Retailers Happy With Black Friday Turnout

Major Chains Say Early-Morning Bargains Lured In Bigger Crowds Than A Year Ago

(CBS/AP)  The nation's shoppers -- who have been hibernating in recent months because of worries about rising gas prices and falling home values -- jammed malls and stores for pre-dawn discounts on everything from TVs to toys on the official start of Christmas shopping.

The aggressive tactics -- bigger discounts and expanded hours like midnight openings apparently worked. Based on early reports, Macy's Inc., Toys "R" Us, K-B Toys Inc. and others that pushed big price cuts, reported bigger crowds for the early morning bargains than a year ago. Target Corp. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc., said they were also pleased with the shopper turnout.

Electronic gadgets, particularly the hard-to-find Nintendo Wii, topped shoppers' wish lists, though frustrations were high among consumers who couldn't get their hands on the limited bargains.

---

Read more: Holiday Hoarders Rake It In Online

---

With the economy relying heavily on the consumer, however, it's crucial that the Black Friday euphoria lasts throughout the season, expected to be the weakest in five years.

"I'm really looking for the bargains this year because I'm losing my job; they're moving our plant to Mexico after the first of the year, so I have to be careful," said Tina Dillow of New Richmond, Ohio, who camped out at a Best Buy store near Cincinnati at 3 a.m. because of a great deal on a laptop.

Louise Jackson of Chesapeake, Va., arrived at the MacArthur Center, a mall in downtown Norfolk, Va., at 7:30 a.m., a half hour before it opened.

"We're just browsing, to see what's out here, to see if there's anything that would be worth it," she said. By 9:30 a.m., she hadn't bought anything, although she did place a pair of pants for herself on hold at Nordstrom. Her only shopping strategy was to keep an eye out for good deals.

"The tougher economic conditions are driving more shoppers to take advantage of early bird specials," said C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America's Research Group.

For customer Jennifer Angelet and her shopping companions, this Black Friday was also about the deal, reports CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller.

We know all the sales so we know if we're getting good prices or not," said Angelet.

Marshal Cohen, chief analyst at NPD Group Inc. agreed, but he noted shoppers were buying selectively. Overall, the biggest draws were consumer electronics, including flat-screen TVs, digital cameras, digital frames, and laptops. In toys, which have been battered by recalls of a slew of lead tainted Chinese toys, there were plenty of hits, including video games such as Activision Inc.'s "Guitar Hero III," toys related to Walt Disney Co.'s "Hannah Montana" and Smart Cycle from Mattel Inc.'s Fisher-Price, toy executives said.

Janet Hoffman, managing partner of the North American retail division of the consulting firm Accenture, believes that some parents, concerned about toy safety, may shift their purchases away from toys to video games and children's clothing. She added that sales of children's clothing fared unusually well Friday.

[lastdance4]

RE : trillion1

screen_ident - bigpecker4 and Prophet

This its a simple case of Extreme Poor Management Functions
CBS News Management - Refuses to Execute or Fulfill their own -
Job Descriptions

To expose the Low-Life CBS News Management
To the World and its Competitors

Is just priceless ! !
ABC and NBC didn''t even have to pay for it ! !

CBS News Management - Did it all by Themselves
Simply by doing - Nothing ! !

Lastdance

[ov442]

The ads in our area were terrible. Only one store actually had a lot of really good deals shown. Otherwise maybe 2 per store. A lot of the ''deals'' were jacked up prices, marked down.
I bought a HP printer 3 weeks ago from Sam''s for $99 and the same exact one was "a door buster" at a major retailer for $149 with a $50 mail in rebate. nice.

[erasmus6]

Ron Paul is a wimpass. Voting for him would be like going from one extreme to another.

You Americans better get your sh-t together about who you are voting for, if you want to save your country. YOU CAN''T AFFORD ANOTHER MISTAKE.

[jjp735i]

The roads in the Pittsburgh Suburbs were almost empty Friday night. On Friday nights the roads are normally bumper to bumber with people going out to eat or shop.

I think "Retailers Happy With Black Friday Turnout" is pure hype myself. People are not shopping this like they used to. Of course, we will not hear the truth for months, so in the mean time, the retailers are hoping with enough hype, people will get out. I don''t think so.

