The day after Thanksgiving is traditionally considered the day stores break into profitability for the full year. It’s called Black Friday. The start of the holiday shopping season this year has high stakes both for retailers that have suffered through a year of sales declines and for the economy, which could use a lift from consumer spending. Although stores are marking down everything from high-definition TVs to socks and diapers, Tracy Mullion, president of The National Retail Federation, says people are still "very nervous about the future." The trade group expects Black Friday crowds to be bigger this year, but retail consultant Walter Loeb says spending for the weekend will be, at best, unchanged from last year. Retailers nationwide are also looking to make Black Friday safer a year after a wall of frantic shoppers trampled a guard to death at a Wal-Mart store on Long Island. Many retailers, including Wal-Mart, have developed safety plans including better crowd management, product placement and security.
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