What happens to the billions in gift cards that go unspent every year?
Billions of dollars' worth of gift cards go unspent every year. Here's what to know about redeeming them — and avoiding scams.
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Billions of dollars' worth of gift cards go unspent every year. Here's what to know about redeeming them — and avoiding scams.
Christmas traditions aren't immune to the inflation we've all been feeling this year. PNC Bank did the research and found the items in the classic song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" would cost a little more than $46,000.
It may seem hard to believe, but after the holidays, the presidential campaign season will really heat up -- and CBS News just out with a new poll on how people are feeling about the economy. CBS News pollster Anthony Salvanto joins us to explain the results.
The Farm Bureau says the cost of a Thanksgiving meal is down 4.5 percent from last year, but man Thanksgiving classics have gotten a lot pricier. CBS News’ Jo Ling Kent reports.
"People have been using the wrong R-word to describe the economy," one economist said. "It's resilience — not recession."
With the youth unemployment rate at a 70-year low, this year's crop of new graduates is likely to have an easier time getting hired.
The government just released the latest report on inflation. CBS News Business Analyst Jill Schlesinger helps break down the report showing a decline for the first time since June 2021.
Prices rose at the slowest rate in two years amid the Federal Reserve's ongoing series of interest rate hikes.
Experts tell CBS News it's a sign high inflation still has a hold on the economy, despite the Fed's efforts to tame it.
Inflation is heating back up, with the Federal Reserve's inflation gauge rising the highest we've seen in months. Consumer prices continue to rise. Experts tell CBS News it's a sign high inflation still has a hold on the economy, despite the Fed's efforts to tame it. Chicago restaurant owners tell CBS 2's Tara Molina they are getting hit twice.
While inflation overall is improving, the prices for food items like eggs continue to increase at a significant pace.
Consumer prices rose less than expected in November, a sign that inflation is cooling a bit. But costs are still up more than 7% since last year. One of the areas still rising: Food.
Annual holiday feast is likely to see sharply higher prices for turkey and other traditional food items.
Organizers said a Thanksgiving dinner last year cost as little as $12 to put together, but this year's cost will be closer to $20.
Thanksgiving dinner is going to cost more this year thanks to inflation. Rising food costs, coupled with supply chain issues are really putting the squeeze on local food pantries. CBS 2's Lauren Victory visited a community pantry in Woodridge that's facing staggering numbers.
That includes everything from appetizers to desserts sides and beverages.
Interest rates mostly impact those buying cars and homes, but businesses borrow money too, and pass along the costs to consumers.
The Federal Reserve raised its key interest rate another three-quarters of a percentage point as it battles the hottest inflation in decades. The impact of the move on consumers is wide-ranging.
The 10 most popular candy brands have seen an average price increase of 13% since 2021, according to Datasembly.
"In the minutes from the Fed's September meeting, they articulated something very clearly. They said they are much more concerned about doing too little on interest rates and inflation rather than too much,"
With inflation forcing many seniors to cut back on food and medicine, annual cost-of-living hike will boost their income.
The most eyepopping increase: an almost 50% jump on a carton of eggs.
So far this year, the centers have served 2,163 guests. Last year in total, the number was 422.
Ron Gresham is struggling to afford the unit where he keeps awards from working with artists like Earth, Wind & Fire and Boys II Men.
The rise in the federal funds rate, which is what banks charge each other for overnight loans, comes as several significant pieces of economic data are released this week.
Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly and Kevin Alcántara each hit a two-run homer, and the Chicago Cubs handed the Los Angeles Dodgers their fourth consecutive loss with a 10-5 victory.
A Chicago Public Schools custodian from Venezuela was detained by ICE when his family went to their asylum appointment a few weeks ago, one of a growing number of immigration arrests across the country.
Seven confirmed tornadoes touched down in the Chicago suburbs one week ago, causing widespread damage, but the storms also brought out the best in some people, including two men who stepped up for their community in a time of need.
A week after seven tornadoes roared through the Chicago suburbs, the lengthy process of cleaning up and rebuilding remained underway on Monday.
Seven people were rescued after their boat capsized on Lake Michigan on Monday evening near 49th Street near the Kenwood neighborhood.
Mayor Brandon Johnson's budget director, Annette Guzman, is stepping down from her post, the mayor's office confirmed Monday night.
Mayor Brandon Johnson has yet to announce if he's running for re-election, but certainly sounded like he was giving a campaign speech at a brief press conference on Monday.
Chicago Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) filed a lawsuit last week, taking the Illinois State Board of Elections to task for what he said are unnecessarily high hurdles for third-party candidates to get on the ballot.
Chicago's Mamdani moment might come in the form of a more socialist City Council. The Chicago DSA is working to oust aldermen and advance taxing the rich.
The order came after Republican Senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn threatened to block Blanche's confirmation for Attorney General if the fund was not rescinded in writing.
The Trump administration is taking aim at power grid operator PJM Interconnection over rising electricity bills that affect Illinois and Indiana residents.
Chicago remained the most bed bug-treated city in the country, according to Orkin's latest annual rankings covering a full year of residential and commercial treatment data.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul this week warned residents cleaning up from last month's storms to be on the lookout for scams.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday signed several new consumer protections into law, including a ban on junk fees.
CBS News Chicago has learned that Illinois home insurance premiums are not only higher than the nation's average, but going up faster too.