[trillion1]

Okay. So retailers say they had a good day. It''s the bottom line in January that will tell the whole story.

[trillion1]

It''s sad, I personally like Ron Paul but this spaming is totally out of hand. It''s bad enough we are getting the ''08 elections crammed down our throats everyday with-out this.

[fibonacci_]

I think that dumb-*** Ron Paul guy is now posting just because it has turned into a sort of game. At first he did it because he loves Ron Paul, but now he feels so stupid that the best way to get back at people who made him feel dumb is to post even more. He is a loser of the worst kind. I will LMAO when Ron Paul does not even receive 5% of the vote. The guy has a mental and social illness. Get help prophet, there are plenty of good people that can help you (no, not Ron Paul).

[shanev137]

Right...more people are broke this year, so therefore, more people need to shop when everything goes on sale.

A no brainer.

[erasmus6]

"erasmus6; You''''d probably enjoy that but we''''ve had bad times befora and always pull through. If we do go down however canada will be drug down right with us so don''''t wish too hard." posted by sillywilly4

Actually there is nothing worse than watching what was once a great country, go down the tubes.

What I am hoping for is for the American people to unite and take back control of their country from their corrupt government but from the looks of things I don''t think that is going to happen.

You may have pulled through before but with the ways things are now, I don''t know if that is possible. And it certainly isn''t going to be possible if no one is doing anything to correct the problems.

[brianbwb-2009]

"COULDN''''T VOTE FOR A REPUBLICAN? REALLY?" Posted by TruthProphet

There you go with that "party of Lincoln" bull again. Today''s Republican party is the party of the kkk, aryan nations, and other virulent right wing racist groups, along with their mouthpieces the Pats (Robertson and Buchanan) klan the Robert Novak klan, and the George Bush klan.

Paul has received campaign contributions from the kkk, and other such groups, and anyone with the least bit of self respect and concern for their own future will not cannot vote for someone representing the wishes of those groups.

Might as well ask the Jews to vote for the Nazi party.

[lastdance4]

CBS News comments is for
For Spammers only !

Post or Read Serious Comments - Go over to ABC News

Chronic ...Habitual...and Harassing - Spam
Brought to you by :
The Professional Qualities and Work Ethics of the
CBS News Management Team
Forever diligent in the Work Morals and Ethics of
Creating Chronic and Endless Spam

Produced By :

1) aka-GreatProphet ......2) aka-PeaceProphet
3) aka-MegaProphet ......4)aka-KJVProphet
5) aka-NextProphet.........6) aka-TrueProphet
7) aka-LAProphet............8) aka-NHProphet
9) aka-GoodProphet.......10) aka-EarlyProphet
11) aka-SageProphet.......12TruthProphet
13) aka-FairProphet

CBS Professional News Management Team - Spam
Throughout Each Day - Each Night - Every Day -
All Week long within most of the topics on
The CBS News Comments (Harassing Spam)

Stop Complaining - Go over to - ABC News (Comments) - Post There ! !
Leave this Low-Life - CBS News Management and Prophet
To wallow alone in the Muck they created Together
Both are deserving and Worthy of each Other ! !


Lastdance

[mediapreachr]

As usual there''s no room for other people''s posts-also me thinks Ron Paul is just another ross perot.

[greatprophet]

ONLY RON PAUL CAN BEAT CLINTON
Zogby''s Director of Communications Fritz Wenzel said on November 20 that Paul is the strongest of the GOP candidates to run against Clinton. "Among the larger universe of voters," which includes all parties, "yes, Paul would be a much stronger candidate than any of the other three [Romney, Giuliani, Thompson]," Wenzel said. Zogby recently announced that Paul was their winner in a nationwide blind-bio poll which included voters from all parties. "He is anti-war and the majority of Democrats are anti-war, he has some other ideas and policies and stances on issues more attractive to Democrats, particularly conservative Democrats," said Wenzel. "Even among Independents, he is far and away a more attractive candidate," he added. Paul is the only GOP candidate who is not threatening war with Iran, whereas Clinton vowed to keep that option "on the table." Paul also voted against the war in Iraq, which Clinton has supported. Because Democrats outnumber Republicans, none of the other GOP candidates can win against Clinton, because they simply won''t be able to reach across party lines and attract enough Democratic and Independent voters to beat Clinton. Only Paul can do that. "He''s right on schedule," Wenzel said. "He''s making all the right moves, going in the right direction...at a time when other candidates are not moving." Wenzel based his analysis on recent polls that show Paul could win in New Hampshire and that his support nationwide is intensifying.

