1. The Christmas tree has officially been put up at Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids.
The concolor fir tree stands 42-feet tall, and it came all the way from Dutchman Tree Farms in Manton, more than 100-miles north of Grand Rapids.
Rockford Construction, Gelock Heavy Movers, Buist Electric, and Shine Decorators worked together to install the tree.
The tree is donated annually by Charlie and Elizabeth Secchia and John and Monica Inhulsen.
The tree will be decorated in time for the official tree lighting ceremony on December 3.
2. Dollar Tree is doing something they've never done before: raise their prices.
The Dollar Tree will soon no longer be sprouting their only-a-dollar options. The popular discount and convenience store chain says it will begin charging $1.25 for most products nationwide starting at the end of April.
the company says $1.25 will allow it to expand offerings, introduce new products and sizes, and provide more daily essentials.
Dollar Tree tested acceptance of prices above $1 at legacy stores. The price has been already rolled out in about 200 stores, with 2000 more coming in December.
3. Thanksgiving-related searches are spiking on Google ahead of the holiday.
The most searched side dishes, according to Google trends, include casseroles, potatoes, and cranberry sauce.
"Tryptophan" is also peaking as people are thinking about whether or not they'll be in a food coma.
Other big searches include "when to take the turkey out of the freezer" and "what to wear with boyfriend's family."
People are also already looking forward to leftover casseroles and leftover sandwiches, with searches trending for both of those topics before the holiday.
4. Ready to snag some great deals? A Wall Hub report analyzed 5,000 deals from Black Friday ads among 21 of the largest U.S. retailers.
The top five in largest discounts can be found at Macy's, JC Penney's, Belk, Kohl's, and Office Depot, all with discounts at 40 percent or more.
Lenovo, Nordstrom, Walmart, Hewlett-Packard, and Big Lots rounded out their Top 10.
Macy's dominated computers and phones, electronics, packaged goods, and toys. Penney's led in apparel and accessories, and Belk was strong in appliances, jewelry, and other products.
