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Shops and shopping

News, comment and features about shops and shopping

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Ebola: you’ve read about the disease, now buy the merchandise!

20 Oct 2014: Leo Benedictus: Everyone knows about Ebola – which makes it a dream marketing possibility for companies unhindered by sensitivity. Here’s a selection of their varied wares
Apple Pay launches in US

16 Oct 2014: Technology company’s contactless mobile payments service is now live in America. By Alex Hern
Is a Google hangout personal shopper any good?

15 Oct 2014: Dean Kissick loves clothes but is less keen on the actual shopping. Could a new interactive personal shopping experience from Topman be the answer, or would Mr Porter’s high-end offering be more up his street?
Recalling 1960s shop as supermarkets weep

13 Oct 2014: Letters: I could do the lot in an hour and a half, including carrying 20lb of potatoes in two bags to balance myself
The human factor on the high street

9 Oct 2014: Morwenna Ferrier: Online shopping and gentrification don’t have to spell doom for local shops. Businesses that adapt to people’s desire for social interaction can thrive
The last video shop in Bristol makes an indie stand against the age of Netflix

7 Oct 2014: They’ve got rare VHS, a strong community (Simon Pegg still owes £4.50) and a bold plan. But can even the most beloved indie video shop survive the demise of its own business model?
Betty Halbreich: the most famous personal shopper in the world

19 Sep 2014: The Bergdorf Goodman legend tells Anna-Marie Crowhurst about her friendship with Joan Rivers and Lena Dunham, and why she hates trends
Supermarkets are past their sell-by date. They just don’t know it yet

13 Sep 2014: Rachel Cooke: More people are shopping online or buying from their local grocer. Should the big stores be worried? I have a hunch that they should…
Sali Hughes: the essential guide to staying ahead of the beauty game

13 Sep 2014:
How do you deal with rude counter staff? And what should you pack for the morning after? In an exclusive extract from her new book, our beauty expert Sali Hughes has some hard-won advice…
Counter culture: shopkeepers from around the world – in pictures

10 Sep 2014: Vladimir Antaki has been documenting shopkeepers all over the world. His project was born from his desire to document and pay tribute to these ‘guardians of urban temples’ that we meet everyday without really noticing
Bagging a bargain? My hellish visit to a luggage auction

8 Sep 2014: Mystery luggage auctions have become big business. Stuart Heritage went to visit one, hoping to pick up a suitcase full of treasure. It didn’t quite work out like that …
From the archive, 28 August 1977: Cashing in on America's love of garage sales

28 Aug 2014: Originally published in the Manchester Guardian on 28 August 1977: Guardian foreign correspondent Simon Winchester, like the locals, invites strangers to his house hoping they will buy his unwanted possessions
Supermarket guilt lanes: who cares the most about their customers' health?

27 Aug 2014:
As Aldi announces plans to ban sweets and chocolates from its tills, Paula Cocozza performs a supermarket sweep to see where the last-minute temptations are strongest
Were you a 2014 summer style cliche?

27 Aug 2014: Morwenna Ferrier: There’s a reasonable chance summer is over. Or at least on standby. If you picked up any of this, then great – you were both on-trend and sorry, also a cliche
The best food markets around the world

26 Aug 2014:
Sandra Haurant: La Boqueria in Barcelona or your local farmers' market? A Moroccan souk or a French street market? Share your favourite markets for fantastic food and spectacular sights