Halloween pop-up stores, which typically materialize a month or two before October 31 and disappear shortly thereafter, have become as sure a sign of the holiday as candy corn, Stephen King reruns, and trees full of toilet paper.

Seventy percent of women and 57 percent of men admit to sleeping with their pets, according to a recent survey of 1,313 Consumer Reports subscribers who owned a cat or dog (or both). Women are also a lot more likely to sign cards with a pet's name or picture, and give holiday gifts to Rover and Garfield.

A lot of back-to-school shopping—and shopping research—is happening on mobile devices this school year, according to the National Retail Federation. Its 2012 Back-to-School and College Surveys found that almost seven of 10 tablet owners will shop for school and college items using their tablets, and more than half of all smart-phone owners will shop via their phones.

Retailers may be in for disappointing back-to-school sales this year. The Consumer Reports Index, a gauge of consumer financial health, shows that Americans' retail spending declined slightly in the past month. In addition, purchases registered a sharp decline when compared to a year ago.

A legal settlement Friday between credit card issuers and merchants will allow stores to apply a surcharge at checkout if you pay with credit. Previously, major credit card issuers, such as Visa and Mastercard, didn't allow merchants to charge such fees.

Which type of push lawn mower do you think is least expensive to buy and operate? Gas, corded electric or cordless? You're right if you said a corded electric. Consumer Reports' top-rated corded models cost about the same as gasoline-powered push mowers, around $200. (Consider the Black & Decker MM875, $240.) And they're less expensive to operate.

We asked our Facebook fans whether Starbucks' recent announcement that it will sell mugs made in the U.S.A. would make them more likely to patronize the Seattle coffee giant.

According to a new survey, 52 percent of fathers now identify themselves as the primary grocery shopper in their household, and while not all moms agree, about 35 percent say that over the past few years, dad has taken on more of the shopping.

Your mother or wife or any of the other moms you're getting a gift for might appreciate a nice box of chocolates, and as Mother's Day is fast approaching (Sunday May 13), you might want to check our recent boxed chocolate test results before grabbing a box off the nearest display rack just for convenience sake.

We're heading into the busy summer travel season and if a road trip is in your getaway plans, a used SUV may be a good choice to fit the family and gear. As we have been reminded by our recent tests, new SUVs can be pricey. To make shopping easier, we have identified some of the best used deals on small and midsized SUVs.

Target has announced it will stop selling Kindles in its stores, depriving shoppers of one of the few venues in which they can look at and use Amazon's tablets and e-book readers before they buy one.

You shouldn't throw your old electronics items out with the trash for two reasons. First, because of all the toxins they can contain, and second, because you may be able to cash in those old gadgets at any number of electronics stores or online sites.

Today's electronics deals, courtesy of The Consumerist:

Today's electronics deals, courtesy of The Consumerist:

Today's electronics deals, courtesy of The Consumerist: