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Digest

In brief

By TIMES WIRES
Published September 30, 2006

These Disney workers won't be cleaning up

Walt Disney World in Orlando plans to cut 125 cleaning jobs and outsource them to contractors, but union officials said they were not aware of the change. Affected workers will be offered other jobs at comparable pay and hours, the company said. The overnight shift jobs, mostly paying $6.90 an hour to start with a $1-per-hour incentive pay, include kitchen cleaning, carpet cleaning, roadway cleaning and deep cleaning work. Officials with UNITE HERE! Local 362 called the lack of notice outrageous.

Family Dollar targets convenience stores

Family Dollar Stores Inc. plans to offer more groceries in its stores and begin accepting food stamps, a move aimed at making the discount chain a lower-priced competitor to convenience stores. The strategy, analysts say, may grab customers looking for quick shopping stops between larger grocery trips. That convenience is a way to set Family Dollar, a familiar sight in the bay area, apart from such "big box" stores as Wal-Mart.

Confidence offsets weak August sales

Consumers battered by weak income growth and rising inflation trimmed their spending sharply in August. But analysts said a consumer confidence rebound in September should limit damage to the economy. The Commerce Department reported Friday that consumer spending edged up just 0.1 percent in August after a much stronger 0.8 percent rise in July. After removing inflation, spending actually dropped in August, falling by 0.1 percent, the weakest showing since September 2005 when the Gulf Coast was reeling from Hurricane Katrina. The University of Michigan's end-of- the-month report on consumer sentiment for September increased to 85.4 from 82.0 in August, according to media reports Friday. Economists expected to see the index at 85.5.

Blackberry maker's shares are buzzing

Shares of Research in Motion Ltd. soared to a year high Friday after the maker of the Blackberry handheld device reported preliminary results for its fiscal second quarter and a third-quarter outlook that were above Wall Street's expectations. The Waterloo, Ontario, company's stock surged $16.59, or 19 percent, to close at $102.65 on the Nasdaq after rising to a 52-week high of $104.50 earlier in the session.

CORRECTION

Newk's Cafe still operates in Tampa's Channelside. A story in Friday's business section was incorrect on that point.

[Last modified September 29, 2006, 23:30:42]