Consumers carted out flat-screen TVs, loaded up on the latest Elmo toys and raced to grab designer shoes Friday as retailers across the country anxiously held their breath.
It was the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, complete with the usual predawn rush, "door-buster" deals and jaw-dropping bargains.
But this was no ordinary Black Friday, as all eyes were on the nation's cash registers and what they would hold for the faltering U.S. economy.
Amid a rising unemployment rate, prolonged housing crisis and volatile stock market, this year's shopping season is expected to be one of the worst in decades. Analysts are predicting a wave of retail bankruptcy filings early next year.
Even as many shoppers awoke before dawn for a long day of heavy discounts, they harbored fears about job stability and mortgage payments.
"I feel like I should not be shopping today, honestly," said Maria Chapman, 50, at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. "I'm only buying things that are necessary."
This year's Black Friday also was marked by tragedy. At a Wal-Mart store on Long Island, N.Y., a store employee was trampled to death by hordes of shoppers, police said. And at a Toys R Us in Palm Desert, gunfire broke out inside the store, leaving two people dead.
The holidays are a crucial time for retailers -- sales from November and December usually make up 25% to 40% of annual revenue. It was too soon to tell whether Friday was a success; early sales figures are expected next week.
Holiday sales grew 2.4% to $460.2 billion last year compared with the previous year, according to the National Retail Federation. Many retail experts are now saying that if this season's sales figures are comparable, it will be a good year.
And although thousands of shoppers hit the stores across Southern California, industry experts worried it still wasn't enough to save Christmas.
"I don't think the holiday has a chance at all. No way," said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at market research firm NPD Group. "This year, that spirit is gone."
Desperate for a strong day of sales, retailers took no chances and opened their stores earlier, slashed prices even further and offered discounts on entire purchases.
"Everything seems like it's 50% off or 2 for 1, or they're running specials until noon," said Jackie Fernandez, a retail partner at accounting firm Deloitte & Touche, who was at Glendale Galleria to survey the action. "It's just endless."
