Tony Merino

( Baltimore Sun photo by Timothy B. Wheeler / November 23, 2012 )

The Mall in Columbia offered several perks to entice more Black Friday shoppers, including valet parking service and free "mini-massages" to ease the stress of shopping or just dealing with the crowds thronging the corridors.

"I feel I need one," said Tony Merino as he waited his turn in the vibrating chair. Merino, 47, said he had come up from Washington, D.C., to spend time with his kids and do some shopping with them, though that part he confessed he was not too fond of. Before settling back for a brief rest, he said he expected to spend about the same on gifts, mostly clothes, as in years past.

--Timothy B. Wheeler