASHINGTON -- Maybe the U.S. economy's strength this winter wasn't just weather-related after all.Home construction is near a three-year high. And factory output has risen in three of the year's first four months.
Date: 05/16/2012 | Business
Americans spending a bit more as gas prices fall
WASHINGTON -- Americans are starting to see some relief from higher gas prices, a change that could revive the economy in the months ahead.
Date: 05/15/2012 | Business
Whole Foods to open store in Detroit
DETROIT -- Upscale retailer Whole Foods has broken ground at the site of its new market in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood.Mayor Dave Bing, Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Whole Foods Market Inc.'s co-chief executive Walter Robb took part in the ceremony.
Date: 05/15/2012 | Business
Best Buy founder steps down after CEO probe
Best Buy founder Richard Schulze is stepping down as chairman after an investigation found that he knew that the company's CEO was having a relationship with a female employee and failed to alert the audit committee. The company also said that despite the fact that its audit committee found that...
Date: 05/15/2012 | Business
West Coast spike in gas prices tied to refineries
Motorists across most of the country have been getting a break on gas prices, but not on the West Coast.The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in Oregon is $4.17. That's up 16 cents from last week.
Date: 05/14/2012 | Northwest
Closing of public market disappoints vendors
SNOHOMISH -- The Washington Public Market and Wine Cellars of Washington opened last November with great fanfare, attracting more than 5,000 people on the first weekend.It didn't last.The market announced this week that it was shutting down immediately.
Date: 05/12/2012 | Business
Market and cellars in Snohomish closed
The Washington Public Market and Wine Cellars of Washington in Snohomish are closing. Twenty-five wine vendors and more than 100 other market vendors have been told by owner Scott Swoboda via email to vacate the buildings at 1011 Second St.
Date: 05/10/2012 | Bizblog
Tulalip outlets owner is No. 1 real estate company
INDIANAPOLIS -- The nation's largest shopping mall operator, Simon Property Group Inc., is now also the world's largest real estate company.
Date: 05/08/2012 | Business
Caviar chips, fruity Oreos: They're big overseas
Russians prefer their Lay's potato chips dusted in caviar and crab flavors. The Chinese like their Oreos stuffed with mango and orange cream. And in Spain, Kellogg's All-Bran cereal is served floating in hot coffee instead of cold milk.
Date: 05/08/2012 | Business
Senate turns to fight over student loans
WASHINGTON -- The Senate is the newest arena in the election-year face-off over federal student loans, and both sides are starting out by pounding away at each other.
Date: 05/06/2012 | Nation & World
Nordstrom April revenue figure rises
SEATTLE -- Nordstrom said Thursday that its revenue in stores open at least one year rose more than expected as affluent shoppers continue to shop freely.
Date: 05/04/2012 | Business
April retail sales worst since 2009
NEW YORK -- Americans' spending -- much like the economy -- continues to yo-yo.Major retailers such as Costco and Macy's reported on Thursday that April revenue rose less that 1 percent in the worst performance since 2009 when the U.S. economy was just coming out of a bad recession.
Date: 05/04/2012 | Business
Economy in ‘virtuous,’ if slow, cycle, analysts say
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. economy's recovery looks enduring. It's just not very strong.
Date: 05/04/2012 | Business
Microsoft, Barnes & Noble team up on Nook
NEW YORK — An infusion of money from Microsoft Corp. sent Barnes & Noble Inc.'s stock zooming Monday, as the software giant established a way to get back into the e-books business.
Date: 04/30/2012 | Business
AOL launches online video network
AOL is launching an online video network that will gather its programming onto one platform, the latest bid by a major Internet destination to be a player in Web television.
Date: 04/25/2012 | Business
2 Everett liquor outlets to close this week
EVERETT -- Two state liquor stores here are among 14 statewide that will close Thursday because of dwindling staffing during a transition to privatization, which commences June 1.
Date: 04/24/2012 | Bizblog
Winning bids for 19 Snohomish County liquor stores
The Washington State Liquor Control Board on Monday announced the winning bidders for the rights to operate 167 state-run outlets, including 19 in Snohomish County. The auction, which raised $30.7...
Date: 04/23/2012 | Bizblog
State sells rights to liquor stores for $30.7 million
Kulbir Singh was in Seattle visiting friends in February when he heard the state might be privatizing the liquor sales it has tightly controlled since the end of Prohibition.
