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Shoppers In 'Win-Win Situation' With Early Holiday Sales

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 1, 2007

The nation's retailers, including Wal-Mart and Toys R Us, are jump-starting holiday sales with big discounts and door-buster specials starting Friday in what's expected to be a lukewarm Christmas season.

The sales blitz - which comes three weeks earlier than the usual debut the day after Thanksgiving - is great news for consumers, but the new strategy shows the nervousness of merchants. Amid a deepening housing slump and higher food and energy costs, stores see the need to pull in shoppers as early as possible.

'This is clearly a win-win situation for consumers,' said Ken Perkins, president of RetailMetrics LLC, a research company in Swampscott, Mass.

Business, Page 3

•With Dec. 25 about eight weeks away, the retail industry is struggling with shoppers' eroding confidence amid higher daily living expenses and problems in credit availability.

•This week's discounts resemble the post-Thanksgiving Day blitz, with special door busters and 50 percent discounts as generous as those usually found on Black Friday.

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