Business

Ari Shapiro talks with Wall Street Journal reporter Suzanne Kapner about the fake discounts retailers build into their products during the holiday season.

Many small towns across the country are using special events to attract visitors and commerce. The strategy has been a big hit in places like Aspen, Colo., and Park City, Utah, whose names have become synonymous with major festivals.

But it can take a toll. Some residents in the northern Michigan town of Traverse City complain that they're suffering from festival fatigue and would like a little less excitement.

Black Friday — the day on which Christmas shopping starts in earnest for many Americans — may have started on Thanksgiving Day this year, but it gave many shoppers extra time to hunt for deals.

NPR's Sonari Glinton spoke to shoppers in Colorado Springs, Colo., where people were camped out Thursday to get deals at the local Target.

"Do you think I need sweaters at Kohl's? No!" Janine Reed said. "But they're 10 bucks. You think I'm going to get one? Yeah – just 'cause."

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LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

Now, we'll introduce you to someone who did successfully sign up for insurance on HealthCare.gov. Michael Lappin of Atlanta, Georgia had a reason to shop for insurance early. His husband has health care needs that made buying their insurance on the individual market difficult and expensive.

Jim Burress, from WABE in Atlanta, profiles the small business owner.

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LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

Movies theaters have tried different ways over the years to combat declining ticket sales. Topher Forhecz reports on the latest attempts to bring in audiences by recreating the comforts of home.

TOPHER FORHECZ, BYLINE: When I decided to see a movie at an AMC Theatre in upper Manhattan, the first change I noticed was I had to reserve my seat when I bought my ticket beforehand.

So I just walked in and there are about nine rows of leather seats and I am in D6, so I've got to go find it.

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LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

And today's last word in business is: trademarked tartan.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Officially, it's called Haymarket Check. But the iconic tan, black and red tartan is best known as the symbol of the Burberry brand. The British fashion house came up with it at its Haymarket shop in London over a century ago.

WERTHEIMER: But Chinese officials are not impressed. They've decided to revoke Burberry's tartan trademark in China.

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DAVID GREENE, HOST:

No surprise. NPR's business news begins with Black Friday.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

GREENE: Yes, this is the day when retailers begin to turn a profit for the year. But, the deals and door buster sales keep getting earlier and earlier each year. And that's actually beginning to cut into profits.

NPR's Sonari Glinton reports.

Movies and books have long been used to advocate for causes, such as climate change or breast cancer. As video games become more mainstream, advocates are beginning to see how this art form can be a new way to reach out and get people engaged in a cause.

It's around dinner time at Honeygrow, a casual restaurant in central Philadelphia.

Erin Campbell was on her way here to meet a friend when she realized, with panic, that her cellphone battery was dying.

"I noticed I only had 14 percent [battery] left, and I actually texted her on my way in to see if she could bring a charger with her," Campbell says.

But Campbell's friend told her there was no need to bring a charger — just inside the door of Honeygrow is a kiosk where customers can charge their phones.

It's a sign of the times: More people are commuting for more than an hour to get to work, and many of the longest commutes are at least partially on public transportation.

Take Sarah Hairston's commute from her apartment on Chicago's South Side to her part-time job at a shelter for homeless teens on the north side of town.