<div><h1>SHOPPERS DO THEIR BIT </h1><p>As might be expected with the U.S. economy mending but joblessness holding north of 10%, consumers staged a mixed performance over the Black Friday weekend. The National Retail Federation reported on Sunday, Nov. 29, that more shoppers hit stores and Web sites than in 2008 but spent less freely, leaving total outlays at $41.2 billion, slightly up from last year. But online-only sales numbers displayed some proper holiday cheer, rising on Black Friday and Cyber Monday by 11% and 13.7% respectively, according to researchers Coremetrics and comScore. This early spending spree might not herald a better holiday season: Shoppers may have simply opted to amass more gifts early to take advantage of discounts, analysts say. </p><p>See "Online Retailers: An Early Holiday Peak?" </p><p>businessweek.com/magazine </p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=65212104&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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