That's Entertainment: The Truth About Black Friday Sales

Gun fire in a North Carolina mall; 9,000 waiting in line outside Macy's; a woman pepper sprays the crowd around a product she wants in a Los Angeles Wal-mart. And this was all before 7 AM this morning. Do we really wonder why Green Day's "American Idiot" was such a popular tune?

The harsh reality is two-fold: first, many of the so-called 'deals' offered by retailers are like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. They are limited in quantity and may frequently be unavailable at a store near you. But second, most Americans appear to know this.

Shopping is not like going to the market in an underdeveloped country for your daily sustenance. Shopping has consistently ranked as American families' #1 source of entertainment. They like being part of something larger than themselves, they like seeing the crowds and they like the visual stimulation. The National Retail Federation is breathlessly predicting bigger crowds and bigger sales than last year, but in the end, 60% of Americans say their holiday purchases will be dictated by the economy.

While the rest of the family is donning Santa hats and red sweatshirts before heading to the mall, you might want to take a look at this morning's capital markets. They are plunging due to the German government's determination not to print money to ease the Euro crisis. This will ultimately have a greater effect on holiday shopping than putative bargains. So let the escapists have some fun. Reality isnt going anywhere. JL

Huffington Post reports:

Black Friday: It's one of the biggest shopping days of the year -- famous for long lines, huge deals and shopper stampedes. And this year, even in a down economy, shoppers are expected to show up in droves.
The National Retail Federation estimates that the number of shoppers hitting stores the day after Thanksgiving will be up 10 percent from last year. And retailers are getting more competitive to get them to their stores. Electronic store officials say they're going to be "playing offense" to get consumers to spend on TVs. Some retailers are offering bottom barrel prices on hot video games to lure shoppers.

Others are maximizing the number of hours they'll have shoppers wandering their aisles. Target, Macy's and Best Buy are all opening their stores at midnight, while Toys R Us and Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, will be inviting deal-seekers inside late on Thanksgiving Day.

Some say the store openings may be getting too early, including employees at Target and Best Buy, who have launched online petitions asking the stores not to open at midnight on Black Friday so workers can stay home with their families on Thanksgiving. Even many Black Friday traditionalists say they're staying away because the openings are cutting too much into their own Thanksgivings, according to The New York Times.

The early openings and huge discounts may not be enough to get those consumers concerned about the economy into stores. More than 60 percent of Americans say they expect the economy to influence their holiday shopping this year, a survey from the NRF found. Consumers barely boosted spending in October, according to the Commerce Department, indicating holiday shopping may be slow.

Regardless the atmosphere at malls and big box stores across the country is sure to be hectic