You just have to admire the British. In a classic display of; "Chin up old man," a huge new mall has opened in London's inner city. CNN.com reports that the Westfield center, now Europe's largest metro shopping complex, boasts 1.6 million square feet of retail floor space. The complex houses a whopping 265 individual retail units.

The huge new mall houses such top-end product names as Louis Vuitton, and Prada. The project construction began about five years ago, long before the specter of tight money swept across the globe.

Owners of the mammoth shopping facility state that the available retail space is already 99% leased out. The CNN report also indicates that approximately 21 million visitors shall attend the mall each year, and that the project cost $2.6 billion (US dollars) to build. Additionally, more than $272 million (US dollars) were spent on upgrading London's mass transit system. Her majesty the Queen must be very proud.

It shall only take a scant 60 days to find out if this bold move by the Brits will pay off. Perhaps our friends across the pond are still a bit looser with their wallets than we here in America have been forced to become. I hope the mall is a smashing hit, and that the shoppers arrive in droves. Anything which helps get the wheels of world commerce turning again would be considered a big plus right about now.

Black Friday has traditionally been one of the busiest and most frantic shopping days of the year but with Christmas sales down in 2007 and the economy looking like a leftover fruitcake, many people are wondering if Black Friday can live up to past performances.

To better grasp the severity of the situation I enlisted the help of Dan de Grandpre, the current CEO of Dealnews.com. Dan is one of the most qualified individuals I know to assist in this as he has over 12 years of deal hunting experience as well as the ability to keenly identify industry trends. The Dealnews.com CEO backs up his team's experience surrounding retail sales and promotions by boasting that Dealnews.com has saved visitors hundreds of millions of dollars.

Black Friday needs only three things to be successful: retailers with amazing deals, willing consumers and money. Without any one of these items Black Friday ceases to be the spectacle that retailers and shoppers have come to know and love. In order to understand how the economy affects any of these three elements it is important to understand the relationship between retailers and consumers.

Ready, Set, Shop! Fast paced and limited quantity sales are the new hotness when it comes to brand name luxury goods. Several sites have popped up recently to cater to bargain hungry consumers. These sites often send out alerts as emails and text messages when a new sale on Prada or Gucci gets kicked off. Just like in the wild, the fast are rewarded while the slow go home empty handed. Such is the nature of the high end online discount sales machine.

Flash sales or one item sale sites have been around for several years in the tech industry, Woot! for example which provides a one deal per day closeout pricing on technology items. Many of these discount luxury goods dealers heighten the elegance of purchasing from their online store by going members only. In several cases the only way to become a member is to know a member, adding to the exclusivity. Sites like Ideeli cash in on the shopping frenzy further by charging an additional $100 for exclusive access to text message alerts.

I wouldn't want to be standing in between a member of Gilt and her computer when her cell phone lights up with the deal of the day! While I enjoy the game that is presented by these one item or limited time discount sites I find that despite the multitude of offerings, I can never find what I am looking for. This is one area in which the clothing and accessories stores may have a hand up on the technology flash sales sites, with varied styles and items the selection may be broad enough to attract even demanding clientele. I guess when it comes down to shopping; it isn't what you know, but who you know!