Everything you need to know about holiday shopping 2012

With Black Friday starting on Thanksgiving evening (now known as Gray Thursday) and Cyber Monday extending to Cyber Week, retailers are doing everything they can to get holiday shoppers shopping in a still sluggish economy. Bricks-and-mortar stores and online retailers are competing for customers who want convenience, value and deep discounts.  And it seems that retailers everywhere — in the mall, on Main Street and on the internet — are offering to match each other’s prices because of smart shoppers who come armed with mobile apps that do the price comparisons for them.  Will the 2012 holiday season give the economy a much-needed jolt and help save the retail sector?  And how are consumers deciding where and how to do their shopping?  Our guest Wall Street Journal reporter ANN ZIMMERMAN covers the retail sector and she joins us to deconstruct the 2012 holiday shopping season — what retailers are doing to get you to shop and what you can do to get the best deals.

AP Photo/Matt Houston