As you may have heard, economically speaking, things have been better both here and abroad. But, as you should always whistle in times of trouble, “always look on the brooight side of life.” As the NYTimes reports today, the CE industry downturn that has already brought Circuit City to its knees could have a somewhat dark and depressing…upside-an extended Black Friday with discounts unlike any the world has yet seen. No specific retailers’ plans are alluded to in the article, but it does spell out the writing on the wall: the only way the big retail chains are going to get people considering the $2,000 surround sound systems and brand new HDTVs is to go heavy on the promotional perks:
And retailers, worried about grabbing the few dollars consumers are willing to part with, will be offering the kind of discounts usually only seen in the days leading up to Christmas. “I think electronics are going to go through an early promotional period,” Mr. Cohen said. “We’ll be lucky to get through October without aggressive promotions.”
Buckle up! [NYTimes]
