black friday

The holiday shopping season reportedly got off to a strong start this past weekend. But don't expect to find a thriving U.S. economy under the Christmas tree this year.

Heading out for some shopping on Friday morning? You'll have some company.

A full-month of deals, capped off by extra-deep Black Friday discounts, gave an extra boost to retailers' store sales in November in a solid kickoff to the holiday season.

Neither rain nor snow could keep throngs of determined bargain hunters from hitting stores nationwide at the stroke of midnight on Black Friday, one of the biggest sales days of the year.

Who knew that all it took was a 2-hour time change to bring out a mob of newcomers to the Black Friday craziness?

Those big markdowns can help you save big on holiday shopping -- or tempt you to spend more than you intended. Here's how to snag the deals and avoid the traps.

Early reports indicated that while Black Friday is missing the usual mayhem associated with it, the good news for merchants is that pre-dawn shoppers are still clearly eager to spend money on juicy discounts on toys cashmere sweaters and gadgets.

Here's a Black Friday reality check: Of the hordes of pre-dawn shoppers who line up for hours outside stores on the day after Thanksgiving, most will not bag the best bargains that appear in merchants' circulars.

Compared with a year ago, when panicked retailers slashed prices all over, deep discounts will be tougher to find this season. Here's how and where to spot bargains.

Retail experts are predicting the weakest holiday shopping season in decades, and consumers' spending on Black Friday isn't changing that view.

Today, retail stocks were down. Janet Babin reports.