Tempted to buy yourself a gift this week? Consider buying tickets to a show rather than a new pair of shoes. Not only will you be more grateful for the experience, but that gratitude can lead to more generosity, according to a recent study.

‘Tis the season for holiday shopping. As consumers make their holiday gift lists, they’re being urged to check them twice for toys that have been recalled over the past year. Find out which items should be left on the shelf.

Online behemoth Amazon will open a brick-and-mortar bookstore in Lakeview next year. What this could mean for independent bookstores and publishers. 

One year in and the city's ban on flimsy, one-use plastic bags is now fully in effect. But is it really reducing pollution or, as some critics charge, is it actually making the problem worse? Our panel examines the ban's impact.

As of Monday, chain stores that are 10,000 square feet or less must comply with the city's plastic bag ban originally enacted a year ago.

Crain’s Chicago Business deputy managing editor Ann Dwyer examines the bustling 26th street shopping corridor, the impact six new buildings would have on the city’s skyline and more.

Sony Pictures is the latest victim of a cyber hack and data breach. The FBI is warning more cyber attacks are coming. We look at what it means for your wallet and security.

Chicago Tonight Correspondent Elizabeth Brackett is currently in Nairobi, not far from Westgate Shopping Mall, the site of a terrorist attack launched by Islamic radicals that killed dozens of shoppers and injured more than 170 people. Watch web extra interviews.

Whenever one visits a foreign country, you always get a list from family members and friends which tells you about the things you are supposed to be carrying back for them. I, just like everyone, was also handed over that list. I won’t go too much into what I bought and what I avoided, but for the past couple of days, I was looking to buy a cell phone here.

The post-holiday spending bills are hitting the mail and inboxes this week. We look at how to tame your overall finances in 2012.