hi, everyone. welcome to "on the money." i'm becky quick. it's the time of the year for families, give thanks, and shopping. but the way we do that is radically changing. she's the queen of suspense and the author of 50 books. the changes she's seen, the life she's lived and what mary higgins clark thinks of her success. >> i'm constantly surprised. 'tis the season for giving, but where's your money really going? we'll have a guide for giving for your charity dollars. and while local merchants have to think small and think big. "on the money" starts now. >> announcer: this is "on the money," your money, your life, your future. now, becky quick.

>> more than 135 million americans plan to shop this weekend, according to the national retail federation. of course, how and where we do that keeps changing. americans will do more of their holiday shopping online and at specialty and discount stores, and that leaves many questions about the role of traditional brick and morter department stores. the holidays are traditionally the season of department stores, from the macy's thanksgiving day parade and festive window displays to crowds of shoppers. but the stalwarts of retail are beginning to see their sales go elsewhere. department stores are expected to see just a 1.2% growth in sales for the fourth quarter of 2015. at the same time, discount, online, and catalog retailers are expected to have a much larger growth in sales. and americans are increasingly turning away from brick and mortar stores. the average consumer now plans to do 46% of their shopping online. holiday shopping is even going mobile. more than 21% of smartphone owners now plan to buy on their

devices. but despite all the options, there may still be a silver lining for department stores. more than 55% of consumers still plan to shop there. we spoke to hudson bay's company ceo jerold storage earlier this week and he said retail can't be counted out. >> what you didn't see there was some kind of apocalyptic change in the consumer, or i've read stories that are really ridiculous, saying we've reached some tipping point where now it's all going to the internet. >> the holiday shopping season is now well underway, but can department stores get you to put your tablet or phone down and get you into the actual store to shop. terry london is macy's ceo. do you think the death of the department store has been greatly exaggerated at this point? >> i sure do. i mean, the last five years, my own company has grown by $5 billion with 38 less stores than we had five years ago. so, so i think that's an accurate statement that it's been grossly exaggerated. and if you saw the traffic when

we opened the doors after 6:00 p.m., flowing into stores like macy's harold's square, you would say people definitely want to shop on that night and in the store like macy's. so we feel great about what's transpired here. >> so it's probably fair to say there has been a shift in how americans are shopping. what is macy's doing to try to capitalize on that? >> well, i think, becky, you know that we're the seventh largest internet company retailer in america at this point in time. and we're inching toward being sixth by the end of this year. so the online business is a complete strength for macy's.com and bloomingdale's.com so that's a positive for us. but i think the way the consumers' shopping is quite different than it was five years ago. and that is that the consumer is starting with journey with their phone, doing the research, coming into the store, try on the clothes or touch that handbag or have the makeup applied. all those things that are mar ta

tactile, they want to make sure they do that as well, and then they may buy it in the store or buy it at macys.com or bloomingdales.com. i think the stores that are strong online and strong in-store will be the winners of retail in the future. >> you've warned that there are a lot of inventories in your stores this year that you're going to be starting some big discounts for consumers very early on. but what's your early read on holiday shopping so far? >> well, certainly, as you saw, third quarter was challenging for us and for other retailers, and i think it's been now documented that november has been the warmest november in the northeast in 251 years. so that's hard on the cold weather goods that we're all trying to sell. but what i was encouraged by was when we had a big event, which was the opening of the holiday shopping season was a great start. a great start. not just here, but across the country and in our stores.

