costco, the largest distributor of wine in the country.ow, let's get some weather from sam. >> when you go to costco, you don't come out with an arm full of everything. that would include, i guess, wine. can i welcome chef vinny transom. it's a holiday tradition that we show you some of these incredible houses from the national gingerbread competition at the grove park inn and spa in north carolina. they have about 250 houses. thanks, josh, by the way. about 250 houses this year in the competition. and they brought a few of them here. i want to get right into the zoom in here. this stuff is so incredible. you can't even believe it was edible. so, tell me a little about this one. this is the winner. this is michael, new kingson, pennsylvania. >> 2011, one of our top ten. and notice the detail to the artwork. >> this is pasta. i can turn it around so you can see it. when you're drying pasta to look like grapevines, you're doing something here. >> and all of the flowers are gum paste. >> and they're hand-painted, right? can you see the flower

costco, the largest distributor of wine in the country. going there and getting great deals. >>> now, let's get some weather from sam. >> when you go to costco, you don't come out with an arm full of everything. that would include, i guess, wine. can i welcome chef vinny transom. it's a holiday tradition that we show you some of these incredible houses from the national gingerbread competition at the grove park inn and spa in north carolina. they have about 250 houses. thanks, josh, by the way. about 250 houses this year in the competition. and they brought a few of them here. i want to get right into the zoom in here. this stuff is so incredible. you can't even believe it was edible. so, tell me a little about this one. this is the winner. this is michael, new kingson, pennsylvania. >> 2011, one of our top ten. and notice the detail to the artwork. >> this is pasta. i can turn it around so you can see it. when you're drying pasta to look like grapevines, you're doing something here. >> and all of the flowers are gum paste. >> and they're

the owners took a page out of costco's play book, it's now a members-only store.is store is what dreams are made of. but this july, the store owner was ready to close her popular store after 15 years in business. it and wasn't because of the economy or lack of customers. it was theft. >> there had been so much merchandise stolen that month and the month before. i said that is it. what am i in business for? to give merchandise way? i can't afford that. i work seven days a week. >> if they walk out of the door i can run after them and stop them that way z all th the -- the police said they have to push me aside and say no. >> becker had idea to turn the store into a membership only shopping club. big box stores like costco have successfully built businesses on a membership only model. but it's unusual for a mom and pop store to do the same. the cost to run a program can be costly and time consuming and some shop owners just want to get customers into the store. becker decided her members would not need to pay a fee to join. instead, customers fill out a card, provid

. >> safeway, costco. >> what is your general plan? is it a tapioca cafe? >> simple snacks. probably a little bit of sandwich. >> would be sweet or savory things as well? >> probably ice cream. >> i am trying to figure out if i could have lunch there is, or if i would go after lunch. >> probably after lunch. >> more of a desert kind of place. because of the relationship, i guess i am confused about the plan. this architect, who hired him? >> my family. tommy is busy. he forgot to change it. >> where does the other name comes from? it is not a formula retail? in the u.s. there is only one location. quickly is a separate brand. we have that issue -- for example blacks leave was considered formula retail, but when a store by gap opened, it was a different line. i am trying to figure out what your relationship is. did they own the space at some point, or were they looking at the space? >> no, that was different. i do not have a lot of money. it is not easy to maintain this lease. it was june when we applied the lease, and on the last day, opposition filed this review. >> i am tr

electronics back, you can be paid within a week by check or be paid through a cow or receive an amazon or costco cash card. it is pretty simple. gesell is a good way to get some money for your older gadgets. >>grant: according to a new survey from the national retail federation, $41 billion in gift cards have not been redeemed since 2005. meanwhile, consumers were much more conscientious with the economy shaky and the stock- market--the stock market rocky. here's a look at some of the economic trends of 2011. >> most investors founded 2011 pretty tough to stomach. >> we all know there is a lot of uncertainty with finances. the markets reflect that uncertainty. with apps with one of >>janu: and makes that the '30's and 40's. all right, the '30's will grow more widespread. we will set the clock further ahead to tomorrow afternoon. afternoon highs will get into the upper 50s songs create v zynga and >>janu: in the north bay will get to about 57 degrees. >>grant: coming up, a 49ers. throw twitter limbaugh doing if >>vern: from the 49ers have clinched the first round bye week. we will show you how th

