After standing in lines or scrambling with crowds for Xbox 360's, T.M.X. Elmo's, flat-screen TV's and other popular gift items, the average consumer will tally up about $800 in Christmas holiday spending this year. A mother/daughter fitness publishing team suggests spending $15.95 on a gift for yourself--a fitness journal--to give your loved ones the gift they really want from you.

Britain's leading e-commerce industry group says the UK has overtaken the United States in the growth of online shopping. The Interactive Media in Retail Group, or IMRG, says on-line purchases hit a new record last month when UK shoppers spent nearly $6.3 billion US (3.2 billion British pounds) on on-line goods and services. That's 45 percent higher than for the same time last year, compared to 25 percent in the US.

Professor warns against the lure of the mall during this Christmas Shopping season

Shopping malls are designed to keep consumers shopping longer and spending more, according to Dr. Lorry Felske, professor in the Faculty of Communication and Culture.

MasterCard Worldwide announced that Rabba Fine Foods, Your Neighbourhood Marketplace, will begin accepting MasterCard® PayPass™ at its 30 stores across the Greater Toronto Area.

The number of shopping transactions by and for women each day around the globe is mind-boggling. Meanwhile, millions of girls and women work tirelessly but still lack the minimal resources needed to protect themselves and to feed and care for their families. Of the 1.3 billion people worldwide living in extreme poverty, 70 percent are women.