From Taking Stock

Retail reporter and coupon queen Sue Stock offers news and shopping tips on her blog, Taking Stock. Each month, we run excerpts of some of her best stuff. For her full report, or to share a tip, visit: takingstock.newsobserver.com.

Men's suits needed

Many of you responded to my story about Dress for Success, a nonprofit group that provides women with work-appropriate clothes for interviews so they can land jobs. A few of you asked whether I knew of a similar charity for men's clothing.

Through Oct. 31, Men's Wearhouse stores are collecting professional clothing, such as suits, sport coats, slacks, ties and belts. The clothes will be donated to men who need them, in the hope of helping them get and keep a job. Men's Wearhouse will contribute a new dress shirt for every suit received. In addition, if you make a donation, Men's Wearhouse will give you a coupon good for 10 percent off your next purchase.

Now playing: Eco-friendly socks

Devmir of Morrisville has partnered with the Sierra Club to create a line of socks made from organic cotton, soy, bamboo and other eco-friendly and sustainable yarns. The socks will debut during a November fundraiser, "Change your Socks, Change the World." Purchases can be made online Nov. 1 at www.sierrasocks.com.

Unique gifts from your DNA

These are from a company, DNA 11, that can make you a "portrait" using your DNA sequence, thumbprint or even your lips. That's something you can't get just anywhere. The portraits aren't cheap. Depending on the size, the DNA prints can run as much as $1,200. But a small print of your thumbprint costs about $200.

If you're interested, visit www.dn1.com.

Sports bar and radio

Local sports fans may be interested to know that the Tobacco Road Sports Cafe under construction in Glenwood South has partnered with 99.9 The Fan.

The radio station is planning to transmit pre-games shows from a remote studio inside the restaurant. According to Tobacco Road's owners, the restaurant is projected to open this month.

Cheap toys for the holidays

If you missed the announcement Wednesday, Wal-Mart has kicked off the bargain battles early this year, saying it will sell 10 of the season's hottest holiday toys for $10. People can also pre-order Elmo Live, which is expected to be one of the hottest toys this year. Elmo will be available in stores Oct. 14 but probably not for $10. Here are 10 toys Wal-Mart will sell for $10:

* Barbie and her dog, Tanner

* Barbie Mariposa (a butterfly-winged Barbie)

* Play-Doh Ice Cream Shop

* Assorted Littlest Pet Shop VIPs

* Hot Wheels Trick Tracks

* Hot Wheels Beast Bash

* Fur Real Newborn Animals

* Tonka Light and Sound Vehicles

* Doll Stroller

* Bakugan by Spin Master á

Dressing up for treats and tricks

Here's a list of the top Halloween costumes for this year, according to Spirit Halloween. If you are putting together one of these costumes, please share how you are doing it, especially if you are trying to do it without buying a pre-made costume.

* Olympic swimming champion

* Iron Man

* Hannah Montana á

* High School Musical

* The Joker, Batman

* Star Wars

* Barack Obama, John McCain

* Roman goddess, gladiator

* French maid

* Nurse

Trade in old tech stuff at Office Depot

Office Depot has launched a Web site that offers consumers the chance to trade in their used electronics for store credit. Or if the items are so old that they have no trade-in value, you can pay a small fee to have Office Depot recycle them and get them out of your house.

Shoppers can go to www.officedepot.com/techtradein and search for the computer, MP3 player, smart phone or other gadget that they wish to trade in. You can enter information about the condition of the product, and it tells you what it's worth. If the amount is acceptable, you hit "OK" and receive a shipping label and instructions. Once your product has been received and inspected to make sure it matches your description, you are mailed an Office Depot gift card loaded with your trade-in amount.

Or if you wish simply to recycle items, you can pay a $5, $10 or $15 fee for the box and shipping, and Office Depot will take care of the rest. Seems like a mighty fine time to hunt through your closets and garages for some old electronics.