macy's, costco, and the limited all had gains that beat wall street estimates. the overall tally for the 21 retailers reported revenue was a rise of 3.2%. >> a lot of black trysails or run by credit cards. credit card use is up 7.4% over the past year. that is a trend that is expected to continue. when the recession first hit people pull back from using plastic. now, there is some signs of recovery so more people are turning back to credit cards. >> would you like some help paying off those bills from the irs tax the tax man has more than $150 million in undelivered tax refunds. the average check is about $1,500. if you were supposed to get a refund and you have not, you can log on to the irs website and find out if it is still there for you. there is a link on our web site wjla.com. "a nice christmas gift. >> to you want to check what i do the weather? >> . chile. clear. it is december the first that is what we expect. let's get you started on a thursday evening. it is 44 and gaithersburg. we will set out conditions south of the city in woodbridge. 43 degrees i

. >> dangerous mistakes costçó f them for making serious mista )+q"xdok safety.sfá at the wrong temperature. theñg6ñr vaccines may have been ineffective and theyfá fined th children's hospitalÑ)çpt( for a u$at impacted an çóinfant.fá >> we're an interesting newscasp so far. we want to settle things down. >> we warmed up seven degrees from this time last night.qk we arefá g@afually buching up across the bay area and 4 degree increase inçó oakland and 2 in hayward. v%s definitely an increase. 38 in napa. fo. 38 in santa rosa. 3ál holding on to 50 in san francisco. we haven't seen that for over a week. sfra in santae1 Ñicruz. east bay and staying sunny for friday. we will look at a few showers in the seven-day forecast. we don't have storm systems off the coastline, bute1 we are chd indefinitely could bring us @(t& first sipe ofw3 showersi=$ut ha staying offshore and staying dró in the first part rtko weekend > head throughout theqc morn hour. patchy fog for the north bay and still cool with plenty of sunshine. starts toxdÑi lineup saturday n at 9:00 p.m. the cha

don king, i hope that costco responds. can debate politics. >> you just said it. take a trip back in history. thomas jefferson said many years ago that our liberties are more dangerously imperilled by the banking institution than by standing armies. it causes unemployment, he says, homelessness, joblessness and this is like 200 years ago and it's all coming to bear fruit right now where people are homeless and jobless and their houses are being foreclosed on. and in cleveland, they're tearing down houses that were good houses because the house -- the mortgage is double what the people would owe. or what the house is worth. it's a sad commentary for us in america, the greatest nation in the world and to be able to suffer this type of situation where our people are starving and not having jobs, we should just create a job -- >> we have to do it. we're going to bring you back on and talk at length and go through the points. don and tamika, thanks for joining us. >> only in america! >> let me say this, as you see these people

the theory is that many of them will really be hit badly if the wal-marts and costco's are let into the country. on the other hand government and business and economic analysts are saying it's very important for india to take the step, because it needs it for its own economic growth and it will help push prices down. this country has been battling inflation for a long time. so whether this policy will see the light of day. >> let's go back to economic matters. pretty gloomy, aren't they? certainly in this part of the world but many countries are suffering from an economic downturn and others are growing rapidly. how about argentina? a decade after its currency, the peso, collapsed. we have more. >> argentina is growing. the country is enjoying one of the biggest booms in its history and one of the fastest-growing countries on the planet. >> on busy streets here you can sense the vibrant country. leigh behind the once shadows of a dark past. >> argentina had one of the worst economic meltdowns in history. on the third of december of 2001 the argentine government restricted the amount of

