Most Overhyped Black Friday In History: A Dud!

The Wall Street Journal reports that "The shopping day that was supposed to signal the renaissance of the US consumer, and justify the massive over-hiring by US retailers (not to mention the completely dislocated from reality surge in stock price for razor thin margin retailers like Amazon), is increasingly seeming to be a dud.  The primary reason for the disappointment is that Black Friday actually started early on in the month, with most retailers offering comparable loss-leading deals such as those seen on the Friday after the national holiday early in November, reducing the actual purchasing power for the all important day.  The smaller than expected increase is due in part to discounts offered earlier in November as well as online-only promotions, stated ShopperTrak."  Bottom-line is that "Black Friday" was a dud, which does not portend very well for retailers going forward.