Black Friday to Attract Greater Number of Shoppers

U.S. shoppers will be hitting the stores in greater numbers than last year this Black Friday, although many are still waiting to see what retailers have to offer before deciding whether or not to leave the house.

A survey by the National Retail Federation (NRF) released November 24 found that up to 134 million people will be shopping this weekend, compared to 128 million who planned to shop last year. This year's survey also found that while 57 million people said they will definitely plan to shop, 77 million are still basing their decision to shop on what special deals retailers will have to offer.

Discount and department stores will attract the most consumers this weekend, with 66.3 percent and 62.4 percent of surveyors indicating their intention to shop there. More than one-quarter indicated they will be doing their shopping online, likely as a result of special Black Friday promotions retailers are offering exclusively on the web.