Kohl’s, Sears and Elder-Beerman all had sales fliers in my Friday edition of The Monroe Evening News announcing sales today Saturday Nov. 29:

El-Bee has doorbusters from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. today that include 60 percent off Ruff Hewn and Paradise men’s shirts, 60 percent off designer leather outerwear from Izod and Calvin Klein and [...]

The Monroe Evening News has this report today: Bargain hunters – Black Friday frenzy.
A snippet:
Kohl’s was among the stores that opened at 4 a.m. and the parking lot was full and spilling over into the Ciolino’s Fruit and Vegetable Market lot easily a football field away. …
An informal survey of shoppers this morning found that [...]

If the early morning news reports are any indication, this is going to be a weird Black Friday.
Shoppers are waiting in long lines, picking up the popular deals and then moving on to the next store or going home.
Detroit News: Deal hunters are on the prowl:
Early risers hit Metro Detroit’s shopping malls Friday morning to [...]

The Associated Press has this report at MSNBC: Holiday retail season may end before it begins.
A snippet:
It wasn’t supposed to be this bad. Stores, which typically place orders about four to seven months in advance, had cautiously planned their holiday inventories about 15 percent below last year’s levels.
But because of the free fall in consumer [...]

So my college-age daughter is looking through Black Friday ads tonight and says …
“I’m not going to go shopping at 4 in the morning.”
That’s OK. I told her just make sure she shops during the doorbuster hours if she hopes to pin down a sale.
What about me?
I will be at work during the busiest Black [...]

The staff at the Ann Arbor News has launched a new blog called A2 Shopaholic.
The items of interest include Black Friday holiday shopping hours for Ann Arbor stores.

So … how much did today’s edition of The Monroe Evening News weigh?
I didn’t have access to a scale when I did that sales report at work, so I weighed my newspaper after I got home.
That newspaper weighed 5.5 pounds.
My husband and daughter were home when the carrier was making the rounds and they said [...]

So what’s behind these Black Friday and Christmas season discounts?
MSNBC has this report today: Discounts abound – if you’re willing to spend.
A snippet:
The bargains sweeping America are increasing. From apparel to autos, 10 percent or 20 percent price reductions no longer cut it — deals of half-off and more are flourishing in a growing number [...]

And now, local readers, if you will turn to today’s print or e-editions of The Monroe Evening News, I have some more Black Friday and Thanksgiving weekend specials to report:

SofiStella, a children’s boutique, 1511 S. Dixie Hwy., has a coupon special Friday and Saturday. Page 7A.
Leckler’s, 13001 Telegraph Rd., LaSalle, has a coupon for 10 [...]

Simply the Best Cakes, 542 S. Telegraph Rd., Monroe, has an ad on page 7A of today’s print and e-editions of The Monroe Evening News about its treats for shoppers on Black Friday, starting at 5 a.m. and while supplies last.