NEW YORK (AP) — Flashy is out this Black Friday.
Stores are appealing to the recession mind-set this holiday season, offering deals on necessities such as blankets and socks alongside big ticket electronic items.
Babies R Us stores are armed with deals on jumbo packs of diapers and baby food for their 5 a.m. opening.
Walmart's promotions include $7 fleece jackets and $3 children's pajamas. And Sears Holdings, which operates Sears and Kmart, is highlighting jackets, tool kits, blankets and boots.
The National Retail Federation expects the Black Friday crowds will be bigger this year, but spending for the weekend will be at best unchanged from last year.
Federation president Tracy Mullin says people are still "very nervous about the future," but stores understand the 2009 shopper "and the products are much less showy."
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<<CUT …066 (11/26/09)>> 00:35 "''
Ed Donahue, AP correspondent
For many bargain hunters, Thanksgiving is also a day to do research to prepare for a trip to the mall on Black Friday. The AP's Ed Donahue reports.
<<CUT …068 (11/26/09)>> 00:09 "you which ones"
Edgar Dworsky
Edgar Dworsky at Consumerworld.com says it takes some digging for the smart shopper to find really good deals.
<<CUT …140 (11/26/09)>> 00:13 "difficult economic time"
Jack Gillis
If you're planning to shop till you drop tomorrow, Jack Gillis of the Consumer Federation of America knows you won't be alone -- but you need to be smart.
<<CUT …141 (11/26/09)>> 00:09 "the wrong price"
Jack Gillis
If you're gearing up to go holiday shopping, Jack Gillis of the Consumer Federation of America has this advice for you: be careful not to spend more than you can afford.
<<CUT …204 (11/26/09)>> 00:06 "is too precious"
Janet Stephens, shopper at the Long Island Wal-Mart where an employee was fatally trampled last year
Thanksgiving Day shopper Janet Stephens says she decided to shop today because of what happened last year when a Wal-Mart employee was crushed during a door-buster sale on Black Friday. COURTESY: WABC ((mandatory on-air credit))
<<CUT …205 (11/26/09)>> 00:07 "it at all"
Unidentified Thanksgiving Day shopper at the Long Island Wal-Mart where an employee was fatally trampled last year
This Thanksgiving Day shopper decided to beat the Black Friday rush, figuring prices wouldn't be that much lower the next day. COURTESY: WABC ((mandatory on-air credit))
<<APPHOTO IAMAS101 (11/26/09)>>
: Ben Walk of St. Ansgar, Iowa, plays catch with a football dressed in a gorilla mask outside Best Buy in Mason City, Iowa, late Thursday night Nov. 26, 2009. About a dozen shoppers braved the cold to be the first ones to shop the store on Black Friday.
<<APPHOTO TNCLA102 (11/26/09)>>
: As the sun rises Thanksgiving morning Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009 in Clarksville Tenn., Arron Watts sits inside his truck outside Best Buy watching for anyone else to try and beat him out of being the first person in line. Watts had been in the lot since Wednesday afternoon to be the first person in line to be able to buy sale items when the store opens on Black Friday.
<<APPHOTO CARD102 (11/26/09)>>
: Old Navy employee Simone Gardinier greets customers on Thanksgiving in San Francisco, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009.