[truthprophet]

RON PAUL WINS BIG IN NATIONAL POLL
The results of a nationwide telephone poll, announced by Zogby on November 19th, reveals that Americans want to vote for a candidate who protects liberty; who wants to shrink government; and who wants to immediately withdraw our troops from Iraq - positions of Congressman Ron Paul. As part of a blind-bio, spread poll, likely voters (from all parties) were provided with descriptions of four different Republican candidates and asked to choose who they would vote for based on each one''s resume and political platform. 33% of pollees chose Ron Paul, 19% chose Rudy Giuliani, 15% chose Mitt Romney and 13% chose Fred Thompson. The results clearly illustrate that the country is crying out for Ron Paul, which is why mainstream media has launched a public relations offensive to marginalize his accomplishments and suppress the Congressman''s name recognition. In a seperate question, over 49% of pollees said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who would begin an immediate withdrawal from Iraq. In fact, Ron Paul won in every demographic of this poll including, but not limited to, religious voters, NASCAR fans, military families, African-Americans, etc..

[fairprophet]

COULDN''T VOTE FOR A REPUBLICAN? REALLY?
Everytime I hear Democrats say "I hate the Republican Party. Look at what Bush has done.," I can''t help but think about all of Bush''s Democratic enablers in the Congress like Clinton, Obama, Pelosi, et. al. who made all of his dastardly deeds possible. They handed him every bit of legislation with which he has used to make himself the virtual dictator he now is on a silver platter. The Democrats in Congress don''t even seem to express any interest in investigating Bush for the crimes he and Cheney have surely committed against our country even though a vast majority of Americans think they should. What cowards! In fact, Obama and Clinton even voted in favor of legislation which actually allows Bush to pre-pardon himself and his administration for crimes dating all the way back to 9/11. What''s up with that? Look. Do yourself and your country a favor. Focus on the candidate, and the ideas and positions he or she represents, and then study the candidate''s track record of performance with respect to those positions. That''s all that really matters in the end. Elections are not a contest of two teams. Ultimately, It''s the politician who will either serve your interests or betray them while in office--not their party. Finally, Democrats, I ask you this: Would you have voted for Steven Douglas (a Democrat), who was ardently pro-slavery, against Abraham Lincoln (a Republican) simply because Douglas was a Democrat? I think most of you would.

[greatprophet]

RON PAUL IS NOT YOUR FATHER''S REPUBLICAN
Ron Paul represents a different Republican Party from the one that Iraq, deficits and corruption have soured the country on. It''s ironic that other GOP candidates are scared to death of his message, because his positions are more conservative than theirs. Being anti-war; pro-life; pro civil liberties; pro Second Amendment; pro States rights; pro secure borders; and in favor of a sound economic policy IS TOTALLY CONSERVATIVE. The Republican party has "lost its way," Paul said during a recent GOP debate. Like the limited federal government principles espoused by Dwight D. Eisenhower, his school of Republicanism stands for a certain idea of The Constitution that much of the power asserted by modern Presidents has been usurped from Congress, and that much of the power asserted by Congress has been usurped from the States. Though Paul acknowledges flaws in both The Constitution (it included slavery) and The Bill of Rights (it doesn''t go far enough), he still thinks a comprehensive array of positions can be drawn therefrom: against gun control; for the sovereignty of States; and against foreign-policy adventures like the ones currently being played-out in the Mid-East. After ten terms of service as a U.S. Congressman, Ron Paul has demonstrated a consistent track record of adherance to The Constitution unmatched by anyone in either party. Ron Paul does not represent your Father''s school of political thought. He represents your Founding Fathers.

