Kaomi Goetz

U.S. retailers are looking to add more than 700,000 jobs this holiday season — about the same as last year. But retailers may have a harder time filling those jobs because of a shrinking labor pool.

Colt, a brand name Americans have known since 1855, is headed for bankruptcy. The company will keep operating as it sorts out its debts, but a big chunk of manufacturing history hangs in the balance.

Travelers will find gasoline prices are down considerably from last Thanksgiving. But consumer confidence is slumping too. So AAA, the auto club, says it expects to see a dip in holiday travel, compared with 2012.

The coffee giant recently partnered with the Rodarte fashion house to offer a holiday collection. It's the latest example of high-end designers teaming up with mass-market retailers to make money while showing their work to a broader audience.

With cellphones nearly ubiquitous, fewer people are relying on watches to tell time. But some retailers are doing brisk business marketing watches as fashion statements, or by appealing to shoppers' sense of novelty or nostalgia.

Many women are using online games to connect with friends and relatives whom they otherwise may not have time to socialize with. The games have tapped into a new market through mobile devices and Facebook.

Some of today's offices barely resemble their predecessors: grey, steel furniture is giving way to bright colors, soft fabrics and warm lighting. Manufacturers say the trend speaks volumes about the work force employers want to attract.