Expect Reports Of A Bad Black Friday For Retailers

[THUNDER HANDS]

If my store is any indication, expect the nation's retailers to announce a slower-than-expected Black Friday sales day.

I was at my Wal-Mart store when the doors opened at 5 a.m. today. It was the usual mob scene, with people literally running into the store to grab whatever items were on sale - HDTVs, toys, dvd players, ect.

It was a madhouse for about 2 hours, then, suddenly, the flow stopped.

It became just another busy day. Busy, but not unbelievable like I was expecting.

Right before I left I saw the manager looking into the computer to see what sales were. At 4 p.m. the store had done just over $400,000.

"Really bad," is what he said to me.

Sales were down from last year. We were expecting to break a million, but it looks like the store will struggle to get $600,000.

Now, I'm no financial soothsayer, but I'd say if Wal-Mart is struggling on Black Friday, there's a good chance other retailers are too.