(FILES): This November 24, 2011 file photo shows people standing in line outside Macy's department store in New York awaiting the midnight opening to begin the "Black Friday" shopping weekend. Black Friday, the pinnacle of the US shopping year, comes on a Thursday this year. And even earlier. Desperate for consumer bucks, US chain stores, some fighting for survival, are upping the ante this holiday shopping season with cutthroat discounts offered earlier than ever, and ever-longer opening hours. Giants like Walmart, Target and Best Buy, and online goliath Amazon, are squaring off with deals launched a week before traditional start of the Thanksgiving-Christmas shopping season. AFP PHOTO / Files / Stan HONDA
Foto: AFP - STAN HONDA