[truthprophet]

RON PAUL TAKES-ON FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke appeared before the Congressional Joint Economic Committee Chairman, Congressman Ron Paul on November 8th, and had to face some tough criticism concerning the fact that the Fed has been increasing the money supply while at the same time refusing to raise the Prime Interest Rate in order to curb inflation and devaluation of the Dollar. Paul accused the Federal Reserve of "robbery," telling Bernanke, "There''s a dollar crisis out there and people''s money is being stolen," Paul said. "People who have saved, they''re being robbed. I mean, if you have a devaluation of the dollar at 10 percent, people have been robbed of 10 percent." Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke attempted to dispel that notion by explaining, "If somebody has their wealth in dollars and they''re going to buy consumer goods in dollars, then the only effect it has on their buying power is that it makes imported goods more expensive." Paul disagreed, reminding Bernanke, "Yeah, but not if you''re elderly and you have your wealth in CDs. Their cost of living is going-up no matter what your CPI says," adding finally, "Their cost of living is going up, and they''re hurting. And that''s why the people of this country are very upset."

[fairprophet]

RON PAUL IS THE TAXPAYER''S BEST FRIEND
If he is elected President, Ron Paul will work to abolish the Federal Reserve System as well as the IRS, returning our country to the Gold Standard. He believes, as I do, that our current Income Tax System is unconstitutional, because it is a direct tax that is not equally apportioned as The Constitution requires. Whenever taxes are raised by the federal government, it should be done as The Constitution does require--in an indirect way, which is equally apportioned. This system would benefit all of us, creating more individual wealth, and allowing us to make more decisions for ourselves about our lives. As President, Ron Paul will also work to abolish the Federal Reserve, a group of private banks, run by unelected officials, which loans our government unbacked money which they are allowed to essentially print out of thin air, making each dollar in your pocket worth less all the time, and increasing our national debt to these banks. Worse still. Most of our debt is owned by China (25%) and Saudi Arabia who finance our runaway military spending overseas. This is a threat to our nation. We need to bring our troops home from overseas, and use the trillions we would save thereby to reduce our debt, and to re-invigorate our currency. We can use this money to ensure that Social Security and other essential programs will still be solvent in the future. Vote for Ron Paul. He''s published three books on the topic of sound economics. ronpaullibrary.org

[greatprophet]

TO APATHETIC AMERICANS
Voter disenfranchisement and apathy infects the heart of our Republic. Get off your couch, put your remote control down, and become active in your nation''s political process. The pathetically few people that do vote in this country, a.k.a., "the ruling class", who currently get to decide under what kind of conditions (and Laws) you and your family will live, are certainly involved. I can assure you of that. In fact, the ruling class would be much happier if you would just continue to stay home and watch TV in your pleasantly distracted and brainwashed, stupor. That way they can continue to elect their political ****** to office, and continue to maintain their grip on 100% of the political power they currently own in this country. If you voted (God Forbid), it would cancel-out their vote, and they would lose control. They can''t have that. Now can they? If you don''t vote, my friends, you''re nothing but an unwashed "Pleb" to those that do, and the ruling class should rightfully consider themselves superior to you in every way. They do, after all, have all the power, while you have none. If you''re too apathetic and powerless to do anything for yourself more time-consuming than driving down to Mickey D''s to buy a milk shake in order to sieze control of your life, and your country''s destiny, then perhaps you deserve to be ruled over like the "Pleb" that you then are. The time to act is now. The time for political revolution has come. The time for Ron Paul is NOW!

[truthprophet]

YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES
America is tipping way too far back in her easy chair. Something BIG is about to happen, and I predict this upcoming 2008 Presidential Election will be extremely pivotal. I''m not going to name any candidates. You probably already know who my favorite one is. But let me make my point absolutely clear: If you think times are boring, think again. If you think the future is predictable, think again. My advice to everyone who reads this is to be thoughtful. Trust only that wisdom which is your own. 90% of mainstream media in this country is controlled by fewer than 20 different organizations. Unfortunately, they, like the sold-out political ****** who pretend tp serve us in Washington, were bought and paid for by the military-industrial-pharmacutical complex decades ago. Therefore, mainsteam media will paint pictures they want to paint, and people will open their minds to pictures they want to see. So, be skeptical. Be wise. Research issues and talking points on your own, and share what you learn with those you love. The future of your family tree may lay in the balance.