Survey Finds more Parents Playing Video Games

Thirty-five percent, or about one in three parents, say they play video games too and 80 percent of that segment play video games with their children, according to the new survey commissioned by the Entertainment Software Association, a video game industry group.

The average "gamer parent" spends 19 hours a month playing video games, and spends roughly half that time playing alongside kids, the survey found.

In another story, Los Angeles city attorney's office has sued the makers of "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" for allegedly hiding pornographic material inside the video game, officials said.

Rocky Delgadillo said his office sued Rockstar Games and its parent company, Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., for making misleading statements in marketing the game and engaging in unfair competition.

It is alleged that the game had an embedded "mini game" in which characters could engage in explicit sexual acts.

Are You Still Clipping Coupons?

If you are a coupon clipper, I have good news for you. With online shopping you don't need to clip coupons from the store fliers anymore. Many stores are offering free online discount coupons, also known as coupon codes, thus eliminating the need of time consuming clipping of the coupons from the fliers. All you have to do is note down the coupon code of the store you like to shop and enter the coupon code at check out to receive instant discount!

As a matter of fact, many stores offer higher discounts with online coupons than with the flier coupons because it costs them less to do business online. To make even more convenient to the online shopper, some stores are embedding the coupon code right in the link itself. Thus you just have to click on the store link and the discount will automatically appear in your shopping cart at check out.

Check out many stores offering Free Online Discount Coupons, enjoy the convenience of online shopping and save some money as well!

NRF Forecasts 4.7% Growth for 2006 Retail Sales

New York, NY, January 16, 2006 – Facing new economic challenges in 2006, consumers may be forced to find new sources for spending power. The National Retail Federation (NRF) released its 2006 forecast today, predicting that retail industry sales (which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants) will increase 4.7 percent from last year. In its quarterly Retail Sales Outlook Report, released this morning at NRF’s 95th Annual Convention & EXPO, NRF expects a slowdown in the economy and consumer spending to restrain industry sales gains.

A stronger than expected 2005 saw retail sales increase 6.1 percent, slightly higher than the 5.6 percent gain NRF had been forecasting. However, tough comparisons, rising energy costs and a slowdown in the housing market have caused NRF to expect subdued retail sales growth in 2006.

"With the housing market beginning to slow, consumers will be challenged to find new sources of spending power.” said NRF Chief Economist Rosalind Wells. “The strong retail sales we saw in the second half of 2005 will be replaced by more conservative spending in the New Year.” NRF expects 2006 first quarter retail sales to increase 5.0 percent, compared to gains of 6.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2005.

The Federal Reserve will play a major role in the consumer’s ability to bounce back in 2006. As Ben Bernanke takes over, NRF expects the Fed policy of vigilance toward inflation to continue. In the near-term, underlying inflationary pressures appear to be under control. Productivity is still quite high and, as a result, unit labor costs are low. These trends should give the Fed some peace of mind.

While NRF is more cautious about the 2006 outlook, several categories of specialty retailing should continue to achieve solid sales growth. They include clothing and accessory stores (which include shoe stores and jewelry stores), food and beverage retailers and health and personal care retailers. These categories are expected to see steady sales gains in the 4.0 - 5.0 percent range.

Some of the sales trends by type of retail establishment seen last year will continue into this year, but with somewhat smaller increases. The highest growth last year was achieved by building material stores, warehouse clubs, and electronic shopping. NRF expects building-related outlets to lose some momentum as housing softens. The same is true of furniture stores. Electronics retailers should be able to sustain strong demand for their merchandise as product excitement and attractive pricing will lure consumers. Sales gains at discount stores improved at year-end as increases at luxury goods retailers eased.

The National Retail Federation is the world's largest retail trade association, with membership that comprises all retail formats and channels of distribution including department, specialty, discount, catalog, Internet, independent stores, chain restaurants, drug stores and grocery stores as well as the industry's key trading partners of retail goods and services. NRF represents an industry with more than 1.4 million U.S. retail establishments, more than 23 million employees - about one in five American workers - and 2004 sales of $4.1 trillion. As the industry umbrella group, NRF also represents more than 100 state, national and international retail associations. www.nrf.com

Added a lot of New Tips and Articles

I have kept myself busy this week with adding a lot of new tips and articles to our website. You will find many new tips and articles on Beauty, Health and Fitness like articles about Fat, Skin care and Treadmills.

You will also find many new Tips and Articles on Travel like tips about traveling with a pet, tips about luggage and how to recognize if it's a legitimate travel deal or a scam.

Talking of skin care, here is a good deal from Avon

Avon's Anew Anti-Aging Skincare now only $9.99 (reg. $16.50), plus free shipping with any $30 order, use code: LSKIN
It's only available till Jan 31, 2006 and you will need to enter the coupon code LSKIN at checkout.

Google Makes Announcements at CES

Google Inc. is living up to its game of keeping itself in the news and in the public eye. At the Consumer Electronics Show, it upped the ante in the online video gold rush, allowing content owners to set their own prices in a bid to create a more flexible alternative to Apple Computer Inc.'s pioneering iTunes store.

Google's planned video expansion, announced Friday at the Consumer Electronics Show, already has lined up commitments to sell thousands of downloads, including recent television broadcasts of popular CBS shows and professional basketball games, as well as vintage episodes from series that went off the air decades ago. A launch date for the expansion has not been released.

Google's co-founder Larry Page, also annonced that Google is distributing a Free Software Startup Kit. This suite of programs is designed to make it easier to install and maintain basic applications that have helped turn the PC into a hub of information, entertainment and communications.

Online Shopping Hits New Highs in 2005

Holiday shoppers spent more online in 2005 than they did in 2004, continuing to steadily steal market share from brick-and-mortar shops, according to a report released last week by Goldman Sachs, Nielsen/NetRatings, and Harris Interactive.
Holiday shoppers in the U.S. spent $30.1 billion from late October until December 23, a 30 percent increase over the 2004 holiday season, according to the report, which surveyed 8600 shoppers in the U.S.
Online spending made up 27 percent of total spending during the holidays, up from 16 percent four years ago. Brick-and-mortar shops attracted 68 percent of holiday spending this year, down from 72 percent last year, the report found.

The study also found that consumer satisfaction with online shopping is slowly creeping up, with 64 percent of those surveyed saying they were satisfied with their experience, compared to 61 percent in 2004.

Happy New Year!

I wish Everybody a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year!