vacation visiting troops yesterday. the first couple visited base in hawaii and met for an hour with the troops. two firefighters died after batting a fire on vacant building on the south side of the city. they died wednesday when the roof of the building they were inside collapsed. christmas may be over but shopping continues on to. americans are expected to ceremony for post holiday markdown and gift card. shoppers on the east coast might want to rethink retail plan. region is bracing for the massive snowstorm. those are the top story. i haven t looked out the window. is it snowing here yet? we have some snow. i want to ask about the shopping thing. people going out today have to be hard core. are you wading out there? me? not me, not until i have to go hope. i ll call you if i don t get there. shannon: four-wheel drive.
to exchange unwanted items use gift cards and take advantage of the post holiday markdown. the average american spent 15 hours shopping for gifts this season. retail sales were up 5% compared to the same weekend last year. as shoppers hit the internet they gave the retailers a big boost. is that going to last? we re joined by matt, and happy new year early. happy new year to you. shannon: let s talk about how we did this season. so far the numbers are positive. this is week to get other economic reports. what do you expect? that the numbers will be strong. you see the numbers ramp up. now you mention numbers we have a 3.3% increase over last year.