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Some retailers are finding ways to profit even in the face of declining sales. Earlier this week Saks and Target both reported better than expected quarterly earnings though both stores did report declines in stores open for a year and cautioned that the this quarter – which contains the all important holiday shopping season – could also see weak in-store sales. Their concerns about holiday sales echo other stores across the spectrum of price and location. In particular, retailers are watching for how many shoppers they can lure in the doors around Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, which in flush years has kicked off a holiday shop-a-thon. “The fourth quarter will be decided by the two days after Thanksgiving and the two days before Christmas,” Target Chief Executive Greg Steinhafel said. However, this year more retailers are prepared for smart shoppers who’ll be fighting for deep discounts. Retailers had much more time this year to strategize and tighter inventories should mean they won’t be faced with an overhang of merchandise, in contrast to last year. They also have stocked up on lower-cost gods to offer planned discounts. Stay tuned. Read the full article at The Wall Street Journal