General Merchandise

NEW YORK — Moody's on Tuesday cut against the grain with its holiday forecasts by suggesting pent-up demand will help give retailers a reason to celebrate Black Friday despite concerns of another government shutdown in January. It's not what shoppers say they're going to not do this year, but rather an extension of how shoppers will actually spend based on last season's behavior. 

BETHEL, Conn. — Duracell on Friday announced that it will donate up to 1 million batteries to Toys for Tots as part of its Power a Smile program, marking the brand's largest donation to the organization to date.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The global market research firm Harris Interactive on Monday announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by Nielsen Holdings. 

SARATOGA, Calif. — Men have become significant players participating in a self-gifting trend, according to a survey released Wednesday by Roku. When it comes to self-gifting, men are most likely to hide their gift (43% more likely than women), claim it’s from someone else (150% more likely) or even create an imaginary friend (118% more likely) rather than own up to the purchase, according to the survey conducted by Omnipulse on behalf of Roku. 

CHICAGO — Across five different product or service attributes analyzed (i.e., price, service agreement, selection, feature or quality) in a Nielsen Global Survey of Loyalty Sentiment, "offering the best price" held the most persuasive power to motivate consumers to swap devotion to a brand, service provider or retailer, Nielsen reported on Monday. 

CINCINNATI — Procter & Gamble brand Charmin on Wednesday announced improvements to its toilet paper. The retooled Charmin is now more flushable and is designed to help alleviate the strain on home plumbing systems, the company said.

CHICAGO — Shoppers are already looking past the holiday season and not liking what they see, according to a special survey conducted between Oct. 31 and Nov. 5 by IRI that was released Tuesday. While consumers are hoping for the best, they're bracing for the worst when it comes to the possibility of another government shutdown and debt ceiling crisis in early 2014. 

LOS ANGELES — Feline Internet celebrity Grumpy Cat is the mascot for a new pet odor-eliminating product from Accuy Natural Solutions, the company said.

Grumpty Cat's Odor Eliminator uses a liquid extract from the Yucca schidigera plant to remove odors, binding to any form of ammonia-based odors, particularly cat urine, and converting ammonia to ammonium, a non-toxic form of ammonia that lacks its odor.