PHILADELPHIA — Crowds of last-minute shoppers, customers looking for seasonal ingredients, sappy hands from tying Christmas trees to cars, and of course, hours and hours of cheery holiday music playing on a loop.

Such is the life of a grocery worker during the holidays.

"Everyone wants to get, like, the biggest tree on, like, the smallest ...Read more

Digit the humanoid robot is 5 feet 9 inches tall and lives in warehouses, helping its human coworkers move and stack boxes up to 35 pounds. It also "smiles" and waves.

Robots like Digit are a growing pursuit among robotics companies that are trying to bring humanoids into everyday life, and specifically into the home as helpers. A crucial part ...Read more

BERKLEY, Mich. — Metro Detroit cannabis dispensaries say sales have ticked up in recent weeks as customers stock up ahead of a new 24% tax set to take effect Jan. 1.

The increase in sales reflects a combination of the pending tax, holiday gift-giving and higher consumption around the end of the year, retailers say.

“We see people coming in...Read more

Vince Zampella, the video game developer who helped launch the wildly lucrative and enduring "Call of Duty" franchise and "Apex Legends" studio Respawn Entertainment, has died.

A representative for Electronic Arts, which owns Respawn, confirmed Zampella's death Monday in a statement shared with The Times. He was 55.

"This is an unimaginable ...Read more

Waymo is taking the city of Santa Monica to court after the city ordered the company to cease charging its autonomous vehicles at two facilities overnight, claiming the lights and beeping at the lots were a nuisance to residents.

The two charging stations at the intersection of Euclid Street and Broadway have been a sour point for neighbors ...Read more

Unexpected events, such as an emergency room visit or a broken-down car, can result in major financial problems when you don’t have an emergency fund in place.

It’s not just about having some cash — ideally enough to cover at least six months of your expenses — set aside for those worst-case scenarios, though. Where you keep that money...Read more

The U.S. is suspending leases for all five wind farms under construction off the East Coast in the latest blow to a sector that’s been targeted repeatedly by the Trump administration as part of its attack on clean energy.

The U.S. Interior Department announced the move Monday, citing national security concerns and saying the massive turbines ...Read more

Instacart will stop using artificial intelligence to experiment with product pricing after a report showed that customers on the platform were paying different prices for the same items.

The report, published this month by Consumer Reports and Groundwork Collaborative, found that Instacart sometimes offered as many as five different prices for ...Read more

John and Theresa Anderson meandered through the sprawling Ralph Lauren clothing store on Rodeo Drive, shopping for holiday gifts.

They emerged carrying boxy blue bags. John scored quarter-zip sweaters for himself and his father-in-law, and his wife splurged on a tweed jacket for Christmas Day.

"I'm going for quality over quantity this year," ...Read more

The U.S. is suspending leases for all five wind farms under construction off the East Coast in the latest blow to a sector that’s been targeted repeatedly by the Trump administration as part of its attack on clean energy.

The U.S. Interior Department announced the move Monday, citing national security concerns and saying the massive turbines ...Read more

One of Kentucky’s largest bourbon producers apparently is pausing whiskey production at the end of the year.

Jim Beam, which is one of the largest makers of American whiskey in the world, is planning to shut down production in Happy Hollow in Clermont Jan. 1 through 2026.

The visitors center on site will remain open for Kentucky Bourbon ...Read more

As vet bills skyrocket, more and more pet owners are turning to insurance programs to prevent their pets’ surprise illness from becoming a financial hardship.

But the devil is in the details, and complaints have surfaced that procedures and care that consumers thought were covered by the policies they purchased actually weren’t covered.

A ...Read more

United Launch Alliance’s leader for the last 12 years has stepped down.

ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno has resigned as of Monday to “pursue another opportunity,” according to a shared statement from the board chairs from Lockheed Martin and Boeing, which share a 50% ownership of the rocket company.

“We are grateful for Tory’s ...Read more

After nearly two months without new consumer price data, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its latest report Thursday, providing a glimpse at energy costs, food prices and other everyday expenses.

According to the consumer price index, inflation slowed in November, with prices rising 0.2% over the 0.3% observed in September. (BLS could ...Read more

Waymo’s driverless ride services were a high-profile victim of a power outage that affected large swaths of San Francisco, with cars freezing mid-ride across the city and disrupting traffic.

After traffic lights went dark at major intersections Saturday, social media videos showed multiple cars stopped in the middle of the street with their ...Read more

It’s that time again.

I’ve been paging through my 2025 tasting notebooks, reviewing how many good and great wines I’ve sipped, as well as the number of boring overpriced duds. This year, my total of reds, whites, rosés and sparklers hit 2,874, from 26 countries. Admittedly, I sampled only a few from Moldova, Bolivia and Peru, but I plan ...Read more