The Last Friday Before Black Friday

We're still a week out from the official start of the holiday shopping season, but retailers are already in high gear. The commercials are relentless and many seem to be going the extra mile to convince shoppers to spend money with them on Black Friday.

This will be the longest holiday shopping season ever, as Thanksgiving is on the earliest date it can fall on the calendar. That should be good news for retailers, especially since we should also see some increased economic activity in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

On the downside, just heard a long-range winter forecast that says it's going to be cold - really, really cold - the first two weeks of December. That could put a chill on the holiday spending spree.

We'll see how the numbers shake out.