Everything But Water, the largest women’s specialty swim and resort wear store in the United States is donating five percent of all sales from Black Friday (Nov. 25) through Cyber Monday (Nov. 28) to LUNGevity Foundation, the nation’s largest lung cancer nonprofit. The five percent donation will apply on all sales, including gift cards, throughout the retailer’s 58 stores and online.

This will be the third year Sheila Arnold, CEO and President of Everything But Water, has promoted store initiatives to benefit LUNGevity Foundation. She took on the battle against lung cancer because she believes it is important to address issues that affect women and women’s health.

Lung cancer kills more women than any other cancer – almost twice as many women die of lung cancer than breast cancer. Arnold also has a special connection to the issue because her mother died of lung cancer and her brother, Jerry Sorkin, was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer in 2007. Sorkin serves as vice-chair of LUNGevity Foundation’s Board of Directors, and is a never-smoker.

“LUNGevity is grateful to Everything But Water for supporting us with a national sponsorship as we battle against the country’s number one cancer killer,” said LUNGevity Foundation President Andrea Stern Ferris. “The disease impacts thousands of families just like Jerry and Sheila’s across the nation. I encourage you to support the store in its very personal crusade to help stop this horrible disease.”

Everything But Water chose the timing of its contribution – the kickoff to holiday shopping and one of the year’s busiest shopping periods – to highlight its commitment to the cause, to help bring attention to the disease, and to capture the spirit of generosity that marks the holiday season.

Throughout the weekend, Everything But Water’s expert sales associates will help shoppers find perfect getaway looks and gorgeous gifts. Customers can also shop, and learn more about the partnership, at www.everythingbutwater.com.

“We are passionate about raising awareness for such an important issue,” said Arnold. “Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer and affects too many families, including my own. Far too many men and women are stricken with this disease. I learned about LUNGevity Foundation’s powerful work after my brother was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in 2007.

We are committed to the cause and see Black Friday weekend as an ideal opportunity for our customers to show their support while they shop.” Lung cancer takes a terrible toll on our nation. More than 200,000 Americans are diagnosed with lung cancer and more than 150,000 die from the disease each year.

Over the course of their lives, one in 14 Americans is affected by lung cancer. Lung cancer can afflict anyone regardless of age, gender, smoking history or skin color. And because there is no widely available, effective early diagnostic test for the disease, less than 16 percent of people diagnosed with lung cancer survive more than five years.

About LUNGevity Foundation

The mission of LUNGevity Foundation is to have a meaningful and immediate impact on improving lung cancer survival rates, ensure a higher quality of life for lung cancer patients, and provide a community for those impacted by lung cancer.

In order to accomplish its mission, LUNGevity funds the most promising research into the early detection and successful treatment of lung cancer. LUNGevity also supports the largest national grassroots lung cancer network in the U.S., as well as the largest online support community for those affected by lung cancer.

The organization was recently awarded the coveted four-star charity ranking by Charity Navigator, America’s premier charity evaluator based on LUNGevity’s sound fiscal management and commitment to accountability and transparency.

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Next to the Saturday before Christmas, Black Friday ranks as the seminal shopping day of the season. Yet a recent analysis by Consumer Reports’ and Decide.com, a website that tracks electronics products and pricing, reveals that the day after Thanksgiving isn’t necessarily the optimal time to get the best deals on many products.

A recent analysis of prices from the mid-November to mid-December period in 2010, conducted with Decide.com, showed that in a significant proportion of cases, the lowest prices of the season on the included items were not on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, the day following the Thanksgiving weekend.

For example, more than a quarter of the recommended TVs and cameras were at least 5 per cent cheaper between Cyber Monday and December 13 than they were earlier, including during the Black Friday weekend. With laptops, the resulting data indicated that consumers would have been at least as likely as with TVs and cameras to save on recommended models by waiting.

“There’s no doubt you can score some incredible bargains by getting up extra early or staying up past your bedtime to take in the midnight madness sales,” says Consumer Reports’ senior editor and shopping expert Tod Marks. “But retailing trends suggest that the opportunity to score a great deal won’t end this weekend. So there’s no need to panic.”

But if you plan to shop at a store or from the comfort of home, here are five Black Friday tips that can help save your money and sanity. The full list can be found at www.ConsumerReports.org.