costco fell on disappointing earnings. watch texas instruments today. after hours, ti cut quarterly outlook. wells fargo is paying $148 million to settle claims it overcharged on state and local government investments. and finally, coca-cola moved its secret formula for the first time since 1925, from a bank vault to a new exhibit at the company's downtown atlanta museum. but the 1886 formula itself remains hidden from view. so, you're out of luck there. >>> coming up, albert says so long to st. louis. the nba says no way. and a very embarrassing moment at baseball's winter meetings. plus, big ben takes a licking but comes back to lead the steelers to a victory. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. >>> and the weekend forecast is looking great. chillier than we'd like but overall no travel trouble. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today." >>> good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, quite simply the los angeles angels spent more money in a day than any team has in the history of baseb

costco, nordstrom and other retailers rose on strong retail sales. barnes & noble plunged after a quarterly loss. on the upside, yahoo gained on news it may have bidders. >>> us airways jumped on an upgrade and american airlines merger speculation. elsewhere, massachusetts attorney general sued bank of america, jpmorgan chase, citigroup, wells fargo and gmac mortgage for deceptive business practices with mortgages. clearwire cut a deal with majority owner and biggest customer sprint nextel. resolving a battle that threatened clearwire with bankruptcy. and finally, just a month after rolling out classic coke in a holiday white can, coke is switching back to red. seems white cans had drinkers seeing red. some confused it with diet coke while others actually complained coke tastes different in a white can. amazing what the mind can do to you. >>> coming up, a new coach can't help the caps. the vikings start house cleaning and a last-second thriller in college football. and thursday night nfl football proves eagles are no match for seahawks. your early m

. >> you like costco. >> i did.bought back nine million in shares and plan to spend four billion more by 2015 . great indication of more growth. >> buy backs mean that they are about to go up. >> talking about letting shares get out of control and expenses out of control. go with walmart

we're due to see quarterly results from both ends of the retail spectrum, costco and harry winston diamond. we'll also see weekly jobless claims and october wholesale numbers. plus jon corzine will head to capitol hill to testify before a house committee. >> susie: federal regulators charge bp with a new set of oil spill violations, today's charges builds on earlier allegations that bp, halliburton and trans-ocean together ran afoul of 15 off shore regulations in drilling, designing and cementing the failed well last year. the companies already face up to 46 million in fines for those earlier citations. bp has 60 days to appeal the latest violations. the company said it plans to do just that. >> tom: the obama administration says too big banks are not doing enough to help american homeowners avoid foreclosure. the treasury department says j. p. morgan chase and bank of america are doing a poor job of helping people lower mortgage payments as part of the government's own foreclosure prevention program. the treasury department plans to withhold payments from that program to both banks for a

retailer costco fell 2.5%. the justice department is looking into whether apple was involved in anti-competitive practices for the book sales serious >>mark: plaintiffs in it. verses' brown for proposition 8 will go before the ninth circuit court tomorrow to explain why videotapes of the proposition 8 top trial should be publicly accessible. >>mark: a south bay high school achieving coat is behind bars suspected of sexually abusing a minor over three months beginning in september while he was coaching at andrew hill high school and energy athletics and san jose. investigators say the abuse began over a three month period ended in not believe there are any other victims. >>darya: we're back with more in a couple minutes. here's a live look outside from the roof on van ness ave. the fog is a floating and around the bay to date. is it little gentle breeze and school temperatures. we will be right back. >>mark: the fog is rolling in and around the bay area. here is a look from san francisco, our roof camera. >>dary

. >>> the environmental effects of the costco oil spill might be more thanking long lasting -- might be more longer lasting than originally thought. it caused long-term damage to the population. the san francisco bay's only commercially fished species. as recently as last year, scientists say that the herring embryos continue to show the heart defects. typically a symptom of oil exposure. >>> the man suspected of shooting a young soldier here is now in police custody. the 22-year-old christopher sullivan was shot on friday night. the 19-year-old rubin gerrardo turned himself today, a guest at his homecoming party when witnesses said he shot sullivan twice. he is now paralyzed from the neck down. he received a purple heart last year after being injured in a suicide bomb attack in afghanistan. >>> in texas, police say that the man who shot six family members before killing himself was dressed up as santa claus. officers responded to an apartment in the dallas suburb of grapevine yesterday after they received a 911 call and no one was on the line. two handguns were found near the bodies

