Retailers

  Thousands of retailers are offering free shipping today, with delivery guaranteed by Christmas Eve. But which retailers are the most reliable when it comes to shipping during one of the busiest weeks of the year? One survey, based on shipping times in November, shows Zappos, Staples and OfficeDepot.com leading the way, delivering packages in one day, on average. The survey shows that JCPenney.com took the longest, an average of nine days. Others on the slower end of the spectrum included store.Apple.com, with a six-day average, Target.com, with six days, seven hours, and Walmart.com, with six days, 16 hours.

My best wishes to all as we enter what is termed the "most wonderful time of the year. " It's also the time of the year when nonprofit organizations are begging for your dollars and we are reminded of those who are in need of some of life's basic needs: food, clothing and shelter. Shop manager of Tina's on Main Street, Lynne Waranch is sharing the joy of the season in welcoming the birth of her new grandson, Lucas Gabriel Hermann, born to daughter Emily and son-in-law Victor. Son Mike Waranch is newly engaged to future daughter-in-law Megan Carniewski.

A Baltimore retailer has been ordered by city health officials to stop selling a children's ring, necklace and earrings because the items contain dangerous levels of lead. The Baltimore City Health Department said Tuesday it has issued a nuisance order to Choice Corner on West Lexington St. telling the owners to remove the  jewelry from its shelves because of lead levels above 100 parts per million.  The levels are 900 to 2,400 times what is legally allowed. The products pose a danger to children's health because the lead levels can cause cognitive impairment and neurological problems.

At GameStop Kids at White Marsh Mall, shoppers will find plush Mario book bags and Angry Birds hats mixed in with the Lego Star Wars and other kid-friendly video games, a mix meant to attract both serious "gamers" as well as those who've never played but want some gift-giving advice. That's by design, said executives of the video game chain, which is testing out the new, kid-focused format as a way to appeal to new crowds of shoppers during the busiest time of year. "Our business grows exponentially during the holiday season," said Bob Puzon, GameStop's executive vice president of merchandising.

This year's Black Friday became the backdrop not only for doorbuster HDTV sales but for protests from retail workers across the country. Workers at Walmart, Target, even Macy's, have decried  unfair wages and conditions. So which retailers are the best employers? Job search engine Indeed.com has come out with a list of the top 15 companies to work for in retail. Indeed based the rankings on reviews posted by current and former employees on Indeed's company pages. Here they are: 1. Apple 2. Disney Store 3. Coach 4. Costco 5. IKEA 6. Dressbarn 7. Halloween City 8. Champs Sports 9. REI 10. Nike 11. Vitamin World 12. Nordstrom 13. Sherwin Williams 14. Finish Line 15. Bath & Body Works  

We're officially into Christmas buying season -- when American consumers determine the fate of American retailers and, indirectly, the American economy. What's often forgotten is that consumers are also workers, and if their pay doesn't keep up, they can't keep the economy going. A half-century ago, America's largest private-sector employer was General Motors, whose full-time workers earned an average hourly wage of around $50, in today's dollars, including health and pension benefits.

Men's retailer Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc. said profits took a more than 11 percent dive in the third quarter, hurt by extra markdowns that drove the apparel sales and by Hurricane Sandy's strike to the East Coast. Net income fell to $13.3 million in the three months that ended Oct. 27, an 11.2 percent drop compared with net income of $15 million in the year-earlier period, the Hampstead-based company said Wednesday. The company earned 47 cents per share, down 13 percent from 54 cents per share earned in the third quarter of 2011.

If you're participating on Cyber Monday while at work - who doesn't, except me of course, boss - you'll likely be using your credit card. Andrea Woroch, a money-saving expert with Kinoli Inc., offers these tips: Expect heavy online traffic. Have all your account information on hand. Check out FreeShipping.org for offers geared for Cyber Monday. On this day, Woroch says, retailers aren't going to steer you directly to coupons. Keep on watch for last minute specials. Follow your favorite brands on Facebook or Twitter to learn about deals.

Retail analysts reported a curious trend this Black Friday. On the traditional first shopping day of the Christmas season, the number of visits to malls, big box stores and other retailers increased, according to the analytics firm ShopperTrak, but the amount spent in brick-and-mortar businesses actually went down slightly from last year's total. Online shopping, meanwhile, jumped ahead of its traditional Cyber Monday kick-off and exceeded $1 billion on the Friday after Thanksgiving for the first time.

Domingo Catalan powered through the Thanksgiving night crowds to get his children toys. He methodically checked all the boxes on his relatives' wish lists on Black Friday. And before he goes to work as a data analyst for a government contractor on Cyber Monday, he expects to look for online deals to have shipped to his brother's family in Germany. So whom was Catalan, a Crofton resident, shopping for on Sunday morning at Bass Pro Shops at Arundel Mills? "Me," he grinned, pausing to jerk his thumb toward his chest as he put an Under Armour winter jacket and fishing gear into the back of his Ford pick-up truck.