so the traffic was there. people were buying and to me, that was important. and they didn't stop shopping online and start shopping in stores. they went back to doing both. so online continued strong and our store business got strong. that's the combination that we obviously need to see here in the final stretch, up through christmas of this year. >> but how would you gauge the health of the american consumer right now? >> i have to say that the american consumer, seemingly, is doing okay. that varies by individual household, of course, but you're seeing consumers buying cars. you're seeing consumers do a major home improvements. you're seeing consumers go to restaurants, go out to dinner, you're seeing certain categories doing quite well. and then you see their savings accounts across the board, generally speaking are higher than they were a year ago. but in general, consumers have the money to spend if they choose to do so. and frankly, last night, and through today, is an indication that they seem to be ready to

spend in our categories and particularly at our company. >> obviously, the macy's thanksgiving day parade was a huge success. this is something that's been a tradition in my household, and i know, in america, writ large, for the last 89 years. but we did see heightened security concerns as we headed into this parade. was there ever a moment that you thought about canceling the parade? >> you know, i've been asked that question a few times. i was asked that question after 9/11. i was asked that question after the financial crisis in 2008. had letters and e-mails and people saying, shouldn't you cancel the parade? and the answer is then as it was now. absolutely not. this is a time when america needs to come together. and what better tradition to come together than over thanksgiving and the macy's thanksgiving day parade. so i felt passionately that this had to be our best parade. this had to be the most inspiring parade and i think we accomplished that. >> i would agree with you. and terry, thank you so much for joining us today. it's always a pleasure talking

to you. >> my pleasure, becky, have a great weekend. now here's a look at what's making news as we head into a new week "on the money." america's economy is slightly healthier, the first thought. the second read of the gross domestic product for the last quarter showed an annual growth rate of 2.1%, that was above the initial estimate of 1.5%. inventories and business investment both increased. the gdp, of course, is the broadest measure of the size and scope of the u.s. economy. it was mostly a sideways trading week for stocks during the holiday shortened week. the dow trading in a fairly narrow range. so did the s&p 500 and the nasdaq, though the markets were mixed on friday. sales of new home sales rose in october, and the housing market is on track for its best year since 2007. newly built houses were up more than 10% from september. that was about in line with expectations. and facebook ceo mark zuckerberg is about to become a dad and he says that he'll be taking off for two months when the baby arrives.

facebook offers four months of leave, so he may end up taking more time later on. parental leave is a big topic in silicon valley and zuckerberg may be sending a message to his employees that it's okay for new dads to take a chunk of time off the. next up, we're "on the money." why small businesses have to think big. would you pay a little more to support your locate merchant? and later, the giving season. how you can give and get in return. right now as we head to a break, take a look at how the stock market ended the week.

when you think of the holiday shopping rush, the walmarts and amazons of the world likely come to mind, but small businesses are gearing up

for big sales, too. kate rogers joins us now with more. hi, kate. >> hi, becky. independent businesses have gotten a nice boost in sales the past few years thanks to small business saturday and retailers hope this year is no exception. it's not plaque friday or cybermonday that truesberry, new jersey-based retailers kitgories was gearing up for, it was small business saturday. >> it's a reminder for people now with the internet and everything else that they have, that they can shop at, it's helpful to keep in mind that the businesses that have been here for so long are still here. >> the store does about 25% of its annual sales during the holiday season and also enlists local vendors to make their wares. >> i've got 90-year-old women knitting sweaters for us. i've got women who are in their 80s hand-painting for us. we try to keep that local feel

and that one of a kind uniqueness there for people. we try to set ourselves apart and shopping local is where you find that. >> now in its sixth year, small business saturday is designed to encourage shoppers to buy from local retailers. this year, three in four consumer s tell sponsor america express they plan to support local retailers during the holiday season. what's more, some 80% of shoppers say they're willing to pay slightly more for an item if it's purchased from a small, independently owned retailer versus an online or big box store. last year, consumers spent $14.3 billion on small business. but small business saturday isn't just limited to traditional retailers. new york-based swerve fitness is also getting in on the action. >> the holiday time is definitely a time where people are looking to get a workout in. there's a lot of eating and celebration that goes on and there's a lot of pre-tox and de-tox rides and working out

that our riders do. we definitely see the studio busy this time of year. our goal for participating in small business saturday is really to engage with our community and to raise awareness about how important it is to support local small businesses. >> whether it's selling kids' toys or exercise classes, small businesses are united in their message, reminding consumers to shop small this holiday season. and as we said, last year consumers spent $14.3 billion and aech year that amex has tracked this, the sales data has gone up, so next week we should get a sense of how much shoppers really supported local businesses this year. >> how does a merchant sign up for small business saturday? is there a way to let people know? >> there's shopsmall.com, that's amex's website. and they have neighborhood champions and there are about 3,500 of them this year across the country and they're rent listed with each signing up about ten other local retailers. that could be up to 35,000 businesses participating. >> that's great. thank you so much. >> thank you. up next, we're "on the money." a guide to giving.

