After weeks of plugging increasingly inviting discounts, retailers in the United States and several other countries are preparing for prime time: , the bargain bonanza that still reigns as the unofficial kickoff of the holiday shopping season even if it91裸聊视频檚 lost some luster.

Department stores, shopping malls and merchants 91裸聊视频� big and small 91裸聊视频� see the day after American as a way to and to get them into physical stores at a time when many gift-seekers are content to do their browsing online. There are enough traditionalists that Black Friday remains the biggest day of the year for retail foot traffic.

91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 excited about it,91裸聊视频� Texas resident Emily Phillips said while visiting the Galleria Dallas last week. 91裸聊视频淚 save up all the things that I want all year and usually try and get them around Black Friday. I prefer to shop in person because then I can try stuff on. It91裸聊视频檚 a better experience.91裸聊视频�

In the U.S., analysts envision a solid holiday shopping season, though perhaps not as robust as , with many shoppers under financial pressure and cautious with their discretionary spending despite

Retailers will be even more under the gun to get shoppers in to and in bulk since there are five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year.

Mall of America, in Bloomington, Minnesota, is giving the first 200 people in line at the center91裸聊视频檚 north entrance a $25 gift card. Target is offering an exclusive book devoted to Taylor Swift91裸聊视频檚 and a bonus edition of her album that only will be available in stores on Black Friday before customers can buy them online starting Saturday.

has introduced an extended-release version of the doorbuster, the limited-time daily discounts that for years were all the rage 91裸聊视频� and sometimes the spark for actual brawls 91裸聊视频� before the coronavirus pandemic. The nation91裸聊视频檚 largest consumer electronics chain has released doorbuster deals on its app, online and in stores every Friday since Nov. 8 and plans to continue the weekly promotion through Dec. 20.

91裸聊视频�(Stores) are very hungry for Black Friday to do well,91裸聊视频� Marshal Cohen, chief retail advisor at market research firm Circana, said. 91裸聊视频淭hey recognize that they91裸聊视频檙e not going to clobber and win big growth in online because the pie has gotten so competitive. They have to find a way to win in the stores.91裸聊视频�

Impulse purchases and self-gifting are a potential area for big sales growth, and business isn91裸聊视频檛 going to increase without them, Cohen said. Shoppers are three times more likely to buy on impulse at a physical store than online, according to Circana research.

Shoppers stepped up their spending at , the Commerce Department said. Although sales at auto dealers drove much of the gain, electronics and appliance stores, and bars and restaurants also saw increased purchases, a sign of healthy consumer spending.

The latest quarterly results from Best Buy, Target and other retailers, however, underscored that some will have an easier time than others getting customers to part with their cash.

, the nation91裸聊视频檚 largest retailer, is heading into the holidays with strong momentum after ratcheting up better-than-expected fiscal third-quarter sales for toys, home goods and groceries. But reported sluggish quarterly sales as cautious consumers curtailed their spending on apparel and other non-essential items.

Many retailers pushed holiday sales earlier in October than they did last year to help shoppers spread out their spending.

Shoppers were distracted heading into this month91裸聊视频檚 . Sales of general merchandise dropped 9% the two weeks ended Nov. 9, according to Circana, but have been rebounding since the election.

The National Retail Federation predicted that shoppers would in November and December by between 2.5% and 3.5% over the same period a year ago. During the 2023 holiday shopping season, spending increased 3.9% over 2022.

So far this holiday season, online sales have beaten expectations, according to Adobe Digital Insights, a division of software company Adobe. U.S. consumers spent 91裸聊视频�$77.4 billion online from Nov. 1 to Nov. 24, 9.6%91裸聊视频� more than during the same period last year. Adobe predicted an 8.4% increase for the full season.

Despite the early sales, better bargains are coming with Black Friday, according to Adobe. Analysts consider the five-day Black Friday weekend, which includes Cyber Monday, a key barometer of shoppers91裸聊视频� willingness to spend for the rest of the season.

Vivek Pandya, the lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, said shoppers are paying more attention to discounts than last year, and their focus on bargain-hunting will drive what sells and when.

For example, Thanksgiving Day is the best time to shop online to get the deepest discount on sporting goods, toys, furniture and appliances, according to Adobe91裸聊视频檚 analysis. But Black Friday is the best time to online. People shopping for televisions earlier in the season found discounts that averaged 10.8%, while waiting until this Friday is expected to yield 24% discounts, Adobe Digital Insights said.

Cyber Monday, however, is expected to be the best time to buy clothing and gadgets like phones and computers online. Electronics discounts peaked at 10.9% off the suggested manufacturer91裸聊视频檚 price between Nov. 1 and Nov. 24 but are expected to hit 30% off on Cyber Monday, Adobe said.

Across the board, Black Friday weekend discounts should peak at 30% on Cyber Monday and then go down to around 15%, according to Adobe91裸聊视频檚 research.

For physical stores, the day after Thanksgiving is slated to again mark the busiest single shopping day of the season, according to retail technology company Sensormatic Solutions, which tracks retail foot traffic.

91裸聊视频淏lack Friday is still an incredibly important day for retailers,91裸聊视频� Grant Gustafson, head of retail consulting and analytics at Sensormatic. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 important for them to be able to get shoppers into their store to show them that experience of what it91裸聊视频檚 like to browse and touch and feel items. It also can be a bellwether for retailers on what to expect for the rest of the holiday season.91裸聊视频�

Mall of America hopes to surpass the 12,000 shoppers it saw last year within the first hour of its 7 a.m. opening.

91裸聊视频淧eople come to get the deals, but more importantly, they come for the excitement, the energy, the traditions surrounding Black Friday,91裸聊视频� Jill Renslow, the mall91裸聊视频檚 chief business development and marketing officer, said.