• CNNMoney.com, Monday, November 27, 2006 11 AM

While retailers across the country reported strong holiday sales on Black Friday, Wal-Mart--usually the retail industry bellwether--said it expected same-store sales to drop 0.1 percent this November versus last year after lower-than-expected sales on Friday.

However, the retail giant is maintaining its holiday price-slashing strategy by celebrating "Cyber Monday" (er, today) with an online shopping sales blitz that lasts all week. "Cyber Monday" is believed to be one of the busiest online sales days of the year, although a recent study from MasterCard said it was only the ninth-busiest online shopping day last year. Prices will be marked down on a variety of electronics, jewelry, toys and clothing.

Wal-Mart delivered lower-than-expected sales in part because its Web site crashed on Black Friday. Due to a flood of traffic, shoppers were frequently redirected away from the site with messages that read "Walmart.com is temporarily unavailable while we make important upgrades to our site." An email response to inquiries to the site said that the retail giant was experiencing technical difficulties. Which begs the question: if this week proves to be one of the year's biggest in online shopping, will the retail giant be sufficiently prepared?

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