if charity is on your mind and you want to donate, how to make sure your money is going where you really want it to. and later, before she was the queen of suspense, best-selling author mary higgins clark had a very different job at a hotel switchboard. >> hotel chatel, good afternoon. and then i'd listen in. sure, tv has evolved over the years.

it's gotten squarer. brighter. bigger. it's gotten thinner. even curvier. but what's next? for all binge watchers. movie geeks. sports freaks. x1 from xfinity will change the way you experience tv. americans gave away a record pile of cash to charity last

year. nearly $360 billion, according to the giving usa foundation. this year if you're feeling grateful and want to donate, we'll divide you through charitable giving. joining us right now, sharon epperson, on what you need to know about giving. because, of course, it's your money, your future. sharon, i think the biggest question people have is, how do i know that this charity is legitimate? how can you feel good about that? >> you really want to check out the charity. and if it's an organization, you want to make sure it has followed all the requirements by the irs, filled out the form 990 that it needs to, that will give you a lot of the information. you can check out charities on the irs website at irs.gov, but there are also places to go to find out exactly how your money is being used as well. places like guidestar, charitynavigator, charitywatch are great watchdog organizations for charitable organization to find out exactly where the money's going. >> so it's actually being spent on the charitable causes you care about and not on administrative fees. >> it gives you a breakdown, to tell you, how much is going to

administration, how much is going to programming, and how much of the money you're actually donating is going then to more fund-raising activities. >> where do people tend to donate the most? >> really just organizations. many people at their houses of worship will donate. that's about where a third of all donations go, to religious organizations. but after that, a lot go to education, human services, health organizations. there's a wide range and a lot of money. >> we talk about this all the time, but what's the average donation? is this coming from really big-ticket items or people who are giving a little bit -- >> we say religious organizations, but the idea of tithing 10% is not really the average. the average is more like 3% that people give for households. the amount of money is around $3,000. not quite, but around that amount and about 95% of households give something. it can add up. >> so this is the time of year when people tend to think about this, not only because it's an important time, at the holidays, you start thinking about people who don't have as much, but it's also the end of the year for tax

year. >> it is. so you are thinking about making a generous contribution to the charity of your choice, but also think about the generous tax break that you may be able to get for making the donation. you need to make sure you make that donation by december 31st. and you can give in many ways. you can give a cash contribution. you can give household items. just make sure you have all the receipts and all the documentation for what you give, so you can write that off on your taxes. make sure that you follow all of the deadlines is and such that you need to, that december 31st is key. and the same applies for appreciated assets if you wanted to donate appreciated assets, that's a great way to get a donation, get a break on your income taxes and not have to pay capital gains tax. >> sharon, thank you so much. up next on the money, a look at the news for the week ahead. and the best-selling queen of suspense, mary higgins clark, on the unusual way she writes each new thriller. >> i don't know the final scene when i start the first.

for more on our show and on our guest, you can go to our website, otm.cnbc.com. and you can also follow us on twitter @onthemoney. here are the stories coming up that may impact your money this week. monday is cybermonday. that's one of the biggest online shopping days of the year. on tuesday, we get november auto sales. also on tuesday, the 60th anniversary of rosa parks, refusing to give up her seat on a bus. her act of defiance became a

catalyst for the civil rights movement. and the unofficial christmas season begins on wednesday, with a lights ceremony for the rockefeller christmas tree. on thursday, the ism nonmanufacturing report for november is out. and on friday, we'll be getting the big november of the week. that's the unemployment report for november. author mary higgins clark is the queen of suspense. she's written more than 50 books and sold more than 100 million copies. her path to the top of the best sellers list may surprise you. her latest novel, "all dressed in white" is in stores now. it was her 51st book. and when we spoke recently, i told her that was a number that was heaard for me to grasp. >> me too. i'm constantly surprised. >> but you started writing a little later in life. it wasn't the first thing that you were doing. you were someone who had worked for a long series of careers. how did you pick up writing, how did you get into publishing? what brought you to it? >> actually, i had been writing

