Ramsey: Houses and Cars

Gaffney: The Autos' Perfect Storm

Deep discounts on everything from sweaters to TVs drove shoppers out of hibernation for the Thanksgiving weekend, but the buying was tempered and sales for the traditional start of the holiday season appear at best in line with stores' low expectations.

The sales receipts, however, came at the expense of profits, and merchants are facing a big challenge exciting financially strapped shoppers for the rest of the season that's expected to be the weakest in decades.

The nation's retailers _ who since mid-September have suffered from the most dramatic falloff in spending in decades amid a ballooning financial crisis _ opened their stores as early as midnight on Thursday, holding their breath wondering if shoppers would show up for the pre-dawn specials. But while the crowds did come out, analysts say they were thinner than last year, and according to some accounts, business fell off sharply for the remainder of the weekend.   Read More...