Business

The Christmas season is officially here, but Americans are experiencing a different shopping crunch this year -- an economy that is quickly slumping toward recession.

Retailers are offering big discounts in order to entice cash-strapped consumers who are feeling the effects of the economic crisis during the holiday shopping season.

Many AU students are not feeling the pinch of the economic crisis, although some are beginning to consider its ramifications.

Retail sales the day after Thanksgiving defied expectations: they didn't drop from last year.

This year, you might save time and money by buying your Thanksgiving groceries online. Not only can you save on gas, but according to an American Observer survey of local food prices over the past week, groceries were cheapest at Peapod, a grocery delivery service run by Giant Food.

Don't get stuck on the side of the road while opportunity passes you by. You can search smarter and build the skills that you need to thrive in any job market. Follow these strategies to get in gear and don't forget to try the Observer's interactive job search tool.

But poker advocates are pulling out their trump cards.

If you've had chocolate from a Starbucks in London, chances are you had Divine Chocolate.

It looks and tastes like regular chocolate, except that it is produced by thousands of small farmers in Ghana and sold under Fair Trade certification.