• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, November 28, 2010

Looks like Black Friday—still considered the true kick-off of the holiday season—was a rosy one, with the National Retail Federation reporting that 212 million shoppers went to stores or websites over the weekend, a big jump from 195 million last year. On average, each shopper spent $365.34 over the weekend, up from last year's $343.31, with total spending reaching an estimated $45 billion.

Other estimates are more subdued. ShopperTrak reports that because of aggressively priced doorbusters and other promotions, sales on Black Friday itself increased just 0.3% increase versus the same period in 2009, to a record $10.69 billion in various retail locations. Friday's foot traffic increased 2.2%.