For Some Retailers, Black Friday Starts Next Week

Want to get in on the holiday bargains but don't want to fight the Black Friday crowds, on the day after Thanksgiving?

You're in luck.  At a large number of retailers, Black Friday starts next week.

Chuck Ewing, CEO of Denver-based Appliance Factory Outlet, an appliance retailer, attended a meeting of large appliance dealers in Chicago

"These are the lowest prices I've ever seen in the appliance industry," said Ewing.

More than a month before Thanksgiving, appliance manufacturers such as GE, Frigidaire, and LG Appliance, and retailers, are launching Black Friday sales. 

Many mainline retailers are trying to cash in, despite the still-sagging economy, with early bargain offers. Consumers are expected to spend just two percent more than 2009, which turned out to be the worst holiday shopping season in a decade.

So far, Wal-Mart, Target and online giant Amazon are already putting items on sale, as is Sears.

Shopping online

Consumers may find some of the better values online this year. Online retailers may be in a better position to cut prices as they continue to take business from their brick-and-mortar competitors. In a recent survey two third of online retailers said they expect their sales to increase 15 percent or more over last season, far outdistancing the projected two percent increase for the retail sector as a whole.

Meanwhile, Consumer Reports' annual holiday shopping survey contains some good news for all types of merchants, as consumers said they didn't think they would cut back on spending as much this years as in years past. Forty percent said they planned to use their credit cards less, however.