The holiday shopping season has its official kickoff this week. And retailers are extending the Black Friday hysteria to as early as Thanksgiving morning.
San Diego State marketing Professor Miro Copic said the top items this year are toys, video games and clothing. He said 17 percent of holiday shopping will be done online.
"Consumers have gotten much more price savvy. They've gotten savvy in terms of all the tools that they use to figure out what's available, where and how expensive it is," Copic said. "So marketers and retailers are going to work very hard to offer an incredibly easy shopping experience, whether it's online or in-store."
Copic said appliances, televisions and video game systems will be among the most discounted Black Friday items.
The National Retail Federation projects consumers will spend $620 billion between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