Date: 04/23/2012 | Business
State's fish diet spurs look at water quality
SPOKANE -- Washington residents eat more fish than the national average, yet the state's water quality standards are based on the assumption that people here eat one 7-ounce serving of fish per month, according to a toxicologist with the state Department of Health.
Date: 04/23/2012 | Local News
Liquor store bids are in
YAKIMA -- Washington state's voter-mandated exit from the booze business moved another step forward Friday with the conclusion of an online auction of its state-run liquor stores.
Date: 04/21/2012 | Business
Gas station mix-up leaves drivers with foul fuel
MARYSVILLE -- At least 37 people experienced car problems after filling up their vehicles Sunday at a Chevron station, according to a company spokesman.
Date: 04/20/2012 | Local News
Cabela's draws thousands
Tulalip location for outdoor outfitter opens (photo gallery)
Date: 04/19/2012 | Business
Stranger, Seattle Times capture Pulitzer Prizes
Writers for weekly alternative newspaper The Stranger and the Seattle Times have won Pulitzer Prizes, it was announced Monday.
Date: 04/17/2012 | Business
Judd & Black to open Mount Vernon store
After more than 70 years in business in Snohomish County, locally owned major appliance retailer Judd & Black has opened its first location in Skagit County, in south Mount Vernon. The new location on Cedardale Road is Judd & Black’s...
Date: 04/16/2012 | Bizblog
Inside the new Cabela's
Get a sneak peek at the Tulalip store in our photo gallery
Date: 04/16/2012 | Business
Stable wholesale prices suggest little inflation risk
WASHINGTON -- U.S. wholesale prices were flat in March after a drop in energy prices offset rising costs for food and pickup trucks. The figures suggest that modest growth isn't spurring inflation.
Date: 04/13/2012 | Business
Bainbridge Island bans plastic bags
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND -- Bainbridge Island has voted to ban plastic bags.The City Council voted unanimously Wednesday evening to approve the ordinance. The ban takes effect Nov. 1.
Date: 04/12/2012 | Northwest
A sharp eye for business
Some of the world's best knives come from Lynnwood's SOG
Date: 04/11/2012 | Business
Reality check for Google's augmented reality
You know that story we had last week about Google Glass, the augmented reality device that lets you see the world with subtitles? Well, not so...
Date: 04/11/2012 | Bizblog
Steady rise in gasoline price continues, weekly surveys show
The march to $5-a-gallon gas continues, with SeattleGasPrices.com reporting today:
Date: 04/02/2012 | Bizblog
N.Y. judge blocks sales of Jets-Tebow apparel
NEW YORK -- New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow has already been introduced to fans, but they'll have to wait until Tuesday to meet his official NFL jersey.
Date: 03/30/2012 | Business
Winemakers play a name game with regulators
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Pimpnho raspberry wine is not, perhaps, everyone's picture of good taste.Still, regulators gave the sassy beverage label out of Lodi, Calif., a go-ahead several years ago. Much tamer names, too, win approval, such as the green light that Wavelength got in January.
Date: 03/29/2012 | Business
Consumer outlook remains upbeat
NEW YORK -- Americans' rosy outlook about the U.S. economy remains resilient as they focus on the good in the barrage of conflicting economic news.
Date: 03/27/2012 | Business
Beef processor was unfairly 'slimed,' say some in industry
LOS ANGELES -- Beef Products Inc. told the Associated Press on Monday that it will shut down operations at three of the four plants where it makes the meat product that critics have taken to calling "pink slime." But some food industry experts say that the company's trip through the grinder is...
Date: 03/27/2012 | Business
Local gas prices seen rising earlier than usual
Perhaps you've already seen today's new numbers from AAA and this explanation of rising gas prices at the global level. Here's some further perspective from...
Date: 03/26/2012 | Bizblog
$5,300 night on town, all on dad's credit card
SALT LAKE CITY -- A man who racked up more than $5,300 in charges on his father's credit card told police he just "needed to escape" when he went out for a night on the town in a limousine.
Date: 03/23/2012 | Nation & World
Kroger, Stop & Shop join 'pink slime' exodus
NEW YORK -- Supermarket chains Kroger Co. and Stop & Shop said Thursday they will join the growing list of store chains that will no longer sell beef that includes an additive with the unappetizing moniker "pink slime."
