As black Friday looms, it's a tough time for physical retailers. Sales growth is slowing. Popular smart-phone apps like RedLaser and Amazon PriceCheck let people comparison shop on the spot. And in a recent poll from Booz & Co., roughly 40% of all U.S. consumers admitted to showrooming--using brick-and-mortar stores to check out products they intend to buy cheaper online, usually with free shipping.
But now the stores are fighting back. On the heels of Walmart's and Target's decision to stop selling Amazon's Kindle readers--viewed by some analysts as a move to thwart the e-commerce titan--major U.S. retailers are launching programs...