LOOKING AHEAD to Black Friday. “The real test, though, will not be when the Black Friday numbers come out in a few days. Rather, it will be whether retailers can sustain a decent sales level without phenomenal discounts.” I was at the mall yesterday, and the crowds were fairly thin. I have no intention of being there tomorrow. I’ll be doing my shopping online. Interesting discussion in the comments regarding the future of retail.

Meanwhile, Amazon’s flashing lots of new deals on and off in advance of Black Friday.