The Buzz: 10 things to know for Black Friday

Black Friday advertising will be abundant and BBB urges consumers to exercise caution.

Big box stores are offering their usual in-store doorbuster deals, but this year they're also offering the same deals online. A few of the biggest retailers are hedging their bets and doing all of the above.

You know why they call it Black Friday? In Walmart stores, the Black Friday sale starts when they reopen at 6:00 PM on Thanksgiving Day.

I'm quite conflicted about Black Friday, Thanksgiving and the notion that stores shouldn't conduct business on the holiday, in order to preserve a romantic notion of tradition and time spent with family.

"The urgency of shopping on that day is being reduced", added Chapman University economist Essie Adibi.

Fizzy Bella on North Leroux will have a variety of samples, giveaways and discounts at its Pink Friday sale on Black Friday. I thought they were going the way of Circuit City (remember them?), and didn't think they'd make it to ring in the holidays this year.

Is Thanksgiving the new Black Friday?

Kit Dunlap, president and chief executive offices of the Greater Hall Chamber, said spending money on Black Friday in the city or county helps the tax base. Say half off? One hundred percent off?

For those who plan on shopping in-store during Black Friday - 75% say they'll use a smartphone or tablet to access online services for store locations, price comparisons, and coupons, according to a survey by retale.com.

As retailers have pushed Black Friday door-buster deals earlier each year, a small but growing number of companies has gone in the other direction. The problem is that we, unknowingly, spend more money due to Black Friday shopping deals than we would have at any other time of the year.

And at Patrick Henry Mall in Newport News, stores will open from 6 p.m.to midnight on Thanksgiving Day and then reopen at 6 a.m. Friday.

Toys "R" Us announced it will open at 5 p.m. for the third year in a row, NJ Advance Media reported earlier this month.

T.J. Martin, owner of T.J.'s Fine Jewelry in Carbondale, said his store is closed on Thanksgiving, because it's a time for employees to be with their families.

One of the biggest online shopping days of the year is the Monday following Thanksgiving, Cyber Monday.

The rest of the stores in the mall not choosing to be open on Thanksgiving Day will be open at 6 a.m. on Friday and close at 9 p.m. Friday evening. "Many of them have actually grown the revenue they're bringing in on Thanksgiving through their online sales", she said. "Despite the negative publicity the event attracted previous year - with sites crashing due to high traffic volumes and crushes seen in-store, Black Friday is now an established and major trading event for United Kingdom retailers with awareness exceeding critical mass", said Catherine Shuttleworth, CEO at Savvy. To compensate, many are offering Web-only deep discounts before reopening for Black Friday.

Retailers, he said, need better analytics and information to tell them how to tailor their offers and pricing to maximize profitability.