Its two stores have had difficulty getting suppliers to ship merchandise, and it has been seeking new investors.

The 1997 ruling said transmission of electricity was akin to shipping merchandise; the 1999 decision says it is more like a service.

"You speak of Vikings as though they were simple traders, shipping merchandise much the same as my father does."

While this news was promising, it did raise questions: How do the sellers manage to ship such delicate merchandise?

But with companies shipping less merchandise abroad, employees are spending less at home.

He also had experience working with the railroad and he knew how to ship merchandise to remote areas.

She said that typically they need to ship merchandise every eight weeks in a retail environment hungry for freshness.

That probably compares to five or more days for a lot of our competitors, which don't ship as much merchandise through their own network.

For at least three weeks - and in some cases several months - suppliers have been uneasy about shipping merchandise to either store.

Yesterday, several suppliers said they had received checks and were still shipping merchandise.