I'm online shopping at several places but trying to wait until the last second when the prices drop. The trick, for me, is catching the lowest price and the free shipping.

Yep, gotta go for that free shipping. Annoying though, that they have so many minimums for it. I've discovered that if you do a google search for "coupon code" before you buy, you can get some discounts that way (at least on MAC eyeshadow, which I'm sure you'll never need).

I'm trying to understand the difference between what the retail organization describes as an increase in Black Friday sales (compared to last year) and what kind of profits are actually being made by slashing prices so much.

And wouldn't it be troubling if people are buying -- not with cash -- but with more credit cards? Doesn't that just guarantee mounds and mounds of more personal debt in this country? What joy will these folks have after Christmas morning?

Well, shoppers say they spent more this year in surveys. As for how much actual profit that translates to for the retailers, nobody but the retailers know. The NRF folks have said in past conversations that retailers plan for these discounts months and months in advance and that they typically don’t discount so much that they’re not making any money — because then they wouldn’t be making any money. (Though some of those incredible deals on Black Friday are loss leaders designed to get you into the store.)

And luckily, shoppers seem to be scaling back on making purchases on credit cards this year, opting instead for cash. Seems like the lush lifestyle of buying things we can’t afford has finally come back to bite us in the butt.

Interesting article it gives me a good insight thank you.