Farewell, KB Toys, Circuit City, Mervyn’s, and Linens ‘n Things.Each retailer, now defunct, offered good prices, but that’s not enough in a recession. Quality and brand strength cou

Editor’s Note: This is the latest in a series on luxury travel bargains. See Cheap Thrills for Travelers.Cheer up. Summer may be over, but your best times are still ahead of you.If summer was a

"Thank you and farewell," read the somber subject line in my email. The sender was Smith & Hawken, purveyor of pricey garden tools.I guess I lost  that game of chicken. I'd been wa

Bed Bath & Beyond the Competition Profiled in Barron’s this weekend, Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) is snapping up market share after a shakeup in the home-furnishings retail space. While a l

The recent retreat in the stock market was in no small part attributed to concerns that consumer spending will remain damp for the foreseeable future. At least, that's been the message from recent ea

In the years ahead, parent company Musicland floundered --  not just in the face of increased competition, but with the rise of the digital MP3 format. To stave off losses, it shuttered hundred

1. IMF Raises Forecast for U.S. EconomyFrom "green shoots" to "solid recovery" in less than 60 weeks. That's the word from the International Monetary Fund, which today revised hig

As far back as 2005, CompUSA customers were complaining of long delays in receiving their rebates. So when the company -- now controlled by Mexican uber-billionaire Carlos Slim -- shuttered the last

It's a tough time to own a mall. The credit spigot has been turned off: Americans are cutting credit cards, shunning debt and generally spending less. Retail vacancies are at highs not seen in decade

The country's largest pension fund keeps pouring money into losing bets. According to Bloomberg, the California Public Employees' Retirement System, or Calpers, dumped $1.7 billion dollars