• It’s not always worth breaking down the ‘door.’There is no doubt that manufacturers offer some deep discounts on Black Friday. Generally, the very best “doorbuster” deals are only available in limited quantities, and perhaps only for a short duration. Since early October, there has been a flurry of doorbuster promotions promising items such as a $200 laptop or TV.Black Friday earned its reputation as a bargain-hunter’s paradise because retailers feature a few of these high-profile items as loss leaders, which are sold at- or below-cost to draw shoppers in. But consumers shouldn’t bother to show up unless they are willing to wait on line, sometimes for hours before the store opens, and should be prepared for possible disappointment. There are no guarantees, and usually no rain checks.

• Sniff out the most appealing specials in advance. Numerous websites, such as FatWallet, Gottadeal, and TheBlackFriday.com obtain and publish Black Friday deals, often weeks before they’re officially released. You can also find out which products come with rebates and which merchants offer free shipping. “Like” your favorite retailers on Facebook and follow them on Twitter for advance notice of special sales. You can also follow @DealCyberMonday on Twitter.

• Try to get it for less online. If a circular features an eye-popping deal, consumers should visit a price-comparison Web site to see if another reliable seller is offering it cheaper. Some sources worth checking: Bizrate, Nextag and Pricegrabber. Shoppers might want to try Amazon, too, as Consumer Reports’  reader surveys have cited Amazon as a good merchant for appliances, electronics, and books. And don’t shop without first checking for coupons at sites such as Coupons.com and RetailMeNot.com.

• Request a price guarantee. Ask if the retailer has a low-price guarantee – which entitles shoppers to a refund of the difference between the new price and the original price paid if the item goes on sale or if it’s offered cheaper elsewhere. Walmart recently announced that it’s beefing up its price-matching policy for the holidays. Note that most price-matching policies apply to the price charged by a “local” competitor, not websites like Amazon.com or even warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam’s.

• Eye return policies carefully.The blanket policy for most products at big-box stores is 90 days, but may be shorter for electronics.  Some merchants extend the return period for holiday purchases, but they reserve the right to refuse to take back anything without an original or gift receipt, especially if the item was bought with cash.Even if a store agrees to take an item back without a receipt, they may only issue you a gift card or store credit slip in exchange. And shoppers will get back the value of the lowest price the item actually sold for, not necessarily the value of the price paid for it. Receipts are needed to take advantage of warranty services. Make sure there are no restocking fees for returned goods

To help shoppers make the best purchasing choices this holiday season, check out www.ConsumerReports.org/holiday. The site will be updated frequently throughout this Hanukah and Christmas holiday season with new postings to ensure that people are prepared for the holidays with the latest information.

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Retailers have threatening to make Thanksgiving a shopping holiday with earlier start times for their Black Friday sales this year. Shoppers are resisting and more than ever will be going online to do their Black Friday shopping. GottaDeal.com, having covered Black Friday online since 2003, offers tips to their visitors for getting the most deals when shopping online this week.

“More Black Friday deals than ever will be available online this year, even the most popular doorbuster specials,” says Brad Olson, Owner of GottaDeal.com. “We’re telling our visitors that if they don’t want to shop in stores all night long, they can get the exact same deals from the comfort of their home.”

GottaDeal.com acquires leaked copies of Black Friday ads from major retailers. “The extra time allows our visitors to research products, compare prices, and come up with a plan of attack for the big day, whether they are shopping online or in stores,” says Mr. Olson.

The site offers a comprehensive “Online Black Friday Tracker” which provides a schedule of when the online Black Friday sales start for each retailer, as well as a listing of sale items that can be ordered online at any given moment. In addition to this tracker, the site features a dedicated online Black Friday message board where visitors can discuss the sales, ask questions of the experts on the site and post what deals they are finding.

In addition to using the tools available on the site, GottaDeal.com offers additional tips:

“Prepare your online retailer accounts – Go to each website for stores you plan to shop at this week and make sure your shipping and billing addresses are up to date. Also make sure your credit card information is saved to your account.”

“Be aware of free shipping offers – One of the best parts of online Black Friday shopping is getting your items shipped for free. Each retailer has a different shipping policy – some, such as Best Buy, offer free shipping on absolutely everything. For other stores, there is usually an order total threshold that you must reach to get free shipping.”

GottaDeal.com is a year-round online deals site dedicated to saving visitors money. It features hundreds of online deals posted each week, an updated listing of online coupons and a large community message board. Every autumn, the site opens their Black Friday website dedicated to covering Black Friday sales and holiday shopping trends.

K2 images / Shutterstock.com

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