costco fell on disappointing earnings. watch texas instruments today.ours, ti cut its quarterly outlook and warned of low demand. wells fargo is paying $148 million to settle claims it overcharged on state and local government investments. >>> all right. the time has come. finally, coca-cola has moved its secret formula for the first time since 1925, this from a bank vault to a new exhibit at the company's downtown atlanta museum. but there's a catch. the 1886 formula itself remains hidden from view. so you're just going to have to wait. >>> coming up, albert says so long to st. louis. the nba says no way. and a very embarrassing moment at baseball's winter meetings. plus, big ben takes a licking but comes back to lead the steelers to victory. your first look at sports is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. the droid razr by motorola. the newest droid armed with motocast. granting you wireless access to files on your home computer from almost anywhere. 4g lte equipped to pull pictures, music, and movies. all at mind-melting speeds. po

costco, in orderstrom and other row tailors rose on strong november sales.gained on news it may have bidders. u.s. airways jumped on an upgrade and merger speculation. >>> and sued bank of america, jp morgan chase, wellsing foro. for deceptive business practices. clear wire cut a deal with its majority owner, resolving a battle that threatened clear wire with bankruptcy. and finally you've seen these, right? it's just a month after they rolled out the classic coke in a holiday white can. now they're switching back to red. it seems white cans had drinkers seeing red. some confused it with diet coke, he admit i did this, once, while others actually complained coke tasted different in a white can. amazing the tricks your mind can play on you. coming up, a new coach can't help the caps, the vikings start house-cleaning and a second thriller in college football. plus, thursday night nfl football proved eagles are no match for the seahawks. your "first look" at sports is straight ahead, you're watching "first look" on msnbc. congratulations. congratulations. congr

we got to give a shout out to costco because they matched one team's purchases donating 750 pounds of rice and all of the food is headed to the san francisco food bank. you got to know though, we're really competitive here. and when they split us up into teams, it gets really competitive. which is a great thing. we want to welcome julius robinson from union bank, as well as food bank executive director paul ash. welcome, guys. >> thank you. >> you have a huge check to give to us. tell us what have you for us today. >> we have a check for $30,000 which will go to the food bank. and it represents an ongoing commitment on the part of union bank to help out the food bank. you know, these last couple of years, things have been very, very difficult in america. and the food banks represent a wonderful resource for people who find themselves in some unusually tough situations. >> and for you, as kind of a leader of union bank, how did you motivate people to donate this year? >> we've been really proud of the way our employees have really come out. we are going to do about 44,000 hours of volu

major retailers are offering live trees on their websites, including costco, sears, and target.ine sales of cut trees are still a fraction of the 27 million plus christmas trees expected to be purchased this year. i don't know, joe. you feel like you've got to touch it and smell it and be a part of the process. >> i think the delivery dude will come in and decorate it too? >> i know. >> put these lights on it. >> outsource everything. >> exactly. there goes that tradition. stay with us now. "news 4 today" continues right now at 5:00 a.m. >>> a standoff between occupy d.c. protesters and police ends with several people being arrested. >> a new round of cutbacks at the post office could have a big effect o

you over the course of the accompanied by three vehicles there has been in dispute since july when costco sent its own customs officers to the checkpoint minorities reacted by erect barricades closer is controlled by ethnic albanians who declared independence three years ago it is home to more than one hundred thousand serbs. while aussies always keep an eye on developments in kosovo as well as other potential world hotspots online right now to die hard to stand in the u.s. again take the time following a deadly nato air strike with some experts saying islam about to start openly defying u.s. policy in the region. also he's never short of a few choice words this time five minutes of video good in takes aim at us then is it john mccain find out more at r.t. dot com. now egyptian protesters have clashed with police in cairo after pictures of a detained activist badly beaten by offices spread online the country is currently holding a long running election process to replace the military rulers who have been in place since president mubarak was ousted back in february let's talk live now to d

