It’s that time of year again… Black Friday is upon us and there are predictions, bargains and frightened retailers waiting to see what will happen when the race starts next week.

As a web “e-tailer” myself, I’m very worried that the large amount of holiday merchandise I purchased will sell… even if it’s marked way down. In the five years I had a physical location, the last 2 months accounted for over 40% of my annual sales. So… who knows what the rest of the year will bring (or what I’ll need to do to unload my wares… especially those things embellished Rudolph or Santa).

So… just to worry myself further, I’ve been doing some “light” reading on the subject of Black Friday and other retail predictions:

Black Friday deals may not signal retail comeback – Reuters, Friday Nov 20, 2009

Checklist: Is Your eCommerce Store Ready for Black Friday & Cyber Monday? – Drop Ship Access Blog, Friday Nov 20, 2009


The Ultimate Insider Black Friday Guide: Where to Go for the Best Deals – U.S. News & World Report, Thursday Nov 19, 2009

Black Friday: What We Know So Far – Time Magazine, Friday Nov 20, 2009

And finally… some positive news… (but really, it’s mostly opinion… but at least it gives me some discounting ideas & what other people may be doing as far as what/how/when to discount this season):
Black Friday And Cyber Monday Sales Set To Grow 1.8% – Internet Financial News, Friday Nov 20, 2009

Back to listing on my website… and planning out a strategy for next week! Good luck everyone… I hope we all empty our shelves and make a profit in the process!