IN OUR VIEW | Black Friday: Be careful out there today

If you took advantage of the day after Thanksgiving to sleep in and are reading this over a leisurely breakfast, you may be too late.

Because starting in the wee hours today, in Texarkana and all across the nation, shoppers converged on retailers to get a jump on the busiest shopping day of the year.

Black Friday-the traditional beginning of the Christmas shopping season-is today.

The name doesn't derive from dread of the crowds, as one might think. No, it's purely commercial. Black ink means profit, red ink means loss.

And for many retailers, today and the rest of the holiday season is make or break time. The public's buying habits mean the difference between a healthy balance sheet-and happy executives, stockholders and workers-and a gloomy annual report.

This shopping season is especially crucial. The COVID-19 pandemic means the economy hasn't been good for either consumers or retailers. We've seen workers lose their jobs and stores close. Some companies have fallen into bankruptcy.

Local retailers are even more affected than big chains. They have to deal with both the economy and the Internet. Consumers are increasingly choosing to buy online.

We can't tell you what to do. We hope that you and your families will be able to enjoy the holidays and have all you need. And we hope that as needs and your budget allow you do your shopping locally, to support your community, friends and neighbors.

Before you hit the streets today, though, there is another thing to consider - safety.

The roads around shopping areas will be crowded. Parking lots are likely to be full. And people will be darting around, not always paying attention to where they are going. There is something about bargains that can blind even careful drivers to the basic courtesies of the road.

So be careful out there. Don't let an accident ruin your Christmas season.

And, of course, we encourage you to wear face masks and try to social distance as much as possible. The coronavirus is no joke.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Friday question will return in two weeks.

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