we have a parking receipt, costco resee, a gas receipt.n say you want to track your spending by creating a graph. you choose the date you want to track. go back to november 26, in case you did black friday spending. click in the date then say we stop our receipt collecting december 26, which could be today. then you are done with that. then your graph is created. you can see it there on your screen. i'm not having a lot of luck with this today, but, this is really good if you want to track receipts or if you want to do your tax preparation. there we go. there you have your graph and you can actually see the payee, the date and time of expenses as well as the amount. it's a great app. you can get a report of everything you collected receipts for and send it to your e-mail. what's easier than that? >> a lot of receipts to go through, pat, i know you do. >> i tabulated most of them last night using mikhail cuelator. that was before i found out about this. >>> when we return, some of the most memorable and funny moments from 2011. we'll take a

it my be a tissue you bought at costco but you say give me a kleenex. of mind. >> mary buffett, thank you for coming in. >> my pleasure. >>> ahead, why you can't afford to ignore the fine print when it comes to flood insurance. >> one city in california are tell insurers we don't have to pay. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. captain, we have to keep going! [ growling ] one step at a time. come on, snowy. look! did you ever see a more beautiful sight? captain! it's just a mirage. - snowy? what is it, boy? - [ barks ] what do you see? [ yipping ] [ woman announcing ] just like snowy, your dog's one of a kind. overactive imagination and all. [ barking ] long live your buddy. long live your dog. [ tintin ] snowy! purina dog chow. see the adventures of tintin, only in theaters. when you spend more days than not separated from your own life... when the only thing you can be sure of is migraines with 15 or more headache days a month, you're living a maybe life. and you may be living with chronic migraine. but knowing that this thing you're going throug

wal-mart's great value paper towel and costco kirkland signature paper towels performed well for a greatce. "consumer reports" said that the green claim paper towels were only fair and went to the bottom of the ratings. bounty at the top again. >> i can see the commercials now. >> thank you, liz. >>> next, a crucified skeleton causes controversy. >>> and a flashing roadside becomes a distraction this morning. >>> in sports, >>> get a load of this road sign this morning on cabin john that had an unusual message for commuters in maryland along macarthur boulevard in cabin john. but m dot said it was hacked but they said it is privately owned. it's not there any more. it has been taken down for safety reasons. >> wonder who bought that. >> i didn't hear any honking horns. >> and for good reason. >>> in loudoun county controversy holiday displays are on the courthouse lawn and will remain. >> a skeleton santa on a cross caused a bit of a stir. >> reporter: that display has been removed for now but it caused the board of supervisors to recanner the policy that gives nine applicants the chance

at costco. bet. >> time for this morning's top stories. at least 15 suspected terrorists dug a tunnel out of a prison in south yemen. this is an area where militants have seized entire chunks of a province. >>> conservative republicans are on the record saying that congress will reach an agreement before the end of the year to extend the payroll tax cut. that signals a shift in position for the gop. senator lindsey graham of south carolina and senate majority leader mitch mcconnell on the right making the rounds on the sunday morning talk shows conceding we need to extend the tax break that is saving the average american worker about $1,000 a year. >> i believe we should extend the payroll tax holiday another year, avoid a tax increase on working people for another year. i also agree with senator reid that we ought not to do it again next year. we know that's an emergency package, coupled with an extension of unemployment, with some reforms. but at the same time, chris, we'd like to create some

opening bell, china visiting from nasdaq this morning, nasdaq is up above 12,000 gained 500 points, and costco and limited brand have better sales than expected, barns and noble is expected to report some good retail sales as well. >>> good morning, it is thursday the first day of december, i am dave clark. >>> for the news right now, we are following this story, two people were critically injured just hours ago in an early morning fire which happened just two hours ago in the city's mission district. tara moriarty has more on what happened, what do you know? >> reporter: two victims are critically injured with severe burns and they have been transferred to a hospital. we have learned more about the dramatic rescue where a firefighter brought a victim down that ladder. the apartments that caught fire -- >> my roommate alice was yelling get up -- get up and i was just going why because i didn't understand and she said because there is a fire. >> reporter: now flames broke out and within three minutes, the fire was upgraded to a three-alarm fire. they are not sure if it was located in a bedroom

