MILWAUKEE - — It's Black Friday, but you didn't have to wait until today to score a deal.
And the sales won't be over anytime soon. Experts say this weekend will bring some of the busiest shopping days of the year.
182 million people are expected to shop in store and online from Thanksgiving day through Cyber Monday.
That's nearly 16 million more people than last year, and it's the highest estimate since the National Retail Federation began tracking in 2017.
The deals are too good to pass up. The National Retail Federation says that is what's motivating a majority of shoppers — and many of them plan to shop online.
Dr. Alex Milovic, an associate professor of marketing at Marquette University said, "By the time Black Friday rolls around a lot of customers have already started their shopping journey and retailers have started offering those discounts earlier and earlier."
Milovic says the shift isn't driven by demand, it's about the competition for your dollar.
"Customers are very much kind of watching how much they spend this season," continued Milovic. "And so then it's up to the retailer to say 'How can I make sure that of all of the holiday stuff you buy, you buy it from me?"
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