on a serious note out in los angeles, black friday got out of hand. police say a woman actually used pepper spray on several shoppers there at a walmart in an offensive way in order to get a competitive edge over other shoppers. it's kind of unbelievable but true. we have details ahead. what if you went to a doorbuster and a it's a complete bust, you didn't get what you wanted, or if you haven't started shopping, what do you do nen? we have more on different strategies depending on shopping plans this weekend. >> if you're not looking for little things but big things, homes for sale. we'll show you what's on the market coast to coast. first, let's get a check of the morning's top stories. natalie is gone today, so we have tamryn at the news desk. good morning. while millions of americans hunt for black friday bargains, police say one desperate woman resorted to pepper spray. kristen dahlgren is in los angeles. >> reporter: 20 people injured and police say they believe it was part of a deliberate strategy to get a great deal on a game console. the holiday shopping rush turned chaotic thursday night. police and ffs cairefighters ca to this los angeles walmart where one shopper apparently had enough of the crowd. witnesses say customers were waiting in line for a sale on xboxes when people started pushing and shoving. that's when they say a woman pulled out some pepper spray and took aim at the crowd. >> i guess she wanted everybody to back off, so she came out with her pepper spray. >> reporter: officials called the woman's behavior competitive shopping. this video on youtube shows customers recovering just moments after the incident. speaking by phone, shopper carmen johnson said she waited in line behind the woman for two hours. >> it was crazy. i mean, we were trying to get games for the xbox 360 when the crowd just was rushing in, and the shopper who was just right in front of me turns around and just starts spraying everybody. >> reporter: johnson told knbc that the woman whosh, who had ts with her, had even bragged about carrying the pepper spray. >> she did mention a couple of times i've got pepper spray. i already knew who had done it. >> reporter: at least 20 people were treated for minor injuries. >> it could have been a lot worse. with as many people as they had inside, that's when you get people getting trampled in a stampede inside. >> reporter: three years ago black friday turned deadly when a worker at a new york store was crushed to death in a stampede. back in los angeles one wung woman says she learned her less soj. >> i won't come back. i don't want to do this anymore. it's not worth the deals. >> reporter: police may have called it competitive shopping but call it a potential crime. the woman fled and this morning they're still looking for her. chicago police say they have arrested the suspected gunman in last night's deadly shooting of a woman inside a hospital parking garage. they say the suspect is a hospital employee. tens of thousands of protesters are packed in tahrir square a day after students were released. today many young activists are protesting the army's choice of a political veteran in his late 70s to form a new civilian government. j.k. rowlings gave testimony in the uk phone hacking scandal. she told a london courtroom she felt under steej from intrucive journalists who staked out her home and slipped a letter into his 5-year-old daughter's school bag. 40 beagles used for experiments in an animal testing laboratory in spain have been rescued. they were flown to los angeles where they were set free from their cages for the first time on thanksgiving night. you see their faces there, and they're exploring like beagles do. it is 4 past the hour. now back to maria. you're hanging solo there? >> i am. >> the not really. there are tons of people behind you. >> and i invited a couple friends out here. speaking of friends, this is what being a bff is all about. >> where did you go to school sdm. >> i went to bowling green but i'm going to michigan tomorrow. >> we have great match-ups this weekend, but today we have showers through the mid-sekzcti but the big weather is in the cascades. look out for winds 40 to 50 miles per hour as well. the east coast is looking great today. we have 60s from boston to d.c. down to atlanta. >> high pressure dominates today, making it a great shopping day. 65 degrees. savannah, back inside to you. maria, thank you. this morning on "today's consumer," the black friday rush is well under way. if you haven't hit the stores yet, you may miss out on good days. courtney regan is at the green shopping center this morning. >> reporter: good morning. things are actually going really well. a lot of experts were a little worried because folks are very aware of the tough economic conditions. at least so far that negative sentiment has been shelved and replaced with holiday cheer. lots of shoppers out today, heavy traffic, and the folks i'm talking to, savannah, are spending a couple hundred dollars. estimates for the entire weekend were for the average consumer to spend about 225. we could actually be topping that fairly early. i think retailers are happy. shoppers seem to be happy, and there are lots of deals in these bags walking out of the stores around me. >> courtney regan, you better get in there. thank you. >> i will. thank you. what do you need to know if you want to find the best deals? we turn to vera gibbons. good morning. good to see you. what kind of numbers do we expect in the stores this weekend? >> they're all over the map. some say as many as 225 million shoppers will be out spending on average $385. that's more than twice the total holiday budgets. black friday counts for 10% to 11% of sales. >> even if you miss the doorbusters, because a lot might be gone by 9:00 in the morning. >> people camped out for them. they had their generators. >> it's