Black Friday shopping forecast

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Serious shoppers are already strategizing for this year's Black Friday sales; but rising before the sun may not be necessary this year.

Some local shoppers are already preparing themselves for the Black Friday shopping trip.

"Probably start at midnight, and just whenever we stop, we stop. If it's an all-nighter, it's an all-nighter," said Robert Ruppert, a father.

Others have sworn it off for this year.

"I've seen the sales that come on after the Black Friday sales and they're almost comparable, so it's not worth it for me," said Sharon Gray, a local mother.

Richard Feinberg agrees. The expert with the Purdue Retail Institute said missing out on Black Friday doesn't necessarily mean missing out on the best deals. More and more businesses are going past the traditional Black Friday time frame and extending price cuts.

"You know retailers are just not, they just can't take the chance anymore that you're going to spend a dollar anywhere else. And they're going to try to lure you in. And once in, they're going to try to keep you there to spend every dollar that you have. Because the dollars are tighter this year," said Feinberg.

So just how tight are pocket books this season? Well, according to Feinberg, even though holiday shopping will increase by 2% this year, many Americans can't really afford the added expense.

"I tend to look at this holiday season as really a holiday miracle, you know when you consider 9% of Hoosiers are unemployed, 9% of Americans are unemployed. 6% or 7% are underemployed, it's amazing that consumers are spending money at all," said Feinberg.

So what are most good boys and girls hoping for this holiday season?

"Anything with an 'I' in its name," says Feinberg, referring to a plethora of Apple gadgets.

According to a survey conducted by the National Retail Federation, iPads and iPods topped kids' 'must have' lists, right behind classic best-sellers like Barbie and LEGOS.