The busiest shopping day of the year, Black Friday, was also a day of protests and marches, as groups called for boycotts in support of their particular agenda.
Masses of shoppers crowded Powell Street between Market and Union Square. In front of Macy’s the sidewalk was packed.
For San Francisco retailers, the turn out looked good. For protesters, armed with signs and bull horns, the thongs were a challenge.
"Stop the torture, stop the pain, BCDG is to blame," protesters shouted in front of shoppers.
In front of some of Union Square's high-end clothing stores, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, called for a boycott of fur.
"Fur on your rack is blood on your hands," PETA protesters shouted.
Another group, Supporting Tibet, called for a boycott of all things made in China, chanting, "Boycott boycott made in China."
It is no coincidence that the calls for boycotts are timed for the one day of the year when Americans are the least likely to forgo shopping.
Oakland resident and film maker Ephraim Walker explained Black Friday is the day when the powerful pay attention to shopping "because Black Friday is the biggest day in America for retailers."
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Walker made a YouTube video, calling for a Black Friday boycott with the aim of putting pressure on the nation's biggest retailers.
"People at the top may say, 'You know, we recognize that the people of America are unhappy because of what's going on,' and they may flex some of their economic muscle," Walker said.
At least that is the hope, but shoppers said they were not persuaded.
"Well, we don't see how it's affecting us, and it's benefiting us in a way," shopper Marfelli Luna said.
San Anselmo resident Jackie Lodaw agreed.
"I don’t know that protesting shopping would help their cause," Lodaw said.