Date: 03/22/2012 | Business
Court upholds initiative privatizing liquor sales
LONGVIEW -- A Cowlitz County judge on Monday ruled that a voter-approved initiative privatizing liquor sales in Washington is constitutional, reversing an earlier decision that had left the measure's fate in question.
Date: 03/19/2012 | Business
Starbucks opens first juice store, in Bellevue
BELLEVUE -- Now that Starbucks Corp, has covered the world -- or at least the United States -- with coffee shops, it is branching into Jamba Juice's territory.
Date: 03/19/2012 | Business
Higher gas prices threaten U.S. economy
WASHINGTON -- Inflation remains tame throughout the U.S. economy, with one big exception: gas prices.
Date: 03/18/2012 | Nation & World
Thai billionaire who created Red Bull dies
BANGKOK -- Chaleo Yoovidhya, the self-made Thai billionaire who introduced the world to "energy drinks" and co-founded the globally popular Red Bull brand, has died. He was in his 80s.
Date: 03/17/2012 | Nation & World
After default, Everett Mall looks to rework its loan
EVERETT -- The owners of the Everett Mall have defaulted on their $98 million mortgage but are working with their lender to restructure the loan, according to the company.
Date: 03/16/2012 | Business
Average price of gas in state hits $3.98
After a brief respite, the price of gasoline is climbing again.The national average price for a gallon of gasoline rose a nickel over the weekend and is now $3.80 per gallon. That more than wiped out the penny decline seen last Tuesday through Thursday.
Date: 03/12/2012 | Business
State begins auction of its liquor stores
YAKIMA, Wash. -- Washington state opened a public auction online Thursday of its state-run liquor stores, beginning the process of privatizing a booze industry the state has tightly controlled since the end of Prohibition.
Date: 03/08/2012 | Business
Consumer demand expected to propel hiring in U.S.
WASHINGTON -- U.S. companies will have to keep hiring steadily to meet their customers' rising demand.
Date: 03/08/2012 | Business
Stores thank veterans
Edmonds businesses are county's first in discount program
Date: 03/06/2012 | Business
Craft distillers in limbo after judge’s ruling
YAKIMA -- Washington's craft distillers are finding themselves in a state of limbo following a judge's ruling last week that could derail the voter-approved initiative that requires the state to get out of the liquor business.
Date: 03/05/2012 | Northwest
Whole Foods almost ready
Lynnwood store opening March 15 will be first in county
Date: 03/05/2012 | Business
Judge upholds most of liquor initiative
KELSO -- A Cowlitz County judge on Friday upheld most of a voter-approved initiative that requires the state to get out of the liquor business, but called for a trial to determine whether a provision for public safety funding caused voters to approve a measure they otherwise would have...
Date: 03/02/2012 | Northwest
Recovery slow but steady
WASHINGTON -- After years of bad news begetting more bad news, the American economy may finally be building momentum in the other direction.
Date: 03/01/2012 | Business
Consumer confidence rose in February
Americans are feeling better about the economy again, but will it last this time?
Date: 02/28/2012 | Business
Goods will get better display at Goodwill
EDMONDS -- Business is brisk at the new Edmonds Goodwill thrift store. The 16,700 square feet are packed with merchandise – jewelry, designer purses, artwork, unique golf clubs, gently used furniture, crystal goblets, a decorative animal horn.
Date: 02/27/2012 | Business
Sears shedding some stores, reports 4Q loss
NEW YORK -- Sears Holdings Corp. is looking toward its substantial real estate portfolio to offset its weak financial performance.The operator of Kmart, Sears and Land's End said Thursday it will spin off some stores and sell others as it seeks to regain profitability and market share.
Date: 02/24/2012 | Business
Backpack maker JanSport leaving Everett, laying off 41 employees
EVERETT -- At the end of March, JanSport will close its distribution center in Everett, ending the outdoor gear maker's 40 years in business here.
Date: 02/22/2012 | Business
Consumer prices up as gas, clothing costs rise
WASHINGTON -- Consumer prices rose modestly in January on higher costs for food, gas, rent and clothing.But economists downplayed the increase, saying inflation will likely ease in the coming months as prices for raw materials level off.
Date: 02/18/2012 | Business
U.S. wholesale prices rise slightly in January
WASHINGTON -- U.S. wholesale prices rose slightly in January spurred by higher costs of pharmaceutical drugs, but food and fuel prices fell.
