Black Friday may no longer be as singularly important to retailers as it once was. The day after Thanksgiving used to kick off the holiday shopping season, but that's no longer true as some chains offers sales beginning on Nov. 1, while many open brick-and-mortar locations on Thanksgiving Day itself.
That has diluted how special Black Friday is, but "less important," is not the same as "not important." The day after Thanksgiving remains one of the biggest shopping days of the year and it offers some big clues as to the season's winners and losers.
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