black friday

We may be closer to Labor Day than Christmas, but that isn't stopping one man from getting set for the holiday shopping season.

Check out how the top retailers are competing for your holiday dollar.

Black Friday is drawing near, which means you should really go shopping before the mayhem begins to load up on armor, cleats and fierce determination that will serve you well while you're scouring the shelves for the perfect toy at rock-bottom prices like a hunter searching for fresh food in a post-apocalyptic world where chaos reigns supreme.

Wondering when all those big stores will be opening and offering those massive discounts this Black Friday?

Black Friday can be crazy, which may be why some folks are going to extremes to make sure they don't miss out on the deals.

Here's the Saturday-after-Thanksgiving tradition: a smartphone video of a Black Friday riot. This is in Moultrie, GA, and the swarms of people are grabbing cheap pay-as-you-go smartphones. But it's not the only shame to be happening, as the clip you've seen elsewhere isn't legit.

The big gimmick this Thanksgiving season is retailers beginning their Black Friday sales on Thursday, a day previously reserved for turkey and football with the family. This has understandably annoyed retail employees, who now have to work on what was previously a holiday. It also isn't necessarily winning over consumers.

There is hardly any such thing as Black Friday anymore. With numerous retailers, like Walmart, opening their doors to holiday bargain addicts as early as 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving, other retailers must now either join the circus or risk missing out on frantic buyers with turkey hangovers and itchy spending fingers.

Retailers reported robust numbers on Black Friday last year, which surprised some analysts because the economy is still struggling and unemployment is high. But new data from the Federal Reserve shows where much of that money came from: credit cards.

Black Friday is almost here and two of my friends live for the rush. Leslie Presslar and Keri Baumgartner shop every Black Friday together and this year they even got matching shirts to add to the festivities. I asked the girls for a few tips...