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The end-of-year holiday shopping rush was quickly approaching, but Foreman was struggling to book shipping containers to ferry the company's toys, which include Tonka trucks, Care Bears and Cutetitos. And when he did find some, the costs were exorbitant.In a normal year, Basic Fun, based in Boca Raton, Florida, can export everything its customers order from its factories in China. "It's automatic," Foreman said. The company can "set it and forget it." But not this year. Not in a year in which 20-foot and 40-foot shipping containers became scarce and more expensive to deliver goods from factories overseas to US ports and back. The spot rate of booking a 40-foot container from Shanghai to Los Angeles hit $10,229 the first week of August, up 238% from the same time a year prior, according to Drewry, a maritime research consultancy. So Foreman had to make a decision about which toys Basic Fun would focus on sending stores for the holidays. And he had to make it by September, so the goods would arrive in time.He found an easy answer to a complicated problem: small, squishy toys.About 85% of the toys sold in the United States are made in China, according to the Toy Association, an industry trade group. Shipping containers in short supply, limited cargo space on ocean vessels, and spiraling costs have forced toy manufacturers to make numerous trade-offs about which merchandise makes the most economic sense to ship this holiday. One solution to the container constraints, say toy manufacturers, stores and analysts: exporting additional smaller units and pulling back on larger-sized ones."Companies have to think about how they make the most of each cube of space in a container," said David Garfield, head of the consumer products practice at consulting firm AlixPartners. Toy manufacturers have retooled packaging to optimize space and ship more products per container, he said. In some cases, that has meant shrinking the actual packaging sizes. In others, it involves limiting extra accessories in the box to keep packages lighter.Basic Fun can fit $150,000 worth of Mash'ems — soft, squishy, water-filled collectibles with characters like Spider Man, Disney Princess and Harry Potter — into a container and $100,000 worth of Cutetitos, little furry stuffed animals wrapped in a burrito-like blanket."It's a simple case of how much sales volume fits in the container when containers are hard to come by," Foreman said, adding that with these smaller toys, "the packages are the size of a golf ball."On the flip side, Basic Fun can only pile $40,000 worth of Tonka Trucks and $80,000 worth of Care Bears into containers. So Basic Fun limited the amount of Tonka Trucks and Care Bear animals it shipped, instead of raising prices to offset its higher costs."I'd rather sell fewer trucks and not have to raise the price exponentially because I'll sell trucks again next year," he said.Fidget balls and tiny animals get priorityOther toymakers are making similar decisions.Yogibo, which sells toys, home decor and bedding, decided to prioritize shipping small items like Squeezibo, a gel fidget ball, and Mates — small, cuddly stuffed animals — instead of blankets and pillows "as they take up much less space and offer a higher value for the same amount of volume," said CEO Eyal Levy.In a 40-foot container, Yogibo can fit 200,000 Squeezibo units — $1.6 million worth of sales—and 15,000 Mates worth $400,000. But just 2,500 blankets worth $200,000 in sales fit in a container.The company, which is based in Nashua, New Hampshire, and sells at its own retail stores, Amazon and specialty retailers, made the decision to focus on shipping these smaller items in mid-September, after struggling to procure containers."Once we realized containers were getting delayed week after week, we started the prioritization process," Levy said. "We were running out of time." This year, toymaker WowWee sent more of its My Squishy Little Dumplings — bite-sized dumplings that make popping sounds that kids can squeeze and toss around— and its Got2Glow Fairy Finder, a jar with 30 virtual fairies, to retailers such as Amazon, Walmart and Target."Cargo and containers are at a premium, so we're going to prioritize high-velocity, small items," said Andrew Yanofsky, head of marketing and operations at the Hong Kong-based company. He estimates that $245,000 worth of the dumplings go in a 40-foot container and $535,000 worth of Got2Glow jars can be shipped.The company pulled back on shipping Pop2Play, a pop-up playset slide. Only $61,000 worth of slides can fit in a container, Yanofsky said."It's a great toy and it's selling well, but the problem is only a couple thousand fit," he said. "When the margins are low and the footprint is large, items like that are going to get pushed aside."The decisions by manufacturers to prioritize smaller toys are trickling down to holiday inventory that's available for some toy stores.Rick Derr, owner of Learning Express Toys in Lake Zurich, Illinois, said he began noticing in the spring that smaller, lighter items were in more abundant supply. He has been tapping alternate suppliers to try to fill in gaps on bigger items such as dollhouses, play sets and mazes. "We're going to pivot to smaller items" this holiday, he said. "If you sell enough of them you can make up the [sales] that we lose not having the bigger items." Specifically, Derr expects to be able to sell more small fidget toys, silicone Pop It! toys, small arts and crafts kits, puzzles and card games."These are going to be in much better shape this year," he said. What will be scarcer at his store this holiday: "The bigger items."

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BATON ROUGE - A 25-year-old man was found dead in the parking lot of Lake Sherwood Mall at the corner of Sherwood Forest and Coursey Blvd. late Saturday. Police said Jamal Dunn of Donaldsonville was killed. Dunn was killed during a shooting in the parking lot around 10:30 p.m. There is a busy event and bar venue in the shopping center. Trending News Anyone with any information is urged to contact the Violent Crimes Unit at 389-4869 or Crime Stoppers at 344-7867.

