Christmas shopping season off and running

As in other cities around the state and country, numerous Rochester retailers

opened their doors last night and attracted good crowds with special discounts. They and others also opened early this morning and are hoping for a busy Black Friday. The National Retail Federation estimates 70 percent of those shopping Thanksgiving weekend plan to do it on Black Friday.

So far, Rochester police say there have been no reports of problems at the retailers that opened last night and early this morning. Many decided to hire off-duty police officers to help keep the peace.