Nov. 26--No sooner will many people's stomachs began to settle tonight from a full Thanksgiving meal than minds will begin to wander to what stores to hit the next day for the traditional start of the holiday shopping season known as Black Friday.

Many stores in the Mid-Valley area will open as early as 4 a.m., with one, Toys R Us, set to open at midnight, with the enticement of having new supplies of the expected hot toy for the season, the robotic hamster-like Zhu Zhu.

As in years past, many of the early-opening stores are also hoping to spike early crowds with "doorbuster" deals of heavily discounted, popular items such as home electronics and appliances.

Stores have undertaken more steps to make the mad consumer rush that often accompanies such doorbusters less chaotic, after one person died and three were injured in a melee at a Walmart store on Long Island on Black Friday last year.

An employee at the Yuba City Target store said workers will monitor those waiting outside before the store opens to make sure everything stays calm.

Those huddled in the predawn hours might also want to bring umbrellas, with a 50 percent chance of rain expected Friday, dropping to 20 percent Friday night in the Mid-Valley.

Though it expected about 134 million people nationally to shop Friday and over the weekend, the National Retail Federation also expected overall sales during the holiday shopping season to be down 1 percent from a year ago, to $437.6 billion, citing hesitant consumers spending much while the economy is still recovering.

Black Friday early openings:

--TOYS R US: Midnight, 700 W. Onstott Frontage Road, Yuba City

--KOHL'S: 4 a.m., 14880 Sunsweet Blvd., Yuba City

--YUBA SUTTER MALL: 6 a.m., 1215 Colusa Ave., Yuba City

--SEARS: 4 a.m.

--J.C. PENNEY -- 4 a.m.

--FOREVER 21 -- 4 a.m.

--WALMART: 5 a.m., 1150 Harter Road, Yuba City; 1131 North Beale Road, Linda

--TARGET: 5 a.m., 1153 Butte House Road, Yuba City

--KMART: 6 a.m., 850 Gray Ave., Yuba City

--LOWE'S: 5 a.m., 935 Tharp Road

--HOME DEPOT: 6 a.m.,1100 Tharp Road, Yuba City

--ORCHARD SUPPLY HARDWARE: 6 a.m., 1262 Stabler Lane, Yuba City

--SAM'S CLUB: 5 a.m., 900 N. Walton Ave., Yuba City

--MICHAELS: 6 a.m.,1120 Harter Road, Yuba City

--BED, BATH AND BEYOND: 6 a.m., 1060 Harter Road

--MARSHALLS: 8 a.m., 1130 Harter Road, Yuba City

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