It's Black Friday ... are you shopping?

Stores were so ready to start their Black Friday sales this year that a number of them opened their doors on Thanksgiving to shoppers eager to cash in on sales in the economically-stressed economy. Other retailers waited until midnight, or opened at 4:00 a.m. or 5:00 a.m. today, perhaps to catch those shoppers who had been out earlier and would then be able to swing around to the later-opening stores.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch noted:

The holiday shopping season is off to a decent start, retailers and malls are reporting.

Across the area parking lots are nearly full as shoppers take advantage of Black Friday sales and promotions.

Thursday's newspapers were loaded with ads for businesses that sold everything from office supplies to department store goods. For those who did not receive a hard copy newspaper, there was a website set up specifically for the day called BlackFriday.com listing store ads and deals. Most sales will continue throughout the day for those who were not out before sunrise.

Sales reportedly were brisk Thanksgiving evening when Target stores opened at 9:00 p.m. and featured a 46-inch Westinghouse television for $389.99 that flew out the door. Lines of waiting customers wrapped around the stores and snaked through parking lots as bargain hunters waited in the cold night to pick up on $4 movies and $10 toys as well as home appliances and electronics that were hot items.

It's Black Friday ... are you shopping yet?