From a release just mailed to me:
Google Checkout Adds New Merchants, Charity Donations and Promotions to New Holiday Site
Looking for the perfect holiday gift this past weekend might have been enough to send most shoppers over the edge. That’s why Cyber Monday, November 27, is expected to attract a crowd of online shoppers for the holiday season this year. And now, Google Checkout is working with even more merchants to help gift givers quickly and easily buy exactly what they want.
Just in time for the holidays, Toys “R” Us, Babies “R” Us, Golfsmith, Linens ‘n Things, PETCO, J&R Music and Computer World have joined the thousands of merchants who have already added Google Checkout to their sites. Shoppers can buy directly from these merchants’ sites and use their Google Checkout login to speed their purchase process. On average, Google Checkout eliminates an average of 15 steps from the online checkout process, in many cases making checking out as simple as entering a single login.
For those who like to give back (in addition to giving gifts) during the holidays, donations to eight international charities can be made with a Google Checkout login. Google will add $10 to every user’s first donation of $30 or more.
I plan to go use the service today, will report back.
More here.