Black Friday sales are already being leaked with news outlets and websites getting details of what some retailers are planning this year. But certain retailers are doing this on purpose with Sears offering Back Friday deals starting back in October, which resulted in the retailer receiving a lot of free publicity.

This activity is a fairly new strategy according to the president of the National Retail Federation Ellen Davis, as retailers still want to control news about their discounts as much as they can. She said “They don’t want their Black Friday deals to get out too early because then you tip your hand to the competition. If you’re offering $9 crockpots, then your competition might offer them for $8.”

Many stores like to keep their deals secret until the day of the sale, as they might differ according to location, or they could change as the date draws closer. Wal-Mart is famous for keeping deals secret, and even warning websites who leak information.

In situation you are not fortunate on Friday or Saturday (November 5 to November 6.), keep in mind that Best Buy’s “Shop Early, Save Big” pre Black Friday offers will also continue the weekend on November 11-12.