Big companies party like it’s 2009

Caviar and cocktails are out, while casseroles and cookie trays are in as many employers scale back holiday party plans this year in recognition of an economy still struggling through a deep downturn.

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Consumers are changing, but are retailers?

The recession has dramatically changed many Americans’ shopaholic habits, at least temporarily and perhaps forever.

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Increasingly, wives earn more than husbands

The year that Beth Klingensmith realized she made more than her husband, she remembers joking with him about it, making light of a competition neither took seriously.

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Poll finds wide support for women at work

Men and women are accepting — and even embracing — the increasing role of women in the workplace, but many are still struggling with the repercussions  on family life.

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Out of work, out of options, into retirement

Richard H. Freund had it all planned out: He’d work until he was 70 and his wife, a psychotherapist, turned 62.

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Retailers, card industry escalate fee fight

Retailers and the credit card industry are engaged in an increasingly nasty — and public — fight over the fees retailers are charged every time a customer pays with plastic.

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As fees rise, airlines test flier limits

Hamstrung by the recession, most airlines are ramping up passenger fees for services once considered part of the ticket price. So far, fliers have not revolted.

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For many, economic recovery still feels far off

Even as economists point to signs that the country is slowly starting to regain its financial footing, for many Americans hope has been dampened by frustration, fear and anger.

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Small retailers feel sharper pinch

Although the recession has been a struggle for all U.S. retailers, there is evidence that it has been especially difficult for the nation’s smaller, independent retailers.

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Big employers dip into health care debate

Some companies are advocating for health care reform in the hopes that they can have a say in a plan that would provide them some financial relief, but the strategy carries risks.

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For Amish, recession is challenge, blessing

A severe downturn in the RV industry has forced hundreds of Amish people out of factory jobs, causing pain but also allowing some to take a step back to simplicity and community.

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Flea market a stimulus unto itself

        Jim Seida / msnbc.com     Women eat ice cream as they make their way through the Shipshewana Flea Market on Tuesday.  

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Some Amish concerned about U.S. spending

President Barack Obama's visit to Elkhart County Wednesday prompted mixed feelings from the area's large Amish community, which has been hard-hit by the recession in part because many of them have lost their jobs in the recreational vehicle industry.

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The Getting-Things-Done President

There's a sense among progressives—based on Obama's record so far and coagulating around the compromises being made in health care reform negotiations—that the judgments Obama is making aren't squaring with the kind of president he said he'd be.

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About AllisonLinn

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Member Since: 4/2008Last Seen: 11/24/2009

Allison Linn is a senior business writer with msnbc.com.

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