Early-birds flock to stores for sales, tradition

They're bargain-bound and sleep-deprived -- they're Black Friday shoppers. They don't mind standing in chilly parking lots before dawn if it means getting a free game with the new Game Boy Advance or a complimentary snow globe. Retailers call the day after Thanksgiving Black Friday because they say it's the day the can go "out of the red" and "into the black" for annual revenue. It's the kickoff to the holiday shopping season and one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

For the rest of the story, read Saturday's Southeast Missourian.