Black Friday: Were Early Openings a Success?

Midnight Black Friday openings were worth it for shoppers and retailers, according to a press release issued this morning by the National Retail Federation. But police reports across the country are painting a different story.

“Early morning openings appear to have been well worth it for both retailers and holiday shoppers, with many Americans believing that deals were too good to pass up regardless of who they were shopping for – themselves or others,” NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay said in the press release.

But police, too, have been busy keeping shoppers in control. Black Friday may be proving to be prosperous for retailers, but it’s bringing out the worst is consumers.

Note: There isn’t mayhem in every store in ever market, but there have been enough incidents to make Black Friday violence newsworthy.

Here’s MSNBC’s rolling report of Black Friday incidents from across the U.S.

And here’s a video from CNN.com showing an incident of shopping violence, as captured by a shopper in what appears to be a Walmart store.