Shop until you drop and help the economy at the same time.That was the message from Trade and Industry Minister Patrice Minors as she urged residents to take part in “Black Friday” and to spend their money in Bermuda and not overseas.Local shops are hopeful that residents will take advantage of Black Friday tomorrow in an effort the stimulate retail sales.Dozens of shops will be open as early as 5am, like their US counterparts, with sales on throughout the day.While many Bermudians travel overseas for the Thanksgiving holiday to spend time with family while also engaging in special deals, it is hoped that the same hype will be shown to the local market.Mrs Minors is hopeful that an “economic stimulating” activity such as this can bring support for local businesses.She also encouraged residents to celebrate and support the local economy by spending their dollars at home.“I think it is wonderful to see so many retailers, large and small, taking advantage of the Black Friday opportunity to generate revenue for their businesses,” said Ms Minors. “There are some businesses that are opening as early as 5am and offering door buster savings for the first few four hours on all regular merchandise, so we see this as a great way for retailers to get a jump start on the holiday shopping season with innovative promotions and competitive pricing.”“It’s my hope that residents will come out in droves and spend their dollars in our local retail establishments, because spending our dollars in the local market sustains jobs.“Our retailers are working hard to make the shopping experience fun and exciting and to provide a variety of products at competitive prices, so we should do our part and support their efforts by patronising their businesses this Friday and on every other occasion.”Black Friday is the name given to the day following Thanksgiving Day in the US, and is traditionally the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.Most major retailers throughout the US open early and offer promotional sales to kick off the holiday shopping season.