Bricks-and-mortar retailers have for years tried to guard against "showrooming," in which shoppers scope out products in stores before buying them online on sites like Amazon.com.

Do modern-day retail customer-loyalty programs really make for loyal customers?

More men are heading to the supermarket these days. That's according to a new survey by Men's Health, which found that 84 percent of men are now the primary grocery shoppers in their households - marking a 19 percent increase from a decade ago.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has joined a new program that rates companies on their use of chemicals, a move that puts fresh pressure on the consumer-products industry to police its ingredients.

What looms over businesses as far flung as car repair, lab equipment and swimming pool gear? In a word, Amazon.