by Janjeera Hail

Guam - Shoppers, start your engines and get ready for what's certainly shaping up to be the biggest shopping day of the year.

Thanksgiving may be one of the biggest holidays of the year, but it's the day after that really gets shoppers salivating. "Black Friday", as its come to be known, is the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season. And to celebrate, retailers often roll out their deepest discounts.

SM managing director Philip Tan is hoping the discounts, the "Buy 1/Get 1 Free" promotions, and coupons his department store is offering will draw in Christmas shoppers. "Utilities went up, insurance premiums went up. So I think to stretch your dollar, I would really advise for the shoppers to come up and really find a lot of savings and value for their dollars," he theorized.

Macy's Department Store is opening six hours early, to give shoppers more time to take advantage of the once-a-year savings. "We open at 4am on Friday and we're expecting a big traffic like last year. We have a lot of great values and specials throughout the store," said manager Ryan Torres.

Small business owner Kathy Bristol holds sales throughout the year at the three stores she manages at the Guam Premier Outlets. She says Black Friday can be a good gauge of how the rest of the holiday season will go, adding, "I'm not quite sure what to expect this year as far as Christmas sales. We know they'll be good. Sales are always better than they are throughout the rest of the year. People are still holding on to their money, not really spending as much as they did in previous years. So it'll be interesting."

While tomorrow promises to be a big day for shoppers with huge savings, if all goes well it could also mean an early Christmas for retailers as well.