It’s a familiar sight each Friday after Thanksgiving. Cars and shoppers lined up outside of the Malls and shopping centers to be some of the first for deeply discounted merchandise.

The doors were flung open and the mad rush began at the Valley Plaza mall in Bakersfield just after 4:30 a.m. Many shoppers went immediately to their favorite stores for the advertised bargains. Some stores were selling 50-percent off. Some even more.

While there have been many jewelry stores around town close because of the declining economy, the stores here seem to be doing just fine, especially on what some call the busiest shopping day of the year.

Lee Sparks with Helzberg Diamonds says, "business has been extremely good for us. We’re owned by Warren Buffet so obviously, we’re not going anywhere. We’ve been here a long time and we plan on staying.”

Black Friday sounds pretty ominous, but really it means it’s traditionally the day that retailers go from being “in-the-red” or being in debt, to “In-the-black “ or showing some profits on their bank ledgers. That’s a positive thing.

Valley Plaza seemed to be doing very well, even though its parent company, General Growth Properties based in Chicago recently was very close to bankruptcy because of the poor economy.

The mall has undergone some strong make-overs, attracting many new stores and hallways full of boutique vendors. “Certainly retail sales have been off to some degree this year, but every time I hear all those predictions about retail sales not going to be there this year." Says Mall spokeswoman Donna Berlin. "It always happens at the eleventh hour, at least in the shopping retail business. What I have found is that people are shopping a little different this year. They’re buying smaller electronics rather than the very expensive ones. They are buying items for their home; clothing items. So they’re being a little more practical with their spending dollars.”

Last year, the Thanksgiving shopping weekend of Friday through Sunday accounted for about 10 percent of overall holiday sales, according to ShopperTrak . The group hasn't released estimates for Black Friday sales this year, but experts believe it will remain one of the season's biggest selling days, even as shoppers remain deliberate in their spending.

By the way, the day after Thanksgiving (today) is often called the biggest shopping day of the year because of all the hype and national publicity. But actually shopping records indicate the Saturday before Christmas is usually the busiest shopping day of the year as people rush to buy those final, last minute gifts before the holiday.