Browsing: retail

Picture a mischievous, weird-looking creature sewn into softness — bat-wide ears, marble-round eyes and a row of tiny needle teeth curving into a cheeky grin, all wrapped in shaggy, candy-colored fur. That is a Labubu: part gremlin, part rabbit, part sugary fever dream, designed to look both adorable and a little dangerous, like it might steal your heart and money in the same breath.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year … for retailers. This Black Friday, consumers are expected to spend $148 billion on in-store and online purchases. Everyone loves Black Friday — standing in hour-long lines for a 50% discount, getting your workout in while walking through the mall and leaving with 12 bags of new outfits at 3 a.m. But are you really going to use all those appliances and wear all those clothes?