In Milton Keynes, on the edge of the enormous modernist mall full of bright chain stores, there is a flea market with stalls selling Afro-Caribbean and Asian foods.

ECONOMIST: Some parts of England are not afraid of development

Aside from online, the one bright spot was department stores.

BBC: Online shopping bolsters Christmas sales

Lowe's (nyse: LOW - news - people ) stores are bright and airy with wide, uncluttered aisles and supermarket-like signs that list what is in each aisle.

FORBES: Merchant Princes

Shoppers were flocking to the department stores with the bright windows and expensive merchandise.

FORBES: Santa Arrived Too Late

At a glance, everything looks as bright as one of Walgreen's all-night stores.

FORBES: Drugstore Cowboy

Jon Sebastiani, a marathoner who founded Krave Pure Eats, says he is selective about which stores he'll sell to, in an effort to distance his brand's bright, gender-neutral packaging from other jerkies.

WSJ: Krave, Perky Jerky and Others Remake Beef Jerky as a Healthy Protein Snack