Stop & Shop has launched a new online express delivery service in a partnership with Instacart.Stop & Shop Express is available through the company's hundreds of supermarkets, according to a report from Supermarket News.The site reported that the goal of the service is to provide a quick turnaround for those just shopping for a few items.  The deliveries can arrive as quickly as 30 minutes after placing an order.The service is available every day from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m., Supermarket News said. There is a $10 minimum and a delivery fee of $2.99. Click here to sign up for Daily Voice's free daily emails and news alerts.

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FLINT, Mich. – Michigan State Police troopers are assisting the Flint Township Police Department investigate a shooting Saturday at the Genesee Valley Center.According to authorities, a group of people got into a fight and things escalated. The two victims are currently in critical condition.Police said it is not an active shooter situation.“There was a physical altercation involving multiple people. That physical altercation turned into those subjects pulling guns and firing those weapons,” said Flint Township police Lt. Jim Baldwin. “There were two people that were struck and they were transported by the local hospital, where they remain in critical condition.”Police did not say how many suspects they are searching for. People are urged to avoid the area.More: Genesee County news

MONROE COUNTY, Mich. – Over the past several months the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office has received reports about catalytic converters being cut from the exhaust system of vehicles. The thefts have took place throughout the day and at different venues in Monroe County. Police say the vehicles are often targeted in the parking lots of commercial businesses, churches, nursing homes and other similar locations and sometimes even residential homes. According to police, those responsible for the crimes crawl under the vehicle and cut out the catalytic converter with a cutting tool, such as a cordless reciprocating saw, then sell the removed part for scrap metal. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating the crimes and conducting aggressive patrols and property checks. Several arrests have already been made, but the crimes continue to be committed by others.Anyone who observes suspicious activity is asked to immediately report it to Monroe County Central Dispatch by calling 911. If you have information regarding the thefts call the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau at 734-240-7530. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers of Michigan at 1-800-SPEAK-UP. Those who come forward could be offered a cash reward.Read more: Local and national crime headlines

By Mary Chappell CHICAGO (CBS) — A man was arrested early Saturday after burglarizing a Lincoln Square business, police said. Officers responded at about 1:50 a.m. to the burglary in the 4700 block of North Lincoln Avenue and saw the man fleeing with several clothing items. He used a pry bar and a rock to break the front window of the business, authorities said. He was taken into custody and most of the items were recovered. Area Three detectives are investigating.

SAN ANTONIO – As of Friday evening, no charges have been filed against a man suspected of shooting and killing a homeless man, an SAPD spokeswoman said.The shooting occurred Thursday morning outside a gas station east of downtown at Interstate 37 and Elm.“I think what disturbed me was there didn’t seem to be any fight or altercation,” said Dawn White-Fosnick, president and CEO of Christian Assistance Ministry. “It just seemed like he was shot for no reason.”CAM is located across the street from a frequent encampment beneath I-37. Its mission is to help San Antonio’s unsheltered population and working poor families.A surveillance camera overlooking the CAM parking lot was pointed directly at the gas station.White-Fosnick said not only did she recognize the man who appeared unarmed as one of CAM’s unsheltered clients, she and her staff were shocked watching what had happened.“We observed him approaching a gentleman who was walking to a white truck and probably saying something,” she said. “Within about 10 seconds, the gentleman pulled out a gun and shot him in the stomach.”What happened next, she said, was just as jarring.“The individual who shot him then stepped over him calmly, got in his truck and just drove off,” White-Fosnick said.Brittany Ackerson, an outreach worker for another nonprofit helping the unsheltered, said, “Multiple people walk by that gas station as he was laying there dying.”San Antonio police said the 35-year-old man died later at the hospital.Ackerson said she watched the CAM surveillance video several times thinking about those she serves on a daily basis.“I was extremely upset,” Ackerson said. “The lack of humanity for somebody dying in the middle of a gas station was just terrifying.”After leaving the scene, the shooter parked around the block where he was questioned and detained, but police said he is cooperating.  The weapon also was recovered. No charges have been filed at this time as the investigation continues, the SAPD spokeswoman said.She said the shooter told officers he had felt threatened by the man.“There was a lot of grace given to the shooter,” White-Fosnick said.And, she said her client would often panhandle at the gas station where he was killed.Ackerson, who knew the man, said, “He was very, very kind and loving.” She said at one point he had a home he would share often with others who were unsheltered.Both White-Fosnick and Ackerson said the shooting says a lot about how many are fearful when they encounter someone who is disheveled and poorly dressed.“Our homeless, for the most part, are really only a danger to themselves,” White-Fosnick said. “I don’t want the public to think that they need to kill people, our homeless people or be scared of them.”“These are humans out here that are struggling with mental health and substance abuse, and they need just as much love as anyone else,” Ackerson said.Ackerson said she was one of them at one time.“By the grace of God, I changed and nobody gave up on me,” Ackerson said.Related Story:Man killed in shooting at downtown San Antonio gas station

DETROIT – There’s a new scam targeting people who are already shopping for the holidays.The Better Business Bureau revealed its top scams of the year in an effort to protect you online.The holiday shopping season is already underway and that means scammers are also making their moves. It’s critical to shop safely online and known exactly what website you’re using. You can use a credit card instead of a debit card, as it offers more protection.Beware of advertisements that offers unbelievable deals. It if seems too good to be true, it probably is.You can report a scam to the Better Business Bureau’s official Scam Tracker here.Watch the video above for the full report.READ: More Help Me Hank coverage