since i was 6 years old. when i could put two words together, i was writing a poem, i was writing skits for my brothers to act in. >> the first book was published when you were in your 30s? >> short stories in my 30s, yes. and then there was no market for short stories. and then i wrote a book about george washington, which no one read at that time, but became a best seller after it was re-introduced. "mount vernon love story," baut at that time, i made no money on it. and i looked at my book shelves and realized i loved suspense more than any other subject. and i had always been reading it. and i thought, i know why the good authors work and their stories work and why others don't work, and i thought, let's see if i can write a suspense. and that was "where are the children?" and that became a best seller and launched me,

thank heaven. >> what is the secret? what do good authors do? what is a good story? >> a good story has to keep you involved. in my case, it's always a woman, a young woman, and she's smart, intelligent, and something happens. she's not on the wrong side of town at 4:00 in the morning. she's living her life and something causes it. and by her own intelligence, she works her way out of it. and that's been the basic thing of all of mine, with different situations, of course. because you never want to repeat yourself. >> is that a theme you relate to? >> well, i guess i do, because i was a young widow and i had five kids to support and actually even before that, my brother died when i was very young. so i was working my way through school. >> let's talk about that. you've worked your whole life to support your mother, your family, your children along the way. you've had some pretty

interesting jobs along the way before you started writing. >> oh, my god, telephone operator. hotel chatel, good afternoon. and then i'd listen in. there was a lady of the house, and i always listened in on her, because i loved to hear her make her dates. but then i was a pan am flight hostess, and that was extremely glamorous, in those days. i mean, 1949/'50. flying was still so new and i had europe, africa, and asia. so for 21 years old to be all over the world in those days was pretty nifty. >> you did some modeling with grace kelly, didn't you? >> my hand, holding up a tabulating, $5 for doing it. >> technology has changed a lot. how do you keep adapting? >> the biggest way you adapt, no longer you get those enormous amounts of money, because people aren't reading as much.

it's very simple. >> why do you think people are reading less these days? >> well, there's the internet. there's facebook, there's twitter. you know, there are so many diversions. >> obviously, you don't have to keep doing this, but you must love it? >> well, suppose i just said, i'm retired and i would go, now what do i do? because i love to write. >> so you're working on 52 right now? >> oh, yeah, "as time goes by." that is about a 43-year-old on trial for murdering her alzheimer's husband. and the younger brother who's searching for her birth mother. >> wow. >> and things happen. >> do you know how things are going to end, or do you make this up as you go along. >> you have to know who did it and why he or she did it, because you must know. i don't know the final scene when i start the first. i have to -- i have to figure that one out.

but the people tell me. once i know the people, they tell me where to go now and what's next. i mean, i can be writing and someone will say, a character will say, i don't belong in this scene, i'm getting out, and that's when writing is fun. >> mary, i want to thank you so much for coming in today. it's been a pleasure meeting you. >> well, thank. it's lovely to be here with you. >> that's the show for today. i'm becky quick. thank you so much for joining me. next week, now that you've taken some new family photos over the holidays, we hope, we'll show you the best way to store those priceless pictures. each week, keep it right here, we're "on the money." have a great one. and we'll see you next weekend.

>> narrator: in this episode of "american green"... staten island native joe mazella wants to help friends and neighbors with the promise of using their money to turn distressed properties into highly profitable residential oases. >> joe's pitches were just like you going out and having a beer with a friend. >> narrator: he lures in retirees, policeman, firemen, and even members of the deaf community, but this opportunity is a $14-million scam, where his clients' savings and lives end up as gutted as his junk properties. >> i was calling him every single day. "where's my money? where's my money? where's my money?" and there was no money. nothing came.