Merchandising

PBS, America's chronically broke public television network, was trying to make a few bucks off of its hit series "Downton Abbey" with themed jewelry. The show's creators are none too happy about it and it looks as though PBS decided to pull the line from the site entirely, meaning no more cash from Downton product for PBS. 

A Mickey Mouse T-shirt on sale at the Disney Store has started an uproar in the music community. The Disney Store has since pulled the shirt described as, "Inspired by the iconic sleeve of Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures album, this Waves Mickey Mouse Tee incorporates Mickey's image within the graphic of the pulse of a star."

The Olympic motto is "Faster, Higher, Stronger," but perhaps the word "cheaper" should be added. Toy versions of the Olympic mascots are being made at a factory now being investigated for "poor pay and conditions."

New York Giants fans were out in full force buying all the NFC Championship merchandise they could hold. A Modell's manager in New York said some of his customers stumbled in straight from the bars after his store opened at 5 a.m. and that sales were up 1,000 percent over a normal day.

Target told vendors last week that it wanted better deals from them to compete with online rivals like Amazon. But will the vendors play ball? The Wall Street Journal reports they likely will — Target is too big a customer to ignore — and that other brick-and-mortar retailers will probably follow the company's lead.

Wal-Mart is holding a contest for inventors to compete for a spot on their shelves. The "Get on the Shelf" competition is along the lines of "American Idol," except no one is singing and Simon Cowell isn't there to berate anyone.

Federal authorities investigating the sale of shirts and jerseys bogusly branded NHL Winter Classic merchandise say they’ve seized counterfeit goods worth an estimated $350,000. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations office says it intercepted 150 international mail parcels and seized merchandise from vendors outside Citizens Bank Park, where the Philadelphia Flyers met the New York Rangers on Dec. 2.

Wal-Mart is recalling a single batch of powdered infant formula Enfamil Newborn following the death of a 10-day-old infant from a rare bacterial infection, according to published reports. Although the origin of the infant’s infection is still unknown, the retail chain decided to err on the side of caution by removing the batch of 12.5-ounce cans with the lot number ZP1K7G from its stores across the U.S.

He might be the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos, but Tim Tebow is having a major impact in Las Vegas, especially when it comes to sales at local sports merchandise and memorabilia stores. The impact could be even greater if stores could keep his jersey in stock. In fact, it has gotten so bad that in Las Vegas holiday shoppers looking for that last-minute Christmas gift for a Broncos fan may have to cross Tebow jerseys off their list.