like a bieber concert. >> limited quantities, those are gone and the doorbusters are gone. there's plenty of other deals. >> the first tip is research, research. >> you have to look beyond the circulars. these days you have to have a game plan. you want to go to the designated black friday site, blackfriday2011.com and find out who has what at price points and compare prices on sites like fatwallet or pricegrabber. look what people are saying about the products. you can do that on amazon, because there's a lot of products that aren't necessarily name brands this year in particular. you want to get the best product at the best price and the product is decent and more buying. >> it's not just about price. you say also consider the extras. >> there's a lot of extras out there. laptops might have a printer. the xbox might come with a game that nobody wants. might come with a gift card. might come with nothing at all. you have to look at the bundling. generally speaking it's better for the retailer than consumer. >> the next tip is a catchy one, shop with a purpose. >> have a game plan here. look what happened in california with the pepper spray. people are very aggressive on this day. without a game plan, you get tram pemed on. divvy up the responsibilities. one person hang with the shopping cart by the check out and the other person get the items. put a cap on how much time you spend per store and put a value on your time. you want to stand in line for two, three hours for a $15 item? probably not. >> your time might be more valuable especially this time of year. don't forget the small stuff. what do you mean by na? >> some people are focused on the big ticket item, the home theater systems and flat screens, those type of items and tend to overlook the smaller items significantly discounted. memory cards, blu-ray players. you have leapfrog games for $125. you ha -- $15, you have select dolls under $5. a good time for basics. the gap has jeans for $19, old navy for $15. don't fixate on the big ticket items, look beyond that. >> some retail stores have 40% off everything in the store. there's great deals. >> there's great deals. >> let's say you're afraid and see the black friday crowds and say not me. online shopping is huge. >> you avoid the aggressiveness by shopping online, too. the good thing about shopping online is most of the in-store deals are available in larger quantities online. typically free shipping, maybe no sales tax. the tricky part is know when the sales go live, but there are apps to help you get started. start with tgicybermonday for example and take it from there. >> thank you so much. coming up next, maybe you're shopping for a new house this black friday. it's a big ticket item. bar ra barbara is here to show you. more on the british phone hacking scandal. first, these messages. 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♪ high score! yeah! yeah! introducing nook tablet. books, the best in hd entertainment, facebook, apps, magazines, and more. this morning on "today's real estate," what can you get for under 400,000 doll? barbara scoured the country and she's here to show us what she came up with. happy post-thanksgiving. >> thank you. going to buy a new house now. >> that would be very nice. >> you start out with palm springs, california. an artisan restretrearetreat? >> it not only comes with a beautiful house but 330 days of sunshine a year and it's a playground for the rich and famous in palm springs. people love it. this is not a rich and famous house. it's a whacky kind of house. it's a huff and tumble hillside home. i think it works. it looks like an alpine chalet than a desert home. the inside is in keeping, but inside there's a barrel vaulted ceiling, barrel vaulted walls. everywhere you look. that is the kitchen. very streamlined and not to everyone's taste. if you like that thing, they did it really well. >> it's an acquired taste. >> you either like it or don't. it's like a giant sauna inside, but at least they're true to the vision there. the main living area has cool floors and a spiral stair kais. very youthful. you have to have good energy to live there. there you can appreciate it. you feel like you're inside the hull of a ship of some kind. it's a cute house. it has a lot ft and cozy wood burning fireplaces. >> let's go to atlanta, georgia in a four-bedroom bungalow. >> it's in atlanta. >> that's pretty. >> i love the wonderful porch. it says come on home. what's wrong with that? give me iced tea, sweet please. it's not too big or small. it's a porch you really use. inside the living room has an original brick fireplace, very clean white walls and oversized sunny windows. that's a well presented room. a lovely house. the kitchen is completely new. it has stylish counters and a back splash. it's opposite to the house before in every way. the backyard has a small stone patio that's about right, but it's about a block away from the big duck pond this whole neighborhood loves. >> that's very nice. let's go to seattle, washington. let's see what we get for under 400,000. >> everybody likes seattle, washington fosh a lr a lot of r. it makes it's claim for the first shopping mall that opened in 1950. it's still there. the outside of the house is a classic brick tudor on the outside but inside it's different. the living room has great details with wood floors and i like the green tile fireplace. the dining room is one of the best dining rooms i've seen. it's delicious with a high coat ceiling and an oversized arriveway and huge picture wind co windows. the window galley kitchen is fresh and modern, simple with a honeycomb tile counter. look at the small breakfast area outside the archway. not too big. not enough room to fit two chairs frankly, but it's pretty to look at. the bedrooms are all simple and peaceful with big windows throughout all the rooms, simply