The Wall Street Journal

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The Future of Everything: Black Friday's Clout

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In this edition: Elon Musk's Cybertruck, more workplace perks and California's election experiment. 

What's in Store

PHOTO: JEENAH MOON/BLOOMBERG NEWS

Black Friday’s grip on holiday shopping is loosening. The day will account for only 48% of the $68 billion spent between today and Sunday, down from 60% in 2000, according to one estimate. Retailers are offering specials earlier and earlier in the season, and social media and shopping apps are making it easier than ever to score deals online.

That's not all. In honor of the holiday, we've compiled some of our favorite articles from the last year that explore what’s next for retail, from novel approaches to bricks-and-mortar to the technology that’s changing how we pay.

What do you think? Will any of these ideas succeed? Send me your thoughts, questions and predictions by hitting "reply" to this email. And, to our U.S. readers, happy Thanksgiving! 🦃 

PHOTO: JONATHAN ZIZZO FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

ILLUSTRATION: JASON SCHNEIDER

Future Feedback

Last week, we reported on the microneedle patches that might one day replace traditional vaccines. Readers shared their thoughts:

  • "No one ever said, 'Please stick me with a needle,' if they didn’t have to. I suspect just about everyone will be supportive of the microneedle patch if effective and relatively equal in cost. Just consider the number of people who avoid the flu shot every year despite knowing they should get one." —Dave Stangis, Pennsylvania
  • "As someone who hates getting shots, the 'patch' you've described gives me the same rush of anxiety that needles do. There will have to be a way of describing it without the term 'microneedles' before I feel any better about it." —Rudy Krehbiel, Georgia
  • "Given that we can’t get all nursing providers to administer a vaccination into muscle or subcutaneous tissue correctly or apply the tuberculosis skin test correctly, how would we get accurate training?"Edward L. Braud, Florida
  • "I grew up with severe asthma and allergies and had probably received close to 1,000 traditional injections by the age of 15. The anxiety of getting a needle in the arm, leg or back was probably gone by the third or fourth shot. However, if microneedles can be used to simplify administration of daily insulin shots or faster relief of acute migraine, that’s a different story. Also, if your medical condition requires you to administer the shots yourself, I think microneedles have the potential to become a great relief."Anders Leideman, Stockholm

(Responses have been condensed and edited.)

Elsewhere in the WSJ

This week's futuristic news from The Wall Street Journal:

  • 🎥: California Is Trying to Change the Way We Vote. Los Angeles County is remodeling its voting experience. And depending how the rollout goes for the county's 5.4 million voters during its 2020 election debut, voting changes could extend further across the U.S. 

Thanks for reading. I'm Leigh Kamping-Carder, the digital director of The Future of Everything. Follow me on Twitter @Leigh_KC, and reach me by email at leigh.kamping-carder@wsj.com.

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