Holiday retail sales are up nearly 4.9% this season. "Giftology" author John Ruhlin shares his picks for the top trends in gifts for the 2017 holiday season. The top trends this year include personalization, being locally made, artificial intelligence enabled selection, conscious capitalism, and practicality over novelty. Ruhlin says Amazon's launch of Marketplace is a great example of how the e-commerce giant is capitalizing on the growing popularity of personalization. Shoppers spent more than $800 billion during this holiday season according to Reuters. Ruhlin says ultimately its the story that sells to consumers.

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Small grocers and convenience stores feel an impact as customers go without SNAP benefits
Some small grocery stores and neighborhood convenience stores are eager for the U.S. government shutdown to end and for their customers to start receiving federal food aid again. Late last month, the Trump administration froze funding for the SNAP benefits that about 42 million Americans use to buy groceries. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says about 74% of the assistance was spent last year at superstores like Walmart and supermarkets like Kroger. Around 14% went to smaller stores that are more accessible to SNAP beneficiaries. A former director of the United Nations World Food Program says SNAP is not only a social safety net for families but a local economic engine that supports neighborhood businesses.
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