Christmas Dies Hard

We knew the doors were about to open when “Ride of the Valkyries” began to boom over the public-address system. By 4 a.m. on Black Friday in Athens, Georgia, several hundred people had lined up outside Best Buy in the predawn chill, supervised by police straddling motorcycles and ambassadors from a local Chick-fil-A handing out free breakfast biscuits wrapped in foil. Our most dedicated patrons had been sitting outside in folding chairs since the day before. At the front of the line, some people clutched sheets of paper handed out by managers guaranteeing a deeply discounted laptop or camera. (Best Buy devised this ticketing system during my tenure as a salesperson in the mid-2000s to avoid the sort of stampede that makes the news every year.) But many more people had come out in the middle of the night, not to buy a particular product, but to bear witness to the bacchanal of extreme shopping itself and maybe pick up a $5 DVD. I'm still not sure whether, in the Apocalypse Now scene that “Ride of the...

Continue reading ...

  Tweet

What to watch in the top primary races Tuesday

Primary elections that will be held Tuesday will offer a glimpse of what the next Congress could look like, with some marquee matchups testing whether voters want to elect... Read more ...

‘Real Housewives' star LuAnn de Lesseps is renting her Sag Harbor home

A sober LuAnn de Lesseps - an OG star of “The Real Housewives of New York City” - is pitching her own brand of nonalcoholic “Fosé Rosé” this summer while again putting her... Read more ...

NBA star Kevin Love and model Kate Bock put Hamptons house up for rent

Wedding bells will soon be ringing for NBA Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love, 33, and Sports Illustrated cover model Kate Bock, 34, who are getting married in NYC this summer... Read more ...

Hamptons luxury real estate trends: Summer 2022

From jaw-dropping amenities and palatial rentals to a bayside shopping blitz, the Hamptons real estate scene is buzzier than ever. (And also more expensive - see the... Read more ...

F1 legend Sebastian Vettel chases down thieves on scooter using 'Find My'

Vettel found his AirPods, but not the bag they were taken inside or any of his other belongings. What you need to know Four-time Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel had his bag... Read more ...

Atlantic Equities downgrades Roblox, says user engagement is softening on...

The stock's growth-adjusted valuation also looks less attractive than others in the firm's coverage on a relative basis, analysts said. Read more ...

Driver crashes into Raleigh home, flees area

A car crashed into a home on Rock Quarry Road in Raleigh early Tuesday morning, and the driver fled the scene. Read more ...

VIDEOCAST: Cloudy & Cool

Highs in the 60s today with rain holding off until Wednesday. Read more ...

Google Maps workers say they can't afford to return to the office

Citing low pay and high fuel prices, employees of the third-party supplier petition for same flexibility to work from home as Google staff ahead of June 6 deadline. Read more ...

'It's important to remember the sacrifices': Carry the Load spreads Memorial...

'Carry the Load' makes a stop in the Omaha metro, spreading the message about the true meaning of Memorial Day. Read more ...