Sunday, December 2, 2012
Shoplifting may have led to a man's death outside a Lithonia Walmart, but how does the petty crime affect the average consumer?
Shoplifting, a petty crime that may have cost a man his life outside a Walmart in Lithonia, hits Georgia families in the pocketbook each year. Vidal Calloway, 40—a good person who had a drug problem, according to his wife—was dead when police came to arrest him on suspicion of shoplifting two DVD players, Stone Mountain-Lithonia Patch reported. The police report indicated Calloway was involved in an altercation with two employees and a private security agent. The "truly sad situation," according to Walmart, brings to light incidents that happen every day, all across the country, and even more so during the holidays. About 27 million people in America—that's 1 in 11 people—are shoplifters, according to the National Association for …
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Do you plan to spend more on holiday gifts this year? If you’re the average shopper, one survey says you probably will.
If you’re the average shopper, chances are you may be spending a bit more on gifts this season than in years past. Earlier this month, American Research Group reported that its phone survey earlier this month showed that Americans plan to spend an average of $854 on gifts this holiday season, up nearly a third of last year’s average of $646. That’s also the highest average since ARG’s 2007 survey, when survey respondents’ average was $859—that amount fell by about half in 2008. Here are the average amounts of planned spending survey takers have reported since 2002. Year Average Spending Percent Change 2012 $854 + 32% 2011 $646 - 2% 2010 $658 + 58% 2009 $417 - 3% 2008 $431 - 50% 2007 $859 - 5% 2006 $907 - 4% 2005 $942 - 6% 2004 $1,004 + 3…
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Our Patch Question of the Week wants to hear your heartwarming, or horrifying, Thanksgiving memories.
Other than July 4th, Thanksgiving is probably the most unique of American holidays. I'm not aware of any nation in the world that has set aside a day devoted to being grateful for the good things in life. The links between Thanksgiving and our American history came together for me about 10 years ago, when my wife and I were vacationing in Washington, D.C., over the Thanksgiving holiday. We spent the day after Thanksgiving in Ford's Theater, watching a live production of "A Christmas Carol." Yes, Ford's Theater is still a fully functioning stage, and you can easily imagine one of our greatest presidents enjoying the performance from his hallowed box. Patch wants to hear about your Thanksgiving memories? Do you love or loathe this uniquely …
Monday, November 19, 2012
Want a great deal? You may have to spend part of your Thanksgiving to get it. Tell us what you think about retailers pushing the start of the holiday shopping season onto Turkey Day.
Looking to grab some great Black Friday deals? Better be prepared to scarf down the turkey and put away the pumpkin pie quickly. It’s becoming a tradition for the holiday shopping season to start well before the Thanksgiving leftovers are gone. But your holiday food might still be warm by the time retailers offer the first “Black Friday” deal. Take, for example, Walmart. The retailer is rolling out its first Black Friday deals Thursday—that’s Thanksgiving night—at 8 p.m. Not to be outdone, Target is inviting customers to grab its Black Friday deals at 9 p.m. Thursday. The early deals means those hoping to save money during their holiday shopping will be spending part of another holiday heading to stores, fighting the crowds and waiting in …
Friday, November 2, 2012
Get ready for Santa's first stop in Cobb County at Town Center Mall in Kennesaw.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Angela Chao
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Friday, November 2, 2012
This week's Cobb, Douglas and Paulding Weekend Spotlight features Santa's Arrival at Town Center at Cobb. Santa Claus makes his first stop of the season Friday evening in Kennesaw. Festivities take place from 6-8 p.m. in Center Court and include entertainment by Radio Disney, face painting, holiday activities and more. St. Nick will be escorted to his holiday home with live reindeer at 7 p.m. outside the Food Court Main Entrance. Plus, the first 200 children visiting Santa that evening will receive a special gift (no purchase necessary), and all guests will receive festive giveaways (while supplies last) throughout the event. Got a great event coming up in your community? Upload it onto your Patch, then email editor Angela Chao at angela.…
Friday, November 25, 2011
Georgians are part of a national movement to keep holiday cash at home.
“Look, Charlie, let's face it. We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket. It's run by a big eastern syndicate, you know.” – Lucy van Pelt to Charlie Brown in “A Charlie Brown Christmas” Americans have worried about losing the true meaning of Christmas since at least 1965, when Charlie Brown lamented the holiday’s commercialization in a Peanuts special. This year, there’s a movement afoot to bring Christmas closer to home. An apparently anonymous essay circulating on the Web has drawn the attention of people in Georgia. It calls for buying local services as gifts instead of products manufactured in foreign countries: You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so that China can build another glittering city…
P D Murray
8:21 pm on Monday, November 19, 2012
It leaves nothing for kids to get excited about, by the time you start decorating and putting out displays in the store the same time as halloween, it's confusing. Let us have the opportunity to "Give Thanks" with our families. The poor folk who work retail deserve that time for themselves. Enough already! more ›