costco takes pretty much anything back any time.ou can offer extended warranty coverage for tvs, computers. l.l. bean is one of the more lenient too. year in and year out they take pretty much anything back. >> what are some of the most important things to keep in mind to make your returns successful? >> it is going to be busy. 1 in 5 people actually make returns. it is a good idea to have the receipt even though some stores may not require it. it is your best defense. you want to know the time frame you have to make the return. most merchants will give you 90 days but you may only have a couple weeks for certain items such as electronics and the restocking fee. though some stores aren't charging it some still are tan may not just apply to electronics but other items as well such as special orders. >> this is where regifting comes in. if you don't want to stand in the line you could give it away. >> you could do it. it is perfectly acceptable particularly in these tough economic times. follow the rules. has to be a new item not some

costco takes pretty much anything back any time.s. you can offer extended warranty coverage for tvs, computers. l.l. bean is one of the more lenient too. year in and year out they take pretty much anything back. >> what are some of the most important things to keep in mind to make your returns successful? >> it is going to be busy. 1 in 5 people actually make returns. it is a good idea to have the receipt even though some stores may not require it. it is your best defense. you want to know the time frame you have to make the return. most merchants will give you 90 days but you may only have a couple weeks for certain items such as electronics and the restocking fee. though some stores aren't charging it some still are tan may not just apply to electronics but other items as well such as special orders. >> this is where regifting comes in. if you don't want to stand in the line you could give it away. >> you could do it. it is perfectly acceptable particularly in these tough economic times. follow the rules. has to be a new item not

i was thinking of going to costco today. why would you do that? why would you risk draining all of your christmas spirit out of you just to find a parking space at the mall? >> while derek was out there we saw that he was layered up. >> a bit of the chill. >> don't let the sun deceive it. there is a chill out there. >> it is december. late december at that. even with some sunshine it's going to feel on the cool side today. the northerly breeze will help put a little bit of the windchill factor in as well. with temperatures later this afternoon climbing into the mid and upper 40s, it's really not going to be all that cold for christmas eve if you're headed out to the game kicks it off at 1:00ed a fedex field. good weather for football, but it will be chilly. the sun will be down probably before the game is over. right now a mix of clouds and sunshine. increasing amounts of sunshine. the northerly wind 17 miles per hour putting windchills back in the mid 30s around washington. 37 now in gaithersburg. 41 in camp springs. 42 in huntingtown. 43 in anp

we have lots of coupons out in the market place at subway, costco stores, check us out. >> lots of great stuff to see here. that looks like the kremlin. let's talk about weather because while it is cold in here, it is balmy outside. continues will shoot into the low 60s with some showers on and off. today will be less wet than tomorrow. another area of low pressure heads this way. this morning on live doppler 9000 hd, we've been watching the action north and west of town. you can see in montgomery and howard counties extending down into parts of northern, fauquier through warrenton over toward luray, even around winchester up around frederick moving northeast. we have wet streets out there with temperatures way above normal. they're running in the 50s to low 60s down in fredericksburg and pax river. cumberland is the only spot in the 40s. a very warm day for this time of year. we've got an area of low pressure, one passing to the north now. trailing a front to the west. some heavier showers moving in toward the roanoke area. those could be here in the next few hours. a break this afterno

we are off middle field road near a costco store.tim ran inside the fast food place to get help. the other was still on the ground until the parking lot when officials arrived. one victim was struck in the arm the other in a leg. there were people out doing holiday shopping last night. they heard the gunshots and saw the suspects drive off. police are looking for four suspects. two ran away. two men described in their 30s escaped in that window. investigators should be arriving sometime before 7:00. we are live in redwood city i'm tara moriarty ktvu channel 2 news. >>> our time now 6:33. now fliers are out warning people at oakland rock ridge neighborhood about armed robberies. these fliers can be seen up and down through the neighborhood. now one mugging is reported from last month. two men told a female victim to lay down on the sidewalk and stole their purse. stay right here with ktvu channel 2 morning news. we are checking with oakland police this morning. we will find out what they are saying about the passing out of these new f

