The most dangerous place to be in America at the weekend was at the door of a big department store at dawn. Ask Diana McKeever (52) who required stitches to her knee after being knocked down at the entrance to Nebraska Furniture Mart as hundreds of bargain-hunters rushed the doors for Thanksgiving weekend sales. From Conor O'Clery, North America Editor, in New York

All over the US crowds literally stampeded into shops and malls to benefit from amazing bargains and give-away prices. This annual American shopping phenomenon took on extra significance this year not just for the US economy but for other countries depending on the American market. The American consumer drives two thirds of the world's biggest economy and US consumer confidence is at a low point. With the Dow Jones edging upwards for eight weeks in a row the worst may be over. But the big chain stores and retailers took no chances, creating a promotional frenzy to lure people inside, with some families using two-way radios as they fanned out among crowded aisles looking for the best buys. Macy's for example offered a television set for $15 to anyone spending $50 on cosmetics. Shoppers who bought $50 worth of goods at Pacific Sunwear of California were given $25 coupons to keep spending. Abercrombie & Fitch used scantily-clad models to entice male shoppers. The best give-away was probably the $100 Saks Fifth Avenue gift certificate given by Mercedes-Benz to select customers simply for test-driving a new car; anyone actually buying a Merc got a $1,500 certificate.

In some cases the discount bonanza broke records. Wal-Mart Stores, the world's biggest retailer, had its biggest single-day sale on Friday, racking up $1.43 billion mostly for home electronics and toys, compared to $1.25 billion last year.

But overall expectations for the holiday season from Friday to the end of the year remain low, given rising unemployment and uncertainty over war in Iraq. Low-end stores like Wal-Mart benefit when people have less disposable income; high-end stores slump. Up-market toy store FAO Schwarz warned that it would not meet its earnings target for the year. The US National Retail Federation predicts total holiday retail sales, not counting restaurants and motor vehicles, will increase by only 4 per cent to $209 billion, the weakest increase since 1997.