East Chicago, Indiana is being placed on a precautionary boil water advisory starting Monday morning for planned installations that could affect water safety.
A new Northwestern Medicine study on long COVID shows women show more neurological symptoms than men.
A lettuce supplier to fast-food giant Taco Bell has been linked to a nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak that has sickened thousands of people, the CDC said.
Chicago just barely made the top 20 in the American College of Sports Medicine's 2026 ranking of the country's fittest cities.
In a major turnaround in the opioid crisis, overdose deaths are falling across Chicago and Cook County.
Nationally, data centers used 17.4 billion gallons of water in 2023 — a figure projected to reach 72.6 billion gallons by 2028, raising concerns about states' water supplies.
Chicago's Wishbone Restaurant will soon be closing after 36 years in business.
The Old Town Pour House isn't in its namesake neighborhood anymore, but it's returning to the central area of Chicago — specifically in the Loop.
Stella's Diner in Chicago's East Lakeview community has gone out of business.
A Wisconsin appeals court reversed a lower court ruling that had declared Act 10 unconstitutional, keeping the 2011 law limiting public workers' collective bargaining rights in place as unions prepare to appeal to the state Supreme Court.
Crews need about a week and a half to tear down the festival site before the city can begin its own inspection — and past cleanup costs have topped $1 million.
Vincent Pastore played Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on all six seasons of "The Sopranos," which aired from 1999 to 2007.
If weather forces an evacuation, shelter sites are located at Grant Park North, Grant Park South, and Millennium Lakeside Garages, accessible through the vehicle entrance on Michigan Avenue.
Grant Park was filled with tens of thousands of people Thursday for the start of Lollapalooza, as warm weather greeted festivalgoers on day one of the four-day music festival.
Academy Award-winning Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard has died in a motorcycle crash.
Chief meteorologist Albert Ramon has the latest First Alert Weather forecast.
If you're in the market for a new TV, when you shop, you likely notice the technology keeps getting better, sharper, and more lifelike. Now a new display is promising some of the most vivid picture qualities yet.
A Chicago Public Schools custodian from Venezuela was detained by ICE when his family went to their asylum appointment a few weeks ago, one of a growing number of immigration arrests across the country.
Seven confirmed tornadoes touched down in the Chicago suburbs one week ago, causing widespread damage, but the storms also brought out the best in some people, including two men who stepped up for their community in a time of need.
A week after seven tornadoes roared through the Chicago suburbs, the lengthy process of cleaning up and rebuilding remained underway on Monday.
A Chicago Public Schools custodian from Venezuela was detained by ICE when his family went to their asylum appointment a few weeks ago, one of a growing number of immigration arrests across the country.
A week after seven tornadoes roared through the Chicago suburbs, the lengthy process of cleaning up and rebuilding remained underway on Monday.
Crews need about a week and a half to tear down the festival site before the city can begin its own inspection — and past cleanup costs have topped $1 million.
Seven confirmed tornadoes touched down in the Chicago suburbs one week ago, causing widespread damage, but the storms also brought out the best in some people, including two men who stepped up for their community in a time of need.
Seven people were rescued after their boat capsized on Lake Michigan on Monday evening near 49th Street near the Kenwood neighborhood.
Nationally, data centers used 17.4 billion gallons of water in 2023 — a figure projected to reach 72.6 billion gallons by 2028, raising concerns about states' water supplies.
A clean energy initiative on the South Side of Chicago is increasing access to solar energy and electric vehicle charging stations, and community members say it's making a difference.
A glitch in the Illinois Tollway system earlier this month left about 100,000 drivers with unexpected warnings about unpaid tolls, some dating back about a year.
Chicago's Office of Emergency Management, which oversees roughly 200 traffic aides, says two were seriously injured by drivers this summer — leaving many uneasy on the job as Lollapalooza brings heavy traffic downtown.
Shavonne Worthy said she visited her mother's grave at Oakridge-Glen Oaks Cemetery in Hillside and found an empty hole where the headstone had stood for nearly 10 years — and the cemetery's new owner told her it was removed intentionally.
Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly and Kevin Alcántara each hit a two-run homer, and the Chicago Cubs handed the Los Angeles Dodgers their fourth consecutive loss with a 10-5 victory.
The Chicago Cubs acquired pitcher Clay Holmes and outfielder Tyrone Taylor from the last-place New York Mets on Monday for touted infield prospect Jefferson Rojas.
Bears safety Coby Bryant will miss the next 8-10 weeks due to a hyperextended knee, bone bruise and small fracture suffered in Monday's training camp practice, ESPN reports.
The schools announced Monday they have agreed to a four-game home-and-home series.
Ahead of the MLB trade deadline on Monday, the Chicago White Sox have reportedly added right-handed reliever Huascar Brazobán in a trade with the New York Mets.
An Illinois State Police trooper has been charged with sexually assaulting a bartender after drugging her and taking her to a hotel last year in southwest suburban Tinley Park.
Thieves stole an ATM from a gas station in Chicago's Roseland community early Monday.
Two young men and a teenage boy were shot and wounded early Monday in Chicago's Park Manor community.
A man was stabbed late Sunday night in a fight with a woman on Chicago's West Side, police said.
The suspect, identified as 24-year-old Chad Williams, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.
