If you are an urban woman of a certain age, chances are you’ve spent at least one afternoon in line at a sample sale. They are the end-of-season fashionista free-for-alls where designers try to clear their inventories with deep discounts. Sample sales are the way you get a Marc Jacobs handbag cheap, or perhaps a pair of Sergio Rossi pumps.
One in three toys tested was found to contain toxic chemicals such as lead, flame retardants and arsenic, according to a report issued Wednesday by an environmental group.
When stores report their November sales Thursday, analysts expect the scorecard will look pretty bleak once again.
Oil prices fell to another 3-1/2 year low Wednesday, even after a government report showed a surprise decline in oil stockpiles last week.
A national poll finds that Americans think President-elect Barack Obama’s getting it right when it comes to his Cabinet picks, especially Hillary Clinton and Robert Gates. Seventy-five percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research survey approve of Obama’s choices. That’s 16 points higher than those in favor of President Bush’s picks eight years ago.
Stocks rallied Wednesday, finding momentum at the end of a volatile session in which investors considered a rash of weak economic reports but opted to scoop up select stocks anyway.