Black Friday ushers in start of holiday shopping season

NEW YORK –  Black Friday got off to its earliest start ever as the nation's shoppers put their turkey down and headed directly to the malls.

Stores typically open in the wee hours of the morning on the day after Thanksgiving that's named Black Friday because that is when they traditionally turn a profit for the year. But Black Friday openings have crept earlier and earlier over the past few years. This year, crowds gathered across the country as stores from Target to Toys R Us opened their doors as early as Thanksgiving evening.

When Macy's flagship Herald Square store in New York opened its doors at midnight on Black Friday, about 11,000 shoppers showed up in lines that wrapped around the massive department store. Joan Riedewald, a private aide for the elderly, and her four children ages six to 18 where among them. By that time they showed up to Macy's, Riedewalde had already spent about $100 at Toys R Us, which opened at 8 p.m., and planned to spend another $500 at Macy's. Her next stop? A nearby Old Navy, which also opened at midnight.