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Local businesses are preparing for Small Business Saturday, an event to encourage holiday shopping at brick-and-mortar stores during one of the busiest times of the year.

There are clever names for many of the holiday season's key shopping days. Today's is in honor of what's said to be the biggest online shopping day. Tuesday's aims to get people to be charitable. Maybe Wednesday's should be for when the bills come in?

A coalition of more than 1,400 charities is launching Giving Tuesday to jump-start end-of-year giving. They're taking off on Black Friday and Cyber Monday to motivate donors at a time when the outlook for giving remains lackluster.

Host Scott Simon talks to retail analyst Patty Edwards of Trutina Financial about the escalating holiday-retail battle: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and this year, the big-box stores which opened on Thursday night.

Retailers say the day after Thanksgiving is when they start making profits and heading into the black. But the term has a long history predating the shopping bonanza — nearly all of it negative.

Not according to an analysis by pricing research firm Decide Incorporated and The Wall Street Journal. They found that many products with so-called "doorbuster" deals were available at even lower prices other times of the year — even at the same retailer.

Black Friday is seeping into Thanksgiving Day, a new trend dubbed "Gray Thursday." Brick-and-mortar stores have been competing with online retailers that have been scooping up early holiday shoppers. But it's unclear whether the extra effort it takes to open on Thanksgiving is worth it.

With stores opening earlier and earlier, it's not just Black Friday anymore. Then it's on to Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and Mobile Tuesday.