The Malls Get Decked: The Winter of Misfit Toys

You may be a mean one, Mr. Grinch, but you're no Pokemon.

Monday

Why Retailers Fear a Red Christmas

Tuesday

The Winter of Misfit Toys

The Good News at the Gap

Wednesday

Retailers Minding Too Many Stores

Holiday Shopping Bag: Maybe the Web Can Work After All

Jim Carrey's turn as the furry, green, would-be Christmas stealer may prove to be a box office draw, but it's not likely to generate much buzz in toy aisles -- at least not enough to provide retailers with a blockbuster season. There's simply a lack of the sort of hot items that, in the past, have sparked shopping center brawls among full-grown adults, and that makes this year a challenging one for toy retailers -- both off-line and on.

"It's a pretty dull year in the toy business," said Tom Alfonsi, executive vice president of merchandising at KB Toys, on a recent Merrill Lynch conference call.

Problems

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