Jimmy Barrett and Shara Fryer take you through the stories that matter on the morning of 10/26/2018, including: The media is blaming President Trump’s heated rhetoric for the recent bomb scares sweeping Washington and the nation. But no one is talking about the media’s own culpability in the divisiveness, when the New York Times published a fictional piece imagining President Trump’s assassination at the hands of a Russian and a Secret Service agent; Nationwide, most shoppers will start buying gifts in early November, although men are more likely to wait until December. The average shopper also plans to spend at least $625 on gifts. When it comes to Texans' holiday shopping trends, Texas shoppers can’t seem to agree on how much to spend on gifts. While 27% plan to spend up to $400, 28% will go up to $800 and 29% will surpass even that. Meanwhile, 16% don’t plan to spend money on gifts at all. As for timing, Texas consumers are also divided. While 25% plan to start shopping in early November, 25% won't join them until early December and 22% are planning not to shop at all. Texas consumers can't seem to agree on Cyber Week shopping either:
21% of Texas consumers are planning to shop Cyber Monday deals during their work hours.
For Black Friday, 44% said they won't spend any money while 32% are planning to spend up to $400.
On Cyber Monday, 42% said they won't spend any money while 37% are planning to spend up to $400.