HOW MUCH WILL YOU SPEND?

"Less. Our family agreed over the past year to cut back. Because of the economy, we'll cut back a little more." — Judy Brown, reference librarian In light of national predictions that a souring economy will lower holiday spending and bring a smile to the Grinch, staff writers Tim Gulla, Joe Hughes and Scott Powell set out to randomly ask people in advance of Black Friday a basic question: Do you plan to spend more this holiday season, less, or about the same as you did last year? Here's a sampling of some of the responses:

While the Christmas shopping season isn't supposed to begin in earnest until Friday, a random sampling of opinions from Cherokee County residents showed little difference from the sentiments being relayed across the country.

Times are tougher and more unsure than in years past, many are saying, leading to difficult personal conclusions.

Whether by mutual agreement or sheer necessity, an increasing number of people are saying Christmas gifts may be smaller in size or number this year while others say they at least have no intentions of increasing their spending in this economic environment.

"Probably less than I did last year. Because times are tougher than they were last year and money's shorter than it was last year." — Betty Byars, dock worker "Less," replied a man accompanying his wife inside the Pieces from the Past antiques store on North Limestone Street when asked if his family would spend more or less this year.

"Less," replied a woman at the Cherokee County Public Library, who was too shy to be photographed for this story.

They weren't alone.

One woman said she had to budget for about 10 Chanukah gifts, but definitely planned to keep her spending in line with last year.

It's no wonder why retail experts are expecting this season to be a challenging one for businesses that rely on Christmas cheer to spur revenue.

According to closelywatched surveys from the National Retail Federation, the average consumer plans to spend about $832 this christmas, which is up — but only slightly — from the average planned expenditure of $816 per consumer during last year's survey.

"Less, especially with the economy the way it is. We have to watch every dollar we spend, especially when you have to take care of a newborn child." — Randy Lee local resident And consumers are expecting retailers to work harder this year for their business, surveys show, meaning it's going to take bargains for many people to open their wallets.

Though there are many factors that prompt people to buy, the NRF's surveys show consumers will be more price-conscious than ever this year, with two out of every five shoppers considering sales and promotions the biggest factor in deciding where to shop.

That could be good news in many ways, though, whether it's for consumers looking to stretch their dollars or people making purchases for themselves.

And that's one of the main reasons why the NRF is predicting this Black Friday — the traditional start of the Christmas shopping season — could be the "most heavily promotional Black Friday in history."

"I definitely expect to spend less, especially with the price of gas and everything else being up. I expect more people to do so because now they are seeing less money." — Brandon Kirby, student "Perhaps about the same, but with a different spirit this year. The president of our company, Ray Shroeder, gave every employee a Christmas gift this year with a spirit of hope we would find ways to share that with another person. My intention is to use that gift to help someone in need." — Nancy Dereng, director of Interim Healthcare Hospice in Blacksburg