Shan Li –

Andy Puzder has served as chief executive of CKE since 2000.

Former Labor nominee Andy Puzder is stepping down as CEO of Carl’s Jr. parent firm CKE

August 21, 2019 at 10:40 p.m.

Fast-food executive Andy Puzder, whose bid to become Labor secretary collapsed last month, is stepping down as chief executive of Carl's Jr. parent CKE Restaurants. Taking over the reins at...

Wendy's, which touts its old-fashioned burgers, is rolling out self-service kiosks where customers can order food.

Wendy’s adds automation to the fast-food menu

April 7, 2019 at 1:13 a.m.

Wendy's Co., home of the old-fashioned burger, is serving up something cutting-edge: self-service ordering kiosks. The Dublin, Ohio-based fast-food company is adding machines to at least 1,000 restaurants, or about...

Raul Castaneda, center, waits outside American Apparel after being laid off. He worked there for nine years.

American Apparel starts mass layoffs as company winds down operations

March 29, 2019 at 12:25 a.m.

American Apparel was once a fashion industry trailblazer with its colorful basics, provocative marketing and commitment to U.S. manufacturing. But after years of financial strife and corporate intrigue, the company...

Hatchimals, this year's hottest Christmas toy, are being bashed on social media after reports that some of the furry electronic toys failed to hatch.

What happens when a Hatchimal doesn’t hatch

August 18, 2019 at 2:20 p.m.

For toy-makers, a few bad eggs can mar an otherwise blockbuster holiday season. Hatchimals, the furry electronic gadgets that hatch out of an egg, were the hottest toy before Christmas,...

Greg Mayorga, left, and Deysi Flores are jubilant after purchasing one of only 57 units of retro-looking Nintendo NES Classic at Best Buy in Atwater Village.

Why it’s so hard to get your hands on the Christmas toy your kid really wants

April 24, 2019 at 1:16 a.m.

Every holiday season, there's a must-have toy — a Hatchimal or Tickle Me Elmo that kids covet and frantic parents will do anything to find. Its scarcity drives many to...

Trails of conveyor belts line a production room at Stone Brewery in Escondido.

With a brewery in Germany, Stone Brewing tests the appetite for American craft beers in the land of Oktoberfest

August 21, 2019 at 9:26 p.m.

When Stone Brewing released in 1997 its well-known Arrogant Bastard Ale, it was a hoppy revolt against an American beer market defined by bland corporate lagers. Now, thanks to craft...

Holiday shoppers on Thanksgiving Day enter Best Buy at Westfield Culver City, in Culver City.

This year’s Black Friday shoppers went online more — and spent less

June 8, 2018 at 10:02 p.m.

Consumers increasingly turned online during the Black Friday weekend, boosting traffic during the crucial start of the holiday shopping season. Nearly 109 million people shopped from their computers and mobile...

William Santana Li with two Knightscope security robots at a demonstration for potential clients last month at the Jamie Brooks Fine Art gallery in Costa Mesa.

Robots are becoming security guards. ‘Once it gets arms … it’ll replace all of us’

May 23, 2019 at 2:04 p.m.

William Santana Li imagines a future where robots will keep Americans safe. Communities, he dreams, will take security into their own hands by investing in wheeled machines that patrol streets,...

Francois Pervis of France wins heat 3 in the men's keirin on Aug. 16, 2016.

Olympics bans most brands from saying ‘Olympics’ or ‘Rio,’ even on Twitter. Snark ensues

June 11, 2018 at 9:44 p.m.

At the Olympics in Rio de Janiero, athletes from around the world are posting tweets, photos and observations between training and competing. Missing from their social media updates: any mention...

Jason Robert Keef specializes in unboxing and reviewing toys on YouTube.

Toy unboxing phenomenon is creating new YouTube stars

March 29, 2019 at 11:28 a.m.

Jason Robert Keef clutches a baby doll, contorting his face into a series of expressions: shock, then excitement and finally bemusement. He pauses for a second before grinning widely into...

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