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An American tradition, Black Friday marks the beginning of the holiday season, with deep discounts on the gifts that kids and grown-ups are wishing for. Complete a survey about your plans for Black Friday and you could be taking advantage of November's hottest deals with a free $3,500 shopping spree.

A record 247 million shoppers spent $59.1 billion dollars during 2012's Black Friday weekend, according to the National Federation of Retailers. Although an additional 2 million shopped on the holiday weekend in 2013, the average customer spent $407 in 2013, down from $523 in 2012. The result is nervous retailers who fear that the 2.9% drop in total sales is a trend that will continue into 2014. Sales in November and December account for 20% to 40% of U.S. retailers' annual revenue, and with huge discounts digging into their margins, they depend upon huge bulk sales to break even. There's a growing concern over "mission shopping," a term coined for customers who goes to a given store exclusively for its door-buster deals and leaves with only that or those items. Door-busters cost retailers money or, ideally, turn a very small profit. When customers don't continue to spend once they're in the door, retailers are left picking up the tab.

As more retailers open early in order to compete with other Black Friday sales, marketing experts are watching as Thanksgiving becomes the new Black Friday. Give your opinion on how you'll allocate your portion of the billions of dollars predicted to be spent during the holiday shopping season and you'll be automatically entered to win a $3,500 Black Friday shopping spree.


This offer is only valid for residents of:

• United States