designed and the fully fenced backyard has the right sized brick patio. please, buy new furniture. that hardly looks like it goes with the house. my god. why did they stop at the backyard. get some new furniture and um brel la brel las. >> they have grate windows. >> madison, new york nearly on three acres of land. >> 3 1/2 acres to be exact. you have to ask where is madison? it's smack in the middle of new york state, five hours from new york city. not an easy commute if you want to work here. this is a 1802 federal style house built by a prominent big shot in the town named general cleveland. had to be important with na name from the civil war. the house is 3,000 square feet big, it has a mini brick on the outside that we just saw that makes it quite charming. the formal dining room is ornate with 10-foot ceilings and original wood floors and a kavred mantle. it looks like you should entertain thomas jefferson himself with the elaborate crown moldings. the kitchen is a bit odd. on one side it's old-fashioned storage, but then on the other side, the same kitchen and room has a cooking area completely refurbished like odd fellows you have modern and old in one room. >> let's go to sanitta fe, new mexico. it won a parade of homes competition. >> that's right. it's a hacienda style, something built around a court yard. it's a style to live with in that part of the country. it has maple wood floors and beam kreeceilings. that's a grand piano in the back corner. this is an amazing brick court yard where people live all the time with a beehive fireplace and fountain. there's a kichl with a weird shaped counter that should be taken out. that's an easy change. the backyard looks plain out lonely. that backyard needs a little help. some new chairs but it's suitable to the area. you have to appreciate outside that fence you have beautiful countryside. >> that's a great list, barbara. >> all very different. >> i like that. still ahead, exciting new ways to turn your thanksgiving leftovers into delicious new dishes. but first, these messages. 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[ female announcer ] dawn power clean with micro-scrubbing enzymes can give you the power of an overnight soak in just 5 minutes. [ sponge ] i give you a sparkling clean bill of health. it's a scientific miracle! [ female announcer ] dawn does more. [ sponge ] so it's not a chore. during the holiday season you want to remember the less fortunate. on monday we kick off the 18th annual toy drive. >> celebrities will be here raising toys, clothes, books, all for needy kids. if you come down to the blaz. >> plaza bring a gift and contribute. you can donate at the experience store at 30 rock and online. head to today.com for details. susan boyle became an overnight sensation. we'll have a special performance from susan boyle after your local news. they're for keeping us together. ♪ [ boy ] to dad, love sam. [ mom ] say "merry christmas." [ boy ] merry christmas. [ female announcer ] hallmark recordable storybooks. [ boy ] charlie brown spotted a small, scraggly pine tree. ♪ top a small, scraggly pine tree. v neck 3 piece suit dance wear bolo snakeskin boots sequin costume under things stiletto heels skinny jeans houndstooth snuggie pork pie hat oshkosh socks 5% cash back. right now get 5% cash back at department stores. it pays to discover. ♪ hark how the bells, sweet silver bells ♪ ♪ all seem to say throw care away ♪ ♪ from everywhere, filling the air ♪ [ female announcer ] chex party mix. easy 15-minute homemade recipes you just pop in a microwave. like caramel chocolate drizzles. happier holidays. chex party mix. you can choose your channel package. ♪ you can choose your own internet speeds. ♪ you can even choose to chat with a live person. ♪ now you can choose to save $35 a month for fios tv, internet and phone for just $79.99 a month, plus get a $300 verizon visa prepaid card with a 2 year agreement. but hurry, offer ends soon only at verizonfios.com. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800-974-6006 tty/v. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is a wbal-tv 11 news update. >> it is going to be a great day to do shopping. we are under the influence of high pressure. mostly sunny skies, mile. winds out of the west, southwest, 5 mi. per hour. tomorrow, a mirror image of today. a little bit cooler. system moves in on sunday and monday. note better watch out ♪ ♪ you better not cry ♪ you better not pout i'm telling you why ♪ ♪ because santa claus is coming to town ♪ ♪ oh if that doesn't get you in the holiday spirit, nothing will, single michael bueble with "santa claus is coming to town" he'll be here for a live performance monday on "today." coming up later, we have new details on that tabloid phone hacking scandal that rocked england. sienna miller and j.k. rowlings testified on thursday. we'll have details on how they say the scandal has personally affected their lives. also ahead, throwing small business a bone. get it? we'll tell you about two sisters who started a business that started with -- those pictures don't match. they started a dog biscuit company. we'll talk to them about how they did it, maybe the taste buds of those dogs. >> i kind of saw that in the notes. >> you can do it, carl. and then from waffles to gumbo, how to take that thanksgiving dinner and turn it into amazing leftovers all weekend long. some delicious new meals coming up. first, amy row barobach is here. >> we're going to talk about black friday mania, and then, of course, there's cyber monday. so much shopping and so little time. we're talking about all the deals you can find over the weekend, and it's one of the most intriguing unsolved mysteries. 40 years ago d.b. cooper hijacked a plane and parachuted into the night sky and vanished. investigators are coming closer together to try and solve the case. we'll have the