the red team -- [ applause and cheers ] >> thank you very much the 5,000 pounds with the help of costco which donated, matched some of it. this is not completely self- serving story we did. we do this to help other companies. you know, they really do need your help. it's a challenge. if anybody out there can do this it's a good idea. >> it is. throw down the gauntlet. >> thank you. >>> it's one of the biggest leaps forward yet for the new bay bridge. today crews began the painstakingly slow process of installing the suspension cable. over the next six months, crews will install 137 separate strands. but the one put in place today is the toughest. crews will crews will spend a few days installing it to work out any kinks in the installation process. then workers will be able to pull as many as three to four of those strands a week. weather permitting. >> we finally have rain coming up which translates into snow for the high sierra but not so much tonight. winter arrives at 9:30 tonight. let's look at the last autumn evening where we have lots of clear skies after highs today of 57 degree

you also cut your costs if you shop for a phone at wal-mart, costco, or radio shack.may not have a wide variety, but you can save money, a smart move whether or not you get a smart phone. >> here's how the four major carriers ranked in our area for voice, text, and data. sprint came in first, verison came in second. t mobile came in third, and at&t right at the bottom with a customer satisfaction rating of just 60. >>> all right, today's toy pick of the day is all about satisfaction. it's going to make you smile. there's a cranky toy for the two cranky guys. always have something to say about my toys. this is the thomas and friends track master cranky save the day. and it works. >> it does. >> look at this. >> we'll wait and be the judge of that. >> the trains are moving. >> we like this. and then check out cranky. watch what cranky can do. cranky picks up the load. he can take it up. he can bring it down. go cranky. he can turn around. >> can he load it in the back of the truck? >> he can, but i'm not going that far because i'm not pushing my luck. this toy needs a w

major retailers are offering live trees on their websites, including costco, sears, and target.sa today" online sales of cut trees are just a fraction. 27 million plus christmas trees expected to be purchased this year. then when they deliver to your doorstep, you have to put the thing on the top of your car, drive around the neighborhood, so people think you went to the beth! hi. looking good! you've lost some weight. thanks! you noticed! you know these clothes are too big now, so i'm donating them. not going back there again. good for you! how'd you do it? eating right, whole grain. whole grain? whole grain. [ femalennouncer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't... multigrain cheerios has five whole grains and 110 lightly sweetened calories per serving... more grains. less you! multigrain cheerios. >>> good morning. newt rising. newt gingrich surges to the top of the gop field in iowa and is set to meet with power broker donald trump today, as trump takes heat for his plan to moderate a republican debate. this morning the donald answers h

costco up 9%. sacks up 9%. j.c. penney saw an erosion of 2%. they had a bad black friday because they don't open until 9:00 a.m. on friday. >> shep: you can catch her program, the willis report, weekday afternoons, 5:00 o'clock eastern time, 4 on the "fox business" network. >>> it's been more than four months since the disappearance of an american woman in aruba and today the lone suspect in the case spoke out. he's now back in the united states after four months in jail. but in an interview on abc's "good morning america," he had a few answers for what happened to robyn gardner, except to say her disappearance may have had something to do with drugs and human trafficking. more on that in a moment. as you'll recall, gardner disappeared while on vacation with a man she reportedly met on-line. that travel companion claims she vanished while they were snorkeling during a storm. investigators on aruba have said they don't buy that story at all. for one, there was no storm. and then there is the matter of a $1.5 million life insurance policy. the su

could get a better picture of how some people are spending their money at big general stores like costco the upcoming week in the world of business. >> reporter: the stock markets have been rising. the nation's jobless rate is falling. more confident americans are spending more money online and at the malls. investors still keeping an eye on the debt crisis in europe. leaders meet this week in brussels. look for federal regulators here to change how companies use their clients' money. we'll see where consumers are spending their money these days. of course in sports, the lockout see over. a deal to split billions in revenue has been worked out. this week, nba teams begin their training camp. and you better move if you want to make changes to your medicare, health, and drug coverage. open enrollment ends this week, three weeks earlier than in previous years. if you take no action, your existing plan will roll over into next year. get all your business news on cnbc. >> and you can also get your business and tech news before the bell weekdays on "today in the bay." they get started at 4:30