Black Friday comes to America

Thanksgiving is here once again, and that means one thing in the US: Black Friday!



 From CNNMoney:

"NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Larger -- and younger -- crowds jammed the nation's malls and big box stores on Black Friday, as a new generation got in on one of the biggest sales days of the year.
There were big crowds across the country as doors opened Thursday night. Due to earlier openings, the crowd at Columbia Mall in Grand Forks, N.D., was much bigger than in previous years -- and noticeably younger too, according to Bill Reid, general manager.

Reid said shoppers made a beeline for fleece jackets at Victoria's Secret, a four-piece luggage set for $89.99 at JC Penney, and women's boots on sale for $19.99 at Macy's. "They were going like hotcakes and it was a disaster area," he said of the boots, which were entirely sold out within hours.
At Macy's flagship store on Herald Square in New York there were an estimated 10,000 people outside, according to Macy's spokesman Jim Sluzewski.
Luxury stores at Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in New York were particularly popular, said spokeswoman Michele Rothstein. Lines formed outside of Coach and Gucci at 7 p.m. and deals such as an additional 50% everything at Cole Haan drew shoppers from all over, including a strong international contingent and even parents with strollers.
Secrets of extreme Black Friday shoppersThere were a few violent incidents across the country, including a report of gunfire at the Cross Creek Mall in Fayetteville, N.C. No injuries were reported, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office.
In Porter Ranch, Calif., 15 people suffered minor injuries at a Wal-Mart store when one customer used pepper spray in an apparent attempt to move people out of line, according to the Los Angeles City Fire Department.
At the neighboring Best Buy, shopper Joe Casillas, 29, said the crowds were rowdier than usual this year. "It would appear that the change of opening hours attracted a different crowd of people out to the store," he said.
Black Friday predictions: What should you buy?Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, typically sets the tone for shopping throughout the holiday season. This year, retailers were eager to get a jump start on the day with earlier-than-ever openings. Toys R Us opened at 9 p.m. Thursday, followed by Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500) at 10 p.m. Then, at midnight, Target (TGT, Fortune 500), Best Buy (BBY, Fortune 500), Macy's (M, Fortune 500) and Kohl's (KSS,Fortune 500) all opened their doors.Despite some backlash against such early store openings on Thanksgiving Day, the move seemed to pay off.

Some 23% of Americans say they plan to go shopping on Black Friday, up from prior years, according to a CNN/ORC International poll.
Altogether, an estimated 152 million people are expected to shop over Black Friday weekend, up 10% from last year, according to a recent report from industry trade group the National Retail Federation. The largest majority of those shoppers are expected to be 18 to 24, the NRF said.
And even that generous estimate is likely to fall short of the actual number, noted Kathy Grannis, an NRF spokeswoman. Last year, the organization estimated there would be 138 million shoppers over the long weekend, when 212 million actually showed up -- a record high.

For those who are sitting this one out, more online deals will roll out onCyber Monday. Eight-in-10 online retailers will have special promotions then, according to the survey by Shop.org, an online division of the industry group the National Retail Federation. "