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Retailers are hoping your Black Friday experience won't be as unruly as last year.

You might remember the store worker who was trampled to death during a stampede at a Long Island, N.Y., Walmart.

For the first time, Walmart, citing safety as a factor, will be open on Thanksgiving through Friday.

The doorbuster sales will still start at 5 a.m. But staying open longer will allow Walmart to avoid long lines of shoppers waiting outside the door, Walmart spokesman spokesman David Tovar told the Associated Press.

"There's a great psychological pressure that happens around waiting for a door to open," Paula Rosenblum, managing partner at Retail Systems Research LLC, told the AP. "I've never felt doorbusters were good for the industry. Nobody makes a lot of money on them. All they do is create a lot of frenzy."

The AP says more of you will be shopping on Black Friday. The article cites a survey that shows 16 percent of consumers expect to begin their holiday shopping then, up from 10 percent in 2008.

Will you also be partaking in the Black Friday festivities? Why or why not?

A reminder to sign up for my free weekly e-newsletter, Bargain Bytes.

It keeps you in the know regarding the latest retail and restaurant bargains in the Triad and beyond.

You'll get the newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday.

What have you got to lose? Exactly.

Sign up here.

Does "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" cross the line regarding the controversial airport scene?

Graphic and gory, to be sure. But I wasn't shocked by it. Then again, I don't need a video game to enlighten me concerning the horrors of terrorism. If you do, then you're too young to play this game anyway.

That's because it's rated Mature 17+ as the front cover of the game plainly states.

Games with that rating "may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language."

Despite those warnings, some parents aren't getting that message as we enter the holiday shopping season.

According to one report, nearly three quarters of parents understand little or nothing about video game ratings.

That could help explain, according to the National Institute on Media and the Family, why half of players ages 8 to 12 admit playing M-rated video games such as "Gears of War 2."

You think "Modern Warfare" is gory. The weapon of choice in "Gears of War 2?" A machine gun that uses a chain saw as an accessory.

Let's just say you're not using that to clear tree limbs.

So before you shell out $60 of your hard-earned money on a video game that might not be suitable for little Johnnie, check out this interactive we created last year that takes the mystery out of the video games rating system.

You don't have to wait until Black Friday to take advantage of some deals.

"As we’ve been reporting, retailers aren’t withholding all of their best deals for Black Friday," notes Consumer Reports' money blog. "We scoured various store flyers to check out the latest round of sales on tap for this weekend, and there’s no shortage of bargains."

Some examples, according to Consumer Reports, include Sears' "Doorbusters" sale until noon today. That includes 25-percent off all Kenmore appliances and 10 percent off all other brands.

Kmart this weekend is having a 40-percent discount on outerwear for women and children.

JR.com has deals on select digital picture frames, notebook computers, camcorders, digital cameras.

Shoppers at Kohls.com can save 50 to 60 percent on selected shoes and boots and 50 percent off of the chain’s Apt 9 sportswear line for women until 4 p.m.

Black Friday ads for retailers continue to be posted online as we approach the post-Thanksgiving shopathon.

Deals include Best Buy selling a Compaq netbook (1GB memory, 160GB hard drive) for $179.99, according to Black-Friday.net.

Target is offering "doorbuster discounts" including a Westinghouse 32-inch LCD HDTV for $246, according to Gottadeal.com. 

You also get a free $10 gift card at Target if you spend at least $100.

Unlike the last game I mentioned on this blog, I'm hoping my expectations for this game don't pan out.

In other words, I'm hoping I'll be surprised to find "Star Trek Online" is a bargain because it finally delivers the goods regarding a great video game based on the popular sci-fi franchise.

The last attempts? Mediocre. Lame. Set phasers to destroy.

Please, for the love of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, let this one be engaging.
 

A sneak peak at a new Salvation Army store opening today in Greensboro that may surprise you.

Think of the store on North Elm Street as more of a boutique, offering fine clothes for even finer deals.

“This is going to wow people,” Hope Chapman, a Lake Jeanette resident, told News & Record Staff Writer Jennifer Fernandez. “People are going to think they are going into an upscale store,” she said. “And they are.”

Most items are priced between $2.99 and $6.99.

More details in Jennifer's story today.

You can now go online this holiday season and print out coupons for Friendly Center and the Shops at Friendly Center.

Coupons include $5 off a minimum $25 purchase at Accessories & More, $3 off an ice cream cake at Ben & Jerry's, $25 off your purchase of $100 or more at Brooks Brothers and $5 off minimum $50 purchase at Gotcha Covered.

Prefer getting coupons old fashioned way? Get your free holiday coupon book at the customer service center, which is near the post office across from Great Clips.

The Web site Coupon Sherpa has a list of 35 freebies and discounts including free meals at restaurants, store discounts and free admission to parks in honor of Veterans Day.

The site also mentions Brides Across America, which is a campaign to provide free wedding gowns to qualified military brides from bridal stores.

There's also free admission for everyone at all national parks, forests and monuments, although some of us will need an umbrella, thanks to Ida.

Consumer Reports' December issue could be helpful if you're shopping for electronics this holiday season.

The magazine rates the best TVs, digital cameras, PCs, music players, printers and Blu-Ray players.

It also ranks the best electronics stores.

In the LCD category of 52 to 55 inches, the Toshiba Regza (55ZV65OU) was a Consumer Reports "Best Buy." (Starting around $1,500.)

Regarding digital cameras, the Kodak EasyShare C160 (around $80), and EasyShare M320 (around $100) were best buys.

In the 14 to 16-inch laptop category, Dell's Inspiron (1545-012B) was a best buy. (Around $500).

Regaring Blu-Ray players, the Magnavox (NB530MGX) was a best buy. (Around $125.)

Regarding the best walk-in stores (versus online), Apple, which opened a store in Greensboro in February, ranked the highest among those in the Triad at number 2, behind stores described as "independent."

Number 3? Costco.