Business Briefs – December 23, 2015

Wednesday, December 23, 2015 7:54 pm | < 1 Minute Read

Stores Discount Goods More Than Last Year

NEW YORK (AP) – If it seems like the discounts stores are offering are bigger than during last year’s shopping season, that’s because they are. And some of the best deals are happening now.

Average price cuts this year on many items from clothing to jewelry are higher than last year, according to Market Track, which reviewed weekly circulars of 11 top retailers from Nov. 1 through Dec. 20.

But the discounting wars are particularly being waged online in the final days before year’s end. In fact, 220 of the season’s hottest products online in cookware, desktop computers and toys are now selling up to 40 percent below their prices on Black Friday, according to Market Track.

Hello Kitty Owner Sanrio Says Fan Site Security Leak Fixed

HONG KONG (AP) – The Japanese company that owns the Hello Kitty brand said it has fixed a security leak in an online fan site after the personal information of 3.3 million users was compromised.

Sanrio Co.’s digital arm said Tuesday that it “corrected” a security vulnerability and was investigating. It said anyone who knew the internet addresses of “specific vulnerable servers” could have accessed personal information such as names and birthdates. Passwords were also available but encrypted.

However, it added that the data did not include credit card or other payment details, and that no information was stolen.