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 it香蕉视频直播檚 lost some luster.

Department stores, shopping malls and merchants 香蕉视频直播� big and small 香蕉视频直播� 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.

香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檓 excited about it,香蕉视频直播� Texas resident Emily Phillips said while visiting the Galleria Dallas last week. 香蕉视频直播淚 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. It香蕉视频直播檚 a better experience.香蕉视频直播�

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 center香蕉视频直播檚 north entrance a $25 gift card. Target is offering an exclusive book devoted to Taylor Swift香蕉视频直播檚 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 香蕉视频直播� and sometimes the spark for actual brawls 香蕉视频直播� before the coronavirus pandemic. The nation香蕉视频直播檚 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.

香蕉视频直播�(Stores) are very hungry for Black Friday to do well,香蕉视频直播� Marshal Cohen, chief retail advisor at market research firm Circana, said. 香蕉视频直播淭hey recognize that they香蕉视频直播檙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.香蕉视频直播�

Impulse purchases and self-gifting are a potential area for big sales growth, and business isn香蕉视频直播檛 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 nation香蕉视频直播檚 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 month香蕉视频直播檚 . 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 香蕉视频直播�$77.4 billion online from Nov. 1 to Nov. 24, 9.6%香蕉视频直播� 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 shoppers香蕉视频直播� 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 Adobe香蕉视频直播檚 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 manufacturer香蕉视频直播檚 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 Adobe香蕉视频直播檚 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.

香蕉视频直播淏lack Friday is still an incredibly important day for retailers,香蕉视频直播� Grant Gustafson, head of retail consulting and analytics at Sensormatic. 香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 important for them to be able to get shoppers into their store to show them that experience of what it香蕉视频直播檚 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.香蕉视频直播�

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

香蕉视频直播淧eople come to get the deals, but more importantly, they come for the excitement, the energy, the traditions surrounding Black Friday,香蕉视频直播� Jill Renslow, the mall香蕉视频直播檚 chief business development and marketing officer, said.