Wal-Mart learned a costly lesson two years ago when sales suffered because it was slow to offer discounts during the holidays on hot electronic gadgets like digital cameras and home computers. The retailer probably doesn't want to repeat the same mistake.
So industry watchers expect Wal-Mart will offer juicy deals on computers, cameras, MP3 players and other gizmos. But Wal-Mart has to back up advertised "Black Friday" specials with inventory.
Last year the retailer advertised a $378 HP Pavilion laptop as one of the must-have deals of the season but didn't disclose its very limited availability. This resulted in a costly PR backlash for Wal-Mart as irate consumers literally fought with one another at a number of stores over the product.