INDIANAPOLIS -
With Black Friday just eleven days away and Cyber Monday two weeks from today, the official start of the holiday shopping season is upon us.
An increase in the number of sales is expected this year and so are increased bargains. Retailers are expected to pull out all the stops and offer deep discounts to get people shopping.
In fact, some retailers are getting a jump on Black Friday by opening their doors late Thanksgiving night. See all Black Friday details here.
Walmart opens at 10:00pm on Thursday for doorbusters on toys, home goods and clothing. Then at midnight, deals on electronics are unveiled.
Best Buy, Macy's and Kohl's already have announced they're opening at midnight. Other retailers are expected to follow the trend of earlier openings as they all compete for control over Black Friday.
For the 30 percent of shoppers who wait until the week of Christmas to buy presents, the deals will be out there, but they likely won't get any better closer to the holidays.
The biggest buys are Thursday through Monday, and shoppers are ready. Experts predict they will spend two to four percent more this year than last.
Despite the stampedes at stores, Professor Richard Feinberg at Purdue believes that "consumers are not crazy. They're rational. They do what they've done in the past, which is...when that starting gun goes off they're ready to spend."
A total of $465 billion is expected to be spent. The largest single item that people will be spending money on is gift cards. Experts say $90 million will be spent on those this season.
Online shopping is expected to increase also this year.
See all Black Friday details here.
