Blackwashing: Black Friday deals that really aren't

They call it "Christmas creep" -- that gradual advance of the holiday season that, year by year, means the decorations are up earlier and earlier so retailers can get you in a spending mood sooner. Black Friday is now practically bolted into the American calendar as another national holiday, so is it a surprise that retailers are pushing their luck with that, too?

I call it "blackwashing." Like "greenwashing," with which companies try to make themselves look golden by touting a few meaningless environmental initiatives, blackwashing is what happens when a sale is promoted as a Black Friday deal when it's really not. Either it's a normal discount offered for a long period that just happens to include Black Friday, or it's not much of a deal at all.