10 Black Friday Deals: Are Retailers Giving Sales Away?

But will these deep discounts, Black Friday ad "leaks" and offers of free-shipping really woo customers and boost the top line? While the goal is to capture consumers' dollars before their holiday budget runs out, the question is, are these deals actually desensitizing shoppers? On the one hand, retailers have spent the past year unintentionally "training" shoppers to hold out for the best deals. Now, they are expecting consumers to open their wallets earlier. But shoppers are savvy, and most realize these sales (and potentially some even bigger deals) will still be there the closer it gets to Christmas. The biggest problem is that there isn't enough newness out there (think Tickle Me Elmo and Nintendo Wii) to entice shoppers, so retailers need to find other ways to drum-up excitement, says Craig Johnson, president at Customer Growth Partners. And those items that are considered must-haves, like Apple's AAPL iPad, are being sold everywhere, reducing the normal level of frenzy that ensues post-Black Friday. Continue reading the article.