Cyber Monday deals have started

The trade group expects about 30 million to shop on Thanksgiving, compared with 99.7 million on Black Friday.

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Shaquille Simon, a 21 year-old McDonald’s manager, said he bought two televisions online from Tesco at midnight, before heading for Westfield early Friday.

Shoppers who lose the receipt can go to the original store with a government issued ID and the original form of payment to get a replacement.

Then there’s the rise of the 24-hour online market, cutting shoppers lose from the scheduling rituals dictated by retailers in the same way new technologies have destroyed the dictatorial control TV networks once had over viewing schedules.

Only the top doorbusters will be excluded from Walmart’s online sales, he said.

“I’m full but I’m getting rid of it”, said Moore.

Department store Robinsons and furniture retailer Courts are latching on to the occasion for the second time, following strong sales during the event previous year. Those that get their hands on the low-cost goodies are usually there the day before, and some spend their time in tents making sure that they’re guaranteed at least some of the bounty at any given store. “I don’t do this every year, this is the first time”.

Also hurting retailers is Amazon.com Inc.

A broad retail index was down 0.2 percent in thin holiday trading.

The mall closes tonight at 1 A.M. and it reopens tomorrow morning at 6.

“Now the trend is really moving away from any pretense that it’s going to happen on Friday, to where there’s online deals on Black Friday week”, said Steven Barr, U.S. retail and consumer leader for Pricewaterhouse Coopers.

Some stores are pulling back on their Thanksgiving weekend hours this year and electing to spread more of their specials throughout the month. Local media reported brawling shoppers at a packed Kentucky mall on Thursday evening, forcing a police officer to intervene and break up the fight. Robinson, who was first in line at Toys R Us in Murray, wasn’t as interested in the prices as his daughter was, but he was happy to hold her place in line as long as he got a break to eat Thanksgiving dinner.

What has become even bigger than Black Friday over the last five years is Cyber Monday – the Monday after Thanksgiving when online retailers slash their prices in an attempt to draw people away from the lure of Holiday shopping centers. The four-day shopping burst will help set the tone for the rest of the season, signaling to retailers whether they need to drop prices or change promotions.

Americans are expected to spend an average of 5 on holiday items this year, similar to $802 each last year, according to the National Retail Federation. “What you haven’t seen is the big insane crushes”, said a Tesco spokesperson.