It’s official, f rom coast to coast, the holiday shopping season has started.

In Las Vegas, the Review-Journal reports the usual stories of 5 a.m. store openings and (massive) loss leaders on home electronics.

Everywhere, there seem to be crowds who dedicate the day to spending money in as unpleasant a fashion as possible. A report in the New York Times tells of midtown shoppers snatching the stuff out of each other’s hands.

And the enthusiasm seems to be just as strong in Southern California. There, the Los Angeles Times quotes one analyst who says there is no way to gauge what is happening this shopping season.

Much of the hoopla seems artificial and much of it is because the current big thing in retail thinking is to get them early and you’ll be sure to get them often through the rest of the season. All those fabulously discounted items are supposed to leave a great feeling that will persist through December 24 even as the discounts disappear. Hmmm.

I hope the next big thing is better than Wal-Mart with ten computers at 70 percent off. Everybody’s doing it now.