good morning. thanks for starting your weekend with us. holiday deals apparently too good to keep folks away. >> a record number of shoppers already hitting stores with millions more expected thro 6th tbonanza. started early, ended late for the kickoff to the holiday shopping season. big signs people are putting inflation and the pandemic aside and still shopping until they drop. this morning how stores are enticing customers to come back.

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needs a victory to move on to the knockout round. fans hoping the americans will be able to keep the dream alive, today, saturday, november 26, 2022. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with peter alexander and kristen welker. welcome to "today" and thank you so much for joining us on this saturday morning. peter, not just any saturday. it is small business saturday. hope you've made your list and checking it twice. >> no doubt. thinking after watching that amazing u.s. soccer game, big one tuesday. anything team usa gear might be looking good. >> oh, a great gift idea! >> right? >> i like that. marking that down. holiday shopping weekend now in full swing. a record number of shoppers expected to open up wallets this weekend. black friday, of course, lines at malls across the country pretty impressive. one mall even had to close its doors for a period of time,

because it had reached capacity inside. as many as 166 million people expected to shop between black friday and cyber monday. >> it's apparent even with inflation, shoppers are not holding back. the national retail federation expects close to $960 billion will be spent between now and the holidays. that's nearly $1 trillion, folks, with shopping to that trip back home, and all covered beginning with nbc's emily at the garden state plaza mall in new jersey. emily, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you both. this holiday weekend is key for inflation-weary consumers looking to stretch their dollar furthest. already one for the record books. online sales exceed $9 billion on black friday and we witnessed robust foot track as well. lines crisscrossing malls, like this one. this morning, a resurgence of shoppers filling stores

nationwide with savings in full swing. >> could not think of being anywhere else. >> reporter: and 166 million shoppers unable to resist frenzy of holiday deals, in snaking lines and packed carts. shopping merchants reporting 30% spike in sales compared to black friday last year. one illinois mall reached maximum capacity actually turning shoppers away. [ chanting ] meantime, sentiment growing at amazon, walkouts and protests call for better wages on the biggest shopping day of the year. yesterday's online sales are expected to exceed 9 #$9 billio. deep discounts with holiday budgets strained by decades high inflation. prices up 7.7% compared to last year. >> we are trying to save more. >> reporter: 2/3 of americans are worried about inflation

making shopping difficult. >> a lot of people cut savings. they dipped in the savings. they are using credit more than debit. that raises the question where is the tradeoff. >> reporter: retailers competing for cautious consumer dollars with in-store features and best buy building new displays. >> 84% of shoppers use digital tools to research prior to coming in to buy in store. it is not just about where transactions are happening, but how customers are using the resources. >> reporter: as the dash for deals kicks off in unpredictable holiday season. there's more to come. small business saturday playing out today and cyber monday around the corner. expected to rake in $11 billion. peter and kristen. >> all about the deals. emilie ikeda, thank you. >> let's welcome matthew shea.