Date: 02/17/2012 | Business
Apple stock breaks $500 level
NEW YORK -- Apple's stock broke above $500 for the first time Monday. It was the latest step in a rally that began more than two weeks ago, when the company reported staggering sales and profits for the holiday quarter.
Date: 02/14/2012 | Business
Everett-based clothing retailer Zumiez moving 70 e-commerce workers to Kansas
EVERETT -- Zumiez Inc. plans to move e-commerce operations from Everett to Kansas in May, the Everett-based clothing retailer announced Thursday.
Date: 02/10/2012 | Business
Brazilian bikinis getting bigger to fit the fat
RIO DE JANEIRO — Tall and tan and young and ... chunky?The Girl From Ipanema has put on a few pounds, and for many sunbathers on Brazil's beaches the country's iconic itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny bikini just doesn't suffice anymore.
Date: 01/28/2012 | Life
J.C. Penney permanently marking down all merchandise 40 percent
NEW YORK -- J.C. Penney is permanently marking down all of its merchandise by at least 40 percent so shoppers will no longer have to wait for a sale to get the lowest prices in its stores.
Date: 01/26/2012 | Business
Flatpack design helps IKEA thrive during world recession
ZAVENTEM, Belgium -- It takes Mikael Ohlsson five minutes -- and the help of one other person -- to assemble IKEA's Ektorp sofa.After 33 years at the Swedish home-ware chain, the 54-year-old chief executive is an expert at configuring IKEA's famous flat-pack furniture.
Date: 01/21/2012 | Business
Twinkies maker Hostess seeks bankruptcy protection
NEW YORK — Hostess Brands Inc., the maker of Twinkies and Wonder Bread, is seeking bankruptcy protection, blaming its pension and medical benefits obligations, increased competition and tough economic conditions.
Date: 01/11/2012 | Business
Consumer electronics show has poor track record of picking top gadgets
NEW YORK -- The largest trade show in the Americas must be a great place to show off new products, right? Wrong. The International Consumer Electronics Show is quickly becoming a launch pad for products that fall flat.
Date: 01/08/2012 | Business
Economy gets 'horsepower' from jobs report
WASHINGTON -- Four painful years after the Great Recession struck and wiped out 8.7 million jobs, the United States may finally be in an elusive pattern known as the virtuous cycle -- an escalating loop of robust job growth, healthier spending and higher demand.
Date: 01/07/2012 | Business
Best Buy reports soft sales for holiday
MINNEAPOLIS -- Best Buy Co. says that weaker than expected traffic until the week before Christmas and low demand in Canada and Europe put a crimp in its December sales.
Date: 01/07/2012 | Business
Everett-based Zumiez reports stronger holiday sales
EVERETT -- Zumiez Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ), the Everett-based retailer of sports apparel today announced that total net sales for the five-week period ended Dec. 31, increased 18.1 percent to $104.6 million, compared to $88.5 million for the five-week period ended Jan. 1, 2011.
Date: 01/05/2012 | Business
Use 'em or trade 'em
If you let gift cards sit unused, you're wasting money
Date: 01/01/2012 | Business
Retro trend boosts sales of classic LL Bean boots
BRUNSWICK, Maine -- A nearly century-old hunting boot is catching on with a younger generation that sees the utilitarian footwear as hip.
Date: 12/30/2011 | Business
Amazon says 2011 'best holiday ever' for Kindle
Online retailer Amazon says 2011 was the best holiday ever for its Kindle-brand e-readers and tablet computers.Seattle-based Amazon.com Inc. said Thursday that people bought more than 1 million Kindles each week in December.
Date: 12/30/2011 | Business
No local stores on Sears' closure list so far
No Kmart or Sears stores in Snohomish County were on a list for closure published Thursday by Sears Holdings Corp.However, the holding company for both Sears and Kmart hasn't finished compiling its list.
Date: 12/29/2011 | Business
Stores get double holiday boost from sales
NEW YORK -- The holiday shopping season turned out to be two seasons split by a big lull.
Date: 12/29/2011 | Business
Here are some tips for post-holiday shopping
Stores have plied shoppers with discounts during the holiday shopping season, but bargain hunters can get deeper markdowns immediately after Christmas as retailers make room for new merchandise.
Date: 12/27/2011 | Business
Online shopping surges on Christmas, IBM says
NEW YORK -- A growing number of shoppers apparently need only the briefest of breaks before diving back in, especially if they can log in to shop.
