However, in the eyes of traders, the shopping season has been growing over time, because retailers like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Toys R Us started early, offering layaway programs, and offering other major offers to attract buyers.
These incentives have increased the stakes of retailers, and the Americans have made their turkey dinners on Thursday, many have to restart the "Black Friday", the biggest shopping day of the year, and that sets the tone for the whole the season.
"If Thursday and Friday are not very good, it is likely that we will not take time for Christmas," said Keith Jelinek, director of consulting firm AlixPartners retail practice.
WalMart, Old Navy and Gap Inc. Sears Holdings K-Mart reopens in thanksgiving to gain an advantage, while Toys R Us opens on Thursday night.
But to reduce the gap in hours, Target Corp. business, chain Best Buy Inc. Electronic and department stores chain Macy and Kohl Corp will open at midnight Thursday.
Dealers himself admits that the pressure is on.
"At the end of the day, we try to respond to what our customers want to do and they tell us is when they want to shop," Mike Vitelli, president, Americas, vice president manager of the company, Best Buy, told Reuters.
Others, such as JC Penney Co. Inc., taking their chances and choose to open early in the morning of Friday, so like last year.
The National Retail Federation predicts that sales in November and December to 2.8 percent from last year. While retailers see little room for error in their struggle for the sale.
The fight will also be posted where comScore expects revenue up 15 percent this year.
Wal-Mart begins its doorbuster deals Black "on Thursday, Friday at 22 hours in their stores. Amazon.com Inc., not to be outdone, will offer its online offerings in 21 hours, but Wal-Mart is offering also offers 30 percent more on Thanksgiving.
The fight knockdown drag is presented as the surge in sales cooled in October, when many of the major chains like Macy's and Saks reported disappointing sales and customers were affected by a steady stream of bad economic news.
It will be a tougher battle chains have struggled too late, like Gap, Penney and electronics giant Best Buy.
PriceGrabber.com, a price comparison site found that the search of electronics in recent days had with last year, helped only by a renewed interest in the new Amazon Kindle as fire tablets and Barnes & Noble Inc 'snooker.
NRF expects that 152 million people in stores this weekend, up 10.1 percent last year.
But it will be driven by bargain hunting, with the real test comes after the weekend as retailers see if customers are ready to hit stores in the juicer offers on the table. Last year, after a good Black Friday weekend, consumers sit on their hands until closer to Christmas - waiting for stores to distribute more than good business.
"I think as time goes on, you're going to see the equalization and the softness of the numbers," said Al Ferrara, director of national retail practice of BDO USA
