It’s Black Friday and a day that is starting to lose some of its luster as one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Black Friday sales this year are expected to total just under $55-billion, which is down by some $2.5-billion from last year. The decrease is Black Friday sales, however, doesn’t mean retailers are losing money. With Black Friday sales starting earlier and earlier every year, shoppers don’t have to wait until the day after Thanksgiving to find deals. WJR news asked University of Detroit-Mercy marketing professor Michael Bernacchi if retailers like having to extend their sales over a longer period of time and his reply was, “They do because it’s a better opportunity to connect with consumers and more people in the stores most often translates into more sales.” Retailers also have the advantage as many shoppers are expected to visit retailers’ websites on their smartphones, desktop computers, and tablets this weekend.