Along with sandwiches and soda, you may one day be able to buy tickets to Lion King and Animal Kingdom while cruising 35,000 feet above ground. A New York Times story reported that the airline industry is tinkering with the idea of expanding retail offerings to boost revenue.

Leading the brigade is American Airlines, which sells Heathrow Express train tickets on its flights to London and allows passengers in-flight Internet access and a chance at splurging on products from the SkyMall -- the glossy brochure that sells everything from cabin bags to fancy pens and perfumes.

Many airlines around the world already sell a limited collection of products on board from SkyMall. The only glitch has been in the technology that would allow a purchase in real time. In the past, passengers had to wait until they reached their destination to place an order, but Canadian company GuestLogix solved that problem by coming up with a technology that allows on air sales with the help of a credit card reader and sales software.

Personally, I do like having that option of buying an extreme last minute gift for a forgotten relative while en route to that big family gathering in India. Apart from saving face, it also would help me kill some time on that 15-hour flight. But, would passengers who like catching up on precious sleep cringe at the option? Trying to fall asleep with flight attendants sashaying the aisles carrying products and swiping credit cards definitely won't be easy.

To lure more traffic on Black Friday, department store chain Kohl's is allowing customers to create their shopping lists online.

Nov. 22-27, shoppers can compare shop, print out ads, prices and photos of items on their Holiday wishlist, the Wisconsin-based chain said in a press release. It would be just like creating a wedding or baby shower registry, and the online list would help shoppers focus on things they need rather than indulge in impulse buying.

Along with cameras, laptops and plasma screen televisions, electronics retailer Best Buy Co. will now sell elliptical, stationary bikes and personal health solutions gadgets like Bluetooth-enabled weight scales and blood pressure monitors.

The company sprinted into the health and fitness market today by unveiling exercise products in 40 stores in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Mexico and Texas.

Apart from fitness equipment, the selection at these stores include more than 30 feet of technology devices organized by popular activities such as running, walking, swimming, and yoga.

Fast food giant McDonald's is spicing up the breakfast market with rumors about a national dollar menu hitting stores next year.

The Chicago Tribune and The Wall Street Journal report that they have documents suggesting that advertising for the breakfast deals is likely to begin in January. McDonald is not confirming its intentions, but the move could help the company lure back customers on a thin budget.

For the quarter ending in October, the company on Tuesday reported a one-tenth of 1% decline in same store sales in the United States., although it fared pretty good overall. The dollar menu, its Angus burger and McCafe offerings helped the burger Goliath from falling further in sales.

All your life you wanted to do something outlandish for a living. But that cushy corporate gig and the frills attached to it stopped you from turning your passion into a profession.

Enter recession, pink slips and voila your ticket to be your own boss.

Unemployed folks are taking the leap of faith and investing their time, energy and resources into entrepreneurial ventures. Yes, believe it or not, new entrepreneurs are on the upswing in this downward spiraling economy. While some took that layoff as an excuse, many are jump starting new ventures out of necessity.

Last year, the hemorrhaging economy cost 2.6 -million jobs, the highest tally in more than six decades. The bloodletting hasn't stopped yet. But laid off employees are moving on. They are providing that silver lining to an otherwise gloomy environment.

This week, Dunkin' Donuts added more variations of chicken and tuna oven-toasted sandwiches to its menu in select markets -- for as low as $1.49 for a wrap.

The popular hang out for breakfast and beverage has been expanding its offerings for quite sometime and morphing into something more than just a coffee and doughnut place. You can now have all three of your meals and more there.

The motorized chair involved in a DUI crash that grabbed international headlines is again parked on eBay for bids.

According to news reports the chair drove up bids to nearly $40,000 before the makers of La-Z-Boy pulled the brakes on the final hours of auction objecting to the chair being called a La-Z-Boy when technically it 's just a recliner.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, sorry for the disappointment. Now that we know it's not a La-Z-Boy how much are you willing to cough up for a chair you can drive around?

By Tuesday afternoon, the chair attracted 37 bids raising the bar to $4,719. There's still two more days to go, and I am sure the police department in Proctor, Minn., is hoping for miracles the second time around. By law, the proceeds would benefit the cops,state and the prosecuting attorney, who made owner Dennis LeRoy Anderson a celebrity of sorts.

Anderson is not getting any share from the eBay loot, but his family was able to get him $710 by auctioning a photo of his on on his now famous chariot. I am sure it won't compensate for his hurt pride, or his lost toy, but hey it should help him pay some of his legal fees.

A piece of advice to the future winner/owner of this infamous chair. You may want to keep practicing your driving skills within your property limits. Even if you do get tempted to show it off to neighbors by zooming through the streets, remember to do it sober. Otherwise, like Anderson, you will forever be labeled as the drunk La-Z-Boy, err, motorized recliner driver.

You go to their website for deals on car seats, linens, diapers and furniture. Now, discount retail Goliath Wal-Mart will also cut you a break on your final resting place.

Wal-Mart quietly slid into the afterlife industry last week, putting up 15 caskets and dozens of urns for sale on its website, according to the Associated Press. The caskets ship within 48 hours and are priced at less than $2,000, with budget models such as "Dad Remembered" and "Mom Remembered" steel caskets tagged at $999. You can also plan ahead and pay off the casket in 12 months interest-free.

Sounds creepy that they want your dollars in life and after? Rival Costco has been doing that for quite some time.

Wal-Mart downplays its latest product, telling AP that the company is simply conducting a limited beta test to gauge customer response. But will its entry into the market with competitive prices spell the burial for the high-markup casket industry?

We don't know yet. What we do know is even though this whole thing is somewhat discomforting, it could be a good option for consumers on a tight budget.

Read more: How make your funeral green

Beware naughty shoppers. Getting away with "wardrobing"- -- buying that special dress for the Christmas party and taking it back to the store after one wear -- could get tougher this year.

A survey released by the National Retail Foundation today says retailers expect such returns to be down 18% in 2009, while fraud involving counterfeit receipts are predicted to decline by from 45.7% to 43.1%. Only 6.4% of holiday returns are expected to be bogus this year, and overall there will be more than a 17% dip in retail fraud in 2009.

Yet, retailers are expected to lose $2.74-billion to fraud this year as compared to $3.32-billion last year. Joe LaRocca, senior asset protection adviser for the NRF, gives a shout-out to honest shoppers for the decline in numbers.