ATLANTA — As Nov. 29 marks Small Business Saturday, the National Retail Federation expects to see a record number of people shop during the holiday season this year.

The consumer survey says more than 186.9 million people are planning to shop from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday on Dec. 1, according to the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics.

The figure is up more than 3 million total shoppers from the previous record of 183.4 million that was set in 2024.

“The holidays are an important part of many consumers’ budgets, and that trend is especially true this season,” NRF Vice President of Industry and Consumer Insights Katherine Cullen said. “As a record number of shoppers are expected this Thanksgiving weekend, retailers are prepared to meet the needs of consumers with great value and convenience.”

Haley Johnston and her daughter made a point of shopping at the Lenox Mall in Buckhead on Black Friday.

“Everything is so pricey, so quick. We have a big family, she has three cousins so getting them something is important to us,” she said.

Surveys show consumers spent more than $11 billion in online shopping on Black Friday.

The National Retail Federation says the top items consumers plan to buy are “clothing and accessories (50%), gift cards (43%) and toys (32%). The leading sources of inspiration continue to be online search (41%), friends and family (35%), within a retail store (28%) and wish lists (23%).”

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is encouraging Georgians to support small businesses and spend locally as part of Small Business Saturday, which is the day after Black Friday.

“I encourage Georgians to support the small business owners in their communities on Small Business Saturday,” said Raffensperger. “As a small business owner, I know how crucial community support is to small business success.”

Georgia leads the nation in creating an environment that enables small business owners to thrive.