According to ShopperTrak, Black Friday sales rose by only .3% over 2009. The overwhelming majority of the action took place in large chain retail stores. The Macy's here in New York City had a line of over 7,000 people waiting outside for the store to open at 4 A.M.

On the flipside, individual small businesses reported virtually no lines of anxious shoppers. In fact, a shopkeeper in Redbank, NJ stated that they opened two hours early and did not have even 1 customer in that two hour period.

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