Retailers and consumers are bracing for Black Friday, the official start of the holiday season, as it looms on the horizon clouded with storm clouds of the recession.
Recall last year, consumer spending was up 7 percent on 2008 Black Friday, but the excitement and the spending eventually fizzled, falling to 3.4 percent increase in overall holiday spending. But can one day be omen for the entire shopping season?

There is a shortage of oil, there is a shortage of jobs, and there is a shortage of consumer spending in this down economy. To that list, add another shortage in the state - telephone numbers.