Consumer Confidential: Shopping, jobs and cable

Here's your throbbing-Thursday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--The retail industry posted its second straight month of gains in October as shoppers decided maybe, just maybe, the economic picture isn't as grim as all that. That doesn't mean we've been on a spending spree -- far from it. But some of the big boys, including Costco and Gap Inc., say their cash registers have been getting a little extra activity in recent weeks. This, as the lady says, is a good thing.

--One reason we seem to be feeling a little better about the economy is because more of us are working. Not much more, to be sure. But any job in a storm, right? The Labor Department says first-time unemployment claims fell by 20,000 to a seasonally adjusted 512,000 -- the lowest level in 10 months. That doesn't mean all's hunky-dory. But it does mean things are moving in the right direction.

--Time Warner Cable, the dominant cable provider in Southern California, says its profit fell by 11% in the most recent quarter. The company's chief exec, Glenn Britt, blamed the lousy economy for Time Warner's less-than-stellar performance. Another way of looking at it is the relatively high prices the company charges for services that some may feel aren't worth the cost. But who am I to say?

-- David Lazarus

David Lazarus: Time Warner's painful pricing plan

L.A. Times consumer columnist David Lazarus warns that some Time Warner Cable customers soon could be charged as much as $150 a month for online access.

The big price tag will hit what Time Warner considers to be heavy Internet users in a test this summer in New York and North Carolina, with other states to follow. The new "consumption-based billing" system is supposed to address the looming problem of capacity shortages because of ever-growing Internet use. AT&T and Comcast are exploring similar moves.

But some experts see tiered pricing as a money grab by the gatekeepers to the Net. Movie downloaders and other heavy users should pay more than people who surf lightly, but $150 a month seems pretty steep.