news-record.com

Parents should beware of small parts, loud sounds, soft plastics and lead contamination, consumer advocates warned Tuesday.

Those dangers were included in the U.S. Public Interest Research Group's "Trouble in Toyland" report.

It's the first report since broad consumer safety legislation took effect earlier this year.

The organization, according to an AP article, focused on four hazards: small parts that can choke children younger than 3-years-old, loud toys that can cause hearing damage, lead-tainted toys and soft plastic toys that contain chemicals called phthalates.

Get a free Vera Bradley tote with a $100 Vera Bradley purchase Friday at Smith Beautiful Living (403 Pisgah Church Road.)

Throughout the weekend, Smith Beautiful Living is offering a buy one Christmas decoration, get the second one at half-price.

Shoppers can mix or match ornaments, ribbons, candle rings, garlands, wreaths, and more.

State Street Shoppes in Greensboro is hosting a holiday bazaar Friday and Saturday featuring free hors d'oeuvres, wine and specials from 9 to 9.

Highlights include getting 40-percent off all regularly priced footware at Lillo Bella Shoes on Friday.

Some stores are also having specials through Dec. 16:

* Buy one breakfast item at The Secret Tea Room, get one half-off (7 - 10:30 a.m.)

* Get half-off gift shop items at Hearthside Lifestyles Store

* 50-percent off frames at Earnhardt Optical

Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving, usually ranks in the top 10 regarding busiest online shopping days.

Retailers this year are hoping to cash in on that phenomenon by spinning their discounts into Cyber Weekends or even Cyber Weeks, the AP reports.

Target, Walmart, Toys R Us and others will be running online sales throughout the holiday weekend.

Additional sales are planned on Nov. 30, or Cyber Monday.

J.C. Penney will offer online sales for items such as clothes and electronics on Monday and Tuesday. Walmart will offer deals starting Monday through Dec. 4.

According to the AP, The National Retail Federation said Monday nearly 9 out of 10 retailers plan specific Cyber Monday deals, up slightly from about 84 percent last year.

ComScore analyst Andrew Lipsman told the AP he expects free shipping deals to be key as companies plan promotions more carefully, which means less discounting.

We all have our pet peeves when it comes to shopping during the holidays. What would top your list?

A recent survey by Consumer Reports reveals a shortage of available checkout lanes annoys Americans the most.

Seventy-two percent put that at the top of the list.

Coming in second place at 68 percent concerned "fake sales." Something that's always been 20-percent off, for example.

Coupons that exclude almost everything in the store, a major pet peeve of mine, came in third at 67 percent.

Fourth place was being hounded by an extended warranty sales pitch (62 percent).

Fifth place related to cashiers who asked for phone numbers or other personal info.
 

Dealnews.com picks the best Black Friday deals on items including TVs, cameras, and video game systems.

* HDTVs
Sanyo 50" 720p widescreen plasma HDTV for $598 at Walmart

* Laptops
HP Intel Celeron 16" laptop for $300 at Staples

* Game consoles
Nintendo Wii with $50 gift card for $200 at Meijer

* GPS deals
TomTom One 125-SE 3.5" GPS navigator with text-to-speech for $59 at Walmart

* Digital cameras
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S930 10MP 3x zoom digital camera plus case for $79 at Walmart
 

The December issue of Consumer Reports' ShopSmart magazine has rated the best and worst return polices of 88 popular online retailers.

ShopSmart examined time limits, restrictions on the types and sizes of products you can return, restocking fees, and other catches.

15 Best Return Policies

* Bed Bath & Beyond

* Bloomingdale’s

* Costco

* Ikea

* Kmart

* Kohl’s

* L.L.Bean

* Lands’ End

* Lowe’s

* Nike

* Nordstrom

* Piperlime.com

* Sam’s club

* Shoebuy.com

* Zappos.com

8 Runners-Up

* Ace Hardware

* Bath & Body Works

* Famous Footwear

* Neiman Marcus

* OfficeMax

* Staples

* Talbot’s

* Target

13 "Not-So-Hot" Return Policies

* Amazon.com, according to ShopSmart, has strict limitations regarding what can be returned (no computers after 30 days, for example). There's also a 15 percent restocking fee regarding computers and fine jewelry.

* BJ’s has a great in-store return policy. But the Web site "is full of gotchas," according to the magazine. "And another catch: 'bjs.com reserves the right at any time after receipt of your order, without prior notice to you, to supply less than the quantity you ordered of any item.' "

* Bidz.com only gives you 15 days to return. There's also a 15 percent restocking.

* Boscov’s "has lots of restrictions, especially on big items like mattresses," the magazine says. "Plus there are restocking fees on some items."

* Buy.com gives you 30 days from the date your product left the warehouse to ship it back, regardless of when you get it.

* Dillard’s requires a receipt or proof-of-purchase label and packaging on returns.

* Fingerhut.com "makes it a huge pain to send something back after 30 days," according to ShopSmart.

* Finishline does not accept returns after 45 days, even if your shoes have a manufacturer’s defect.

* Home Depot does not accept returns on some items. No online items can be returned in-store.

* Macy’s, according to the magazine, "has lots of limitations on items from furniture to jewelry. For example, any rings besides women’s size seven and men’s size 10.5 are considered custom and no custom sizes may be returned."

* Office Depot gives you only 14 days for electronics and furniture.

* Overstock.com has lots of restrictions, the magazine says. One example: you can’t return TVs over a certain size.

* "Smartbargains.com is really strict on the condition of the item to be returned," according to ShopSmart. "The package must be unmarked and not defaced to qualify for a full refund."

Here's some light-hearted conversation you can strike up around the Thanksgiving dinner table.

Namely, more people in tough economic times are choosing cremations because they're cheaper.

"The economy is directing people to look for less expensive alternatives for everything, including funerals," Luke DiMaria, owner of Abby Funeral & Cremation Service Inc., told The Hartford Courant. "It's one of the reasons cremations have become much more popular."

In 2007, about 35 percent of deaths ended in cremation, according to the National Funeral Directors Association.

The National Consumers League's claim Ocean Spray's "choice" sweetened dried cranberries ingredient was mislabeled is inaccurate, the company says.

Following is part of a statement by Ocean Spray's Geoff Woolford, vice president of research and development:

"Our Choice product is made from Grade A superior frozen whole cranberries which are then sliced and sent through our patented process including infusion of sugar, citric acid and elderberry juice to infuse flavor and color specifically developed to meet our industrial customers' needs for their variety of recipes. Being made from whole cranberries, Choice retains many of the same healthful compounds."

Ocean Spray was responding to the National Consumers League, which sent a letter Tuesday to the US Food and Drug Administration. The National Consumers League asked that it look into the labeling of Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc.'s "choice" brand.

If you're looking to spend your hard-earned dough on a new video game, there's something you should know about "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" ($59.99).

The single-player campaign is short. As in wham. Bam. Done.

But what's that old saying about a light that burns twice as bright burns for half as long?

It's one of the best single-player campaigns I've played in a long time. Just wish it was longer. Well-paced, packed with action. Nothing wasted. Not perfect. But there's no such thing.

Not that length in and of itself makes a game better. I've played plenty of video games that have a much longer single-player campaign.

But they tend to be plagued by cheesy, humorless (at least unintentionally), cliché-riddled dialogue and lengthy movie scenes that aren't needed (parts of the game where you don't participate, you just watch).

Having said that, if you bought "Call of Duty" mainly for the online multiplayer action, one of the most hyped parts of the game, then you probably don't care and it will be money well spent.