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With free shipping cutoffs looming, shoppers are turning to the streets to find last-minute gifts in stores. You can make your brand stand out after shipping cutoffs by taking advantage of consumers' companion this holiday season — smartphones.

LEWISTON, MAINE When the phone rings at a call center inside a former department store here, it's as much story time as sales time. As in: I was in Maine four summers ago. What's it like in the winter? Or: Our dog ate my husband's favorite slippers. Can you help me replace them before he finds out?As the holiday orders pour in, some 3,600 L.L. Bean employees in this old mill town and elsewhere in Maine work the phones, answering questions, taking orders and, quite often, listening to warm, fuzzy stories. Customer service is a hallmark of this venerable

Fort Worth, Texas -- Pier 1 Imports Inc.'s third-quarter profit climbed 10% to $23 million from $21 million a year earlier, better than analysts expected. Revenue increased 8% to $382.7 million from $353.8 million, boosted by a higher average ticket and more traffic. Same-store sales were up 7%. The retailer also said Thursday that its sales so far in December are strong and that it expected the momentum to continue until Christmas. “Our strong product assortments, the right balance of regular and promotional pricing and a great store experience are driving robust sales and merchandise margin growth. December sales

Katherine Field Boccaccio Data released Wednesday by comScore showed that holiday season retail e-commerce spending for the first 42 days of the 2011 holiday season is up 15% year-over-year.

New York -- Tiffany & Co. announced that Stephane Lafay has been appointed to the newly-created position of group VP - Asia-Pacific Region and President - Tiffany Japan. Lafay, 46, joined Tiffany in 2009 as president of Tiffany’s Japan organization. A search is underway for a managing director of Japan who will report to Lafay.

WAYNE, N.J. -- Toys"R"Us announced that its stores nationwide will remain open for 112 uninterrupted hours beginning at 6am on Tuesday, Dec. 20 and continuing through 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve. In conjunction with continuous shopping during the last few days leading up to Christmas, Toys"R"Us will hold a two-day sale from Tuesday, Dec. 20 to Wednesday, Dec. 21. "For the second consecutive year, our stores will remain open continuously during the days leading up to Christmas, allowing shoppers more time and more ways to shop with Toys"R"Us than ever before," said Greg Ahearn, chief marketing officer for Toys"R"Us

Career community Glassdoor has announced the results of its fourth annual Employees' Choice Awards for Best Places to Work. The top 50 winners were selected by the people who know these companies best, the employees.

ISSAQUAH, Wash. — Costco Wholesale reported that net sales for the first quarter of 2012 increased 13% to $21.18 billion from $18.82 billion during the first quarter of fiscal 2011. Total comps for the quarter increased 10%, which included a 10% increase in U.S. comps and an 11% increase in international comps. Excluding the impact of fuel and strengthening foreign currencies, total comps for the quarter were up 7%, U.S. comps rose 6% and international comps rose 10%. Net income for the quarter was $320 million, or 73 cents per diluted share, compared with $312 million, or 71 cents

Washington, D.C. -- The Consumer Intentions and Actions survey released Wednesday by the National Retail Federation and conducted by BIGresearch found that, as of the second week in December, the average person has completed 46.5% of their holiday shopping. Last year at this time, the average shopper had completed 49.5% of their shopping. “For consumers, the holiday season is more of a marathon than a sprint – typically starting the season strong, pacing themselves in the middle and gearing up again in the final stretch, a trend retailers expect every year,” said NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay. “As

Children may find themselves running to check their email on Christmas morning or each night of Hanukkah. About a quarter of holiday shoppers plan to buy virtual gifts this year, according to a research report from e-commerce provider Elastic Path.