Experts Discuss The Business Behind Holiday Shopping

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – It's the official holiday buying season.

Dr. Eric Eisenstein of the Fox School of business questions whether all the business traffic with the all the big sales will produce profits:

"Although sales may increase there's a question about what will happen to profits. You can buy sales by just discounting even more but that's not necessarily going to be helpful to retailers. So one of the big things that we've seen last year in particular was that people moved inventory but when they moved the inventory they did it by cutting prices, cutting margins, and thereby profits."

She's a woman who has made a career out of watching trends. Lori Wax, President of Cross Ledge Investments, a nationally recognized expert on retail trends looks at the hot items:

"Certainly the e-readers have really hit a sweet spot this year. You have the Kindle at about $139. That's going to be a very popular category at that price point. The IPad is naturally on the top of many people's wish list. And flat panels, they have just come down so much in prices. I have seen some ads that for 42 inch TVs you can now get them for about $300."

Listen to extended interview:

Reported By Special Contributor Larry Kane, KYW Newsradio