Check out what women buy when they get tired of being a frugalista: boots, plaid and outerwear. Those were some of the products that helped October U.S. retail sales improve from a year ago, when the unfolding financial meltdown had shoppers fearing a second Great Depression.”Frugal fatigue is setting in,” said NPD Group analyst Marshal Cohen. After a year of scrimping, he added, the numbers suggest that some women are going in for a little retail fix.”Women (not only moms) are shopping their closets, discovering new and fresh looks and filling in with some key updates,” he said.But selective shopping is not enough to ease worries about the all-important holiday sales.Thomson Reuters research shows that while October sales rebounded, results from individual retailers were mixed.Also in the basket:Warnaco beats estimates; Liz Claiborne missesChildren’s Place October same-store sales beat estimatesCVS says won’t meet pharmacy benefits view in 2010US commercial real estate to bottom in 2010-surveyProductivity at 6-year high, jobless claims fall

Check out what’s coming around again this holiday season.It’s that gift you gave someone last year.According to a holiday shopping poll conducted by Consumer Reports in October, 36 percent of Americans say they have “recycled” a holiday gift. That’s up from 31 percent in 2008 and 24 percent in 2007.Those more likely to re-gift include women, adults under 55 years old, residents of the U.S. West and people with children under the age of 12.Want to prevent your gifts from making the rounds again?Skip presents like socks, slippers and ties, which were on the list of most disappointing 2008 holiday gifts, according to the survey.Or, for a virtually fail-safe bet, try cold hard cash.Also in the basket:P&G, Colgate quarterly results top expectationsBurger King profit, revenue miss expectationsKellogg 3rd-quarter profit rises, tops Street viewElizabeth Arden posts surprise quarterly profitFashion’s Night Out to be Repeated in 2010 (WWD, subscription required)(Photo:Reuters)

Starbucks Chief Financial Officer Troy Alstead earlier this week had some good news for its fans in places like Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Mobile, Alabama, and El Segundo, California.Alstead said Starbucks removed 30 stores from its hit list of store closures, saying that each of the saved stores had improved profitability to a point where it made sense to keep them open.Here’s the full list.Alstead’s full comments are here.(Reuters photo of Southern California store targeted for closure)

A worsening obesity epidemic and lingering recession have state and local governments scrambling for new streams of revenue — including taxes on soda and other sugary beverages.That’s potentially bad news for the nation’s food and beverage industries, which are on the defensive as the battle rages behind the scenes.If you watch TV, you’ve probably seen this ad from American Against Food Taxes, which is backed by the likes of McDonald’s and PepsiCo.Nearly three dozen states already charge tax on sugary beverages. But, in most cases the tax is not high enough to curb consumption, said Kelly Brownell, director of the Rudd Center For Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University and author of “Food Fight.”The Rudd Center’s Web site offers a calculator that shows the revenue a city or state could potentially generate with snack taxes — which are being eyed as funding for everything from public works projects to U.S. healthcare reform.(Reuters photo)

(Updated with Starbucks comment)Starbucks is saying so long to Sorbetto, its “Pinkberry-inspired” icy summer beverage.The coffee chain made a splash when it debuted the tart and fruity product in around 300 Southern California stores last summer.But it failed to wow consumers and cleaning the machine that dispensed Sorbetto was a bane to baristas, who complained that it added about 45 minutes to closing duties.Sorbetto wasn’t available in stores this summer and Starbucks has started removing the big Sorbetto machines – which sat idle for months – from store counters.Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz has an investment fund that backs Pinkberry and some analysts said the introduction of Sorbetto showed how little testing some new Starbucks products got before hitting stores.In a statement, the company confirmed that it will discontinue its Sorbetto products without abandoning its search for new icy beverages.(Photo\Starbucks)

Check out how less bad is the new good.The latest example of this new reality is Home Depot’s revised profit outlook.The world’s biggest home improvement retailer said this year’s earnings from continuing operations could be flat to down 7 percent.  That compares with its earlier call for a fall of 7 percent.Home Depot Chief Executive Frank Blake said in a meeting with analysts that economic indicators are signaling that the worst of the housing downturn is over.Home Depot still expects sales to fall by about 9 percent this year, with sales at stores open at least a year down in a high-single-digit percentage range. It expects gross margins to be flat to slightly higher.Also in the basket:Rising U.S. mortgage rates sap loan applicationsPimco bond manager sees “green shoots” of recoveryGap and Stella McCartney to launch new kids lineP&G taps Army vet as new CEO(Photo: Reuters/Rick Wilking)

It reminds us of those old Disney commercials in which, after a big victory, a sports star is asked where they are going next, and the answer is “Disneyworld,” or something close to that.

But in this case, it is recent “American Idol” winner Kris Allen, who after winning the TV talent contest last month wasn’t schmoozing with Mickey Mouse, he was singing for Wal-Mart investors at the mass market retailer’s annual meeting in Arkansas on Friday.

Reuters was there (Smokey Robinson was, too) and here’s a link to our video of Kris, posted on YouTube.

American Idol winner Kris Allen @ Wal-Mart 2009

Reuters is attending Wal-Mart’s annual meeting this week and will be sending news, tweets and images from the event via Shop Talk.

Our tour will include visits to the company’s distribution center, a Sam’s Club warehouse store and a Walmart supercenter.

We’ll also get updates on the discounter’s plans for its international business, U.S. store remodels and, of course, send news from the annual meeting.

Walmart’s Store #1, pictured above, is featured on local tourist maps.