Yesterday, Turkey Day, we had a top story previewing Black Friday, that traditional frenzied shopping day for which retailers are especially thankful. The story this year, of course, is that shoppers will be looking for bargains, possibly buying fewer gifts and items overall, in this fragile economy of far less available credit, and the hovering Ghost of Christmas Present: layoffs.

Today, shoppers at many Lower Hudson Valley stores were lining up as early as 3:30 a.m. to get those early-bird specials, as several stores opened at 4 a.m., our staff writers reported in this story.

Just as I was writing this, The Associated Press moved a story that, out on Long Island, a 34-year-old Wal-Mart worker died after being trampled by a throng of unruly shoppers, police said, shortly after the store where he worked opened this morning.

If that doesn’t give pause to what is supposed to be a holiday weekend, what does? At the very, very least, it’s worth remembering that while, yes, the economy needs a boost, and yes, it may be tradition for a lot of families and friends to storm the stores the day after Thanksgiving, there are a lot of folks who have to work the holidays, including the ones that seep into four-day weekends. They are taken for granted by just about everyone but their own families: nurses and aides, drug store workers, food preparers and dish-washers, stock guys, cashiers, and yes, retail workers. The list goes on.

I’ve generally worked this day, the Friday after Thanksgiving, for 30 years. Frankly, it keeps me close to home; I can justifiably turn down invitations to traffic-clogged destinations far away; and I can avoid temptation and the shopping crowds. Of course, Internet shopping can now keep you “safe,’’ but not necessarily your bank account.

Meanwhile, USA Today reported today that, according to Google, Web searches for the words ”Black Friday” are up 41 percent from last year, and searches for the words ”coupons” are up 59 percent, ”free shipping” up 11 percent and ”buy one get one free” up 200 percent.

So, yes, bargains are being hunted, in-person and on-line. How much shopping is being done safely, and smartly, remains to be seen.