Amazon Patents System for Returning Unwanted Gifts

While it may sound more Scrooge than Santa Claus, Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, has filed a patent for technology that would allow customers to return — or “convert” — gifts they don’t like, even before they ac…

Holiday Shoppers Keep Their Plastic in Their Pockets

Retail sales have perked up, but consumers aren’t resuming their old habit of using credit cards to splurge on gifts. According to a new poll, more than half of American adults say they’re sticking with cash this holiday shoppi…

Amazon Makes It Easier to Give E-Books as Gifts

While it probably should have done this long ago, Amazon will now let you send an e-book to anyone, Kindle owner or not. The online retail giant’s move is aimed at undermining a similar one by rival Kobo — and shows how hard i…