Date: 12/26/2011 | Business
Edmonds may lose bowling alley for Walgreens
EDMONDS -- Robin Hood Lanes, one of a handful of bowling alleys left in Snohomish County and an institution in Edmonds for more than 40 years, may see its days numbered.
Date: 12/26/2011 | Local News
Last-minute buyers top off strong shopping season
It's that time for caroling, eggnog, holiday cheer -- and for some, a frantic dash to the mall.Last-minute shoppers hit stores on Christmas Eve in a surge that retailers hope will top off a strong holiday shopping season.
Date: 12/24/2011 | Nation & World
Last-minute buyers top off strong shopping season
It's that time for caroling, eggnog, holiday cheer — and for some, a frantic dash to the mall.Last-minute shoppers hit stores on Christmas Eve in a surge that is expected to top off an unexpectedly strong holiday shopping season.
Date: 12/24/2011 | Business
Dollar stores aim for shoppers on tight budgets
LOS ANGELES -- After four years without a job and two years living in a Motel 6 in Inglewood, Calif., Jay Payne is Christmas shopping for the first time in a long while.
Date: 12/24/2011 | Business
Ugly Christmas sweaters are all the rage for parties
MILWAUKEE -- Oh, the sweater designs are frightful, but the parties are so delightful. So if you've got one to wear, let it show, let it show, let it show.
Date: 12/24/2011 | Nation & World
A few tips for the safe use of gift cards
My daughter participated in a Christmas gift exchange in her young adult usher ministry. Every teen but my daughter brought gift cards. She came with a movie to exchange. Her gift was not so popular.
Date: 12/22/2011 | Business
Holiday shoppers give retail sales another boost
NEW YORK -- Shoppers came out again to seriously shop last week, after taking breather from a record spending spree over the Thanksgiving weekend, according to one measure
Date: 12/21/2011 | Business
Firm boosts holiday shopping forecast
ShopperTrak, a Chicago-based research firm, is announcing it's upgrading its holiday sales forecast, a day after the nation's largest retail group boosted its outlook.
Date: 12/17/2011 | Business
Wal-Mart seeks permit to renovate building for new Lynnwood store
LYNNWOOD -- Wal-Mart filed its application with the city earlier this week to renovate an existing building for its newest store.It could take several weeks before the permit can be issued, Economic Development Director David Kleitsch said.
Date: 12/15/2011 | Local News
Consumer spending surges for holidays
NEW YORK -- Shoppers are again doing some holiday shopping after taking a break following their spree over the Thanksgiving weekend, according to data from research firm ShopperTrak.
Date: 12/15/2011 | Business
County prosecutor won’t pursue manslaughter charge against builder of boat in fatal sinking
LAKE STEVENS -- Prosecutors have declined to file charges against a King County man who police believe knowingly sold an unsafe boat that capsized on Lake Stevens two years ago, killing a woman.
Date: 12/14/2011 | Local News
Work on bridge begins
New span should reduce traffic jams near Lakewood Crossing
Date: 12/13/2011 | Local News
Lowe's stands by decision to pull ads
Lowe's is planning to stick by its decision to yank its ads from a reality TV show about American Muslims despite the growing opposition the home improvement chain is facing over the move.
Date: 12/13/2011 | Business
U.S. online holiday sales up 15 percent to $24.6 billion
NEW YORK — U.S. online sales in the holiday season to date are up 15 percent to $24.6 billion, according to comScore.
Date: 12/11/2011 | Business
Costco's profits and costs are up slightly
Costco Wholesale Corp. sacrificed on profitability for the sake of popularity in its fiscal first quarter.
Date: 12/09/2011 | Business
Buying a TV? Look for orange if you want to be greeen
OK, pop quiz: Which TVs on the market are more efficient -- Energy Star or Energy Forward TVs?I bet I know what you're thinking: Energy Forward? Huh?
Date: 12/07/2011 | Eco Geek
Grocery prices mostly down in our check
Despite climbing prices for several food items, Snohomish County grocers held the line on prices last week.Earlier in the year, most stores were charging more than $30 for the seven food items that make up the small market basket of food items that Herald shoppers check each month.
Date: 12/04/2011 | Business
Ocean Spray expands Craisins recall
LAKEVILLE, Mass. -- Ocean Spray on Friday expanded its ongoing recall of some of its Craisins dried cranberry products to include five more "Best By" code dates, because the packages could contain very small metal fragments.
Date: 12/03/2011 | Northwest
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