Black Friday to be Busiest Shopping Day of 2012; Tablets & HDTVs Most Popular Buys this Season

It goes without saying that Black Friday will be the busiest shopping day for the rest of 2012.

On Black Friday last year, stores were visited about 684 million times and retailers racked in nearly $21 billion.

"Black Friday is not for the faint of heart," Bill Martin, ShopperTrak founder, said. "Shoppers must brave the crowds to take advantage of good deals. If they can venture back out after just a few days, however, they'll have the full attention of store employees and plenty of remaining discounts."

In addition to Black Friday, Dec. 22, 15, 21, 23, 8 and 26 will also be some of the busiest shopping days for the rest of the year. Expect Black Saturday - Nov. 24 - to be real busy as well.

Tablets & eReaders, HDTVs, laptops, desktops, and smartphones are some of this year's popular items and forecasters suggest that people line up early this year to get good deals before they go flying off the shelves.

So, which day should you take to the malls for the best shopping experience?

According to forecasts by ShopperTrak, Tuesday, Nov. 27 is the best day to shop this holiday season.

"This holiday shopping season - November and December - will be busier than in 2011," Martin said. More shoppers will visit more stores. But even though consumer demand will increase, retailers still will offer plenty of specials and discounts. The 10 lightest shopping days, in terms of foot traffic, will present an opportunity for shoppers to secure the best customer service and potentially the best deals."

Martin said Nov. 26, 28 and 29 and Dec. 4 will be some of the best days to shop following Black Friday.

"Though every store's foot traffic patterns differ, most see traffic trail off during weekday business hours - even during the holidays," Martin said. "Shoppers deserve good customer service regardless of foot traffic levels, and retailers should plan for this fact. Understanding their foot traffic and shopper conversion rates will help retailers optimize their staffing and operations, enabling them to best serve their customers."