Today’s guest is post is written by Lisa Gerber.

Between Occupy Wall Street and Black Friday madness, I’m not sure if I should be knitting handmade items for my loved ones or donning my riot gear and bracing the furious frenzy for a $2 waffle iron.

This stuff is like a train wreck to me. I watch it through squinty eyes wondering about the average IQ of the general population.

There were, however, some glimmers of good news over the weekend. There actually are retailers who do not resort to family-separating and violence-inducing strategies for an increase in sales.

This, I like to watch. We’re all students of good marketing strategy and there is plenty to study in the highly competitive sector of holiday retail. (more…)