<p>Will Smith, founder & CEO of <a class="link" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://euclidanalytics.com/" target="_blank">Euclid Analytics</a>, weighs in on the company's <a class="link" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://mail.ibtimes.com/service/home/~/Euclid%20October%20USRB%20Report%20vFINAL.pdf?auth=co&loc=en_US&id=15404&part=2" target="_blank">U.S. retail benchmarks report</a> for October 2013 and how the government shutdown impacted shoppers and consumer spending during the month. In addition, Smith analyzes what the findings mean heading into the holiday shopping season.</p><p>With so many retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), Macy's, Inc. (NYSE: M), Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT), Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) and more kicking off promotions earlier this year and opening their doors on Thanksgiving Day, Smith discusses if Black Friday has now turned into Black Thursday.</p><p>Euclid uses technology and data to help retailers answer key questions about their business.</p>
