Black Friday is important for big-box retailers. Many of the box-store executives say Black Friday sales amount to one-third of their sales. Most of the large outlets open at 5 pm on Thursday.

Then there’s Small Business Saturday. Downtown Springfield Incorporated not only encourages small business shopping on Small Business Saturday, but year-round. Consumers are expected to spend an average of $1,048 during the holiday season, up 4 percent over last year.

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