Millions expected to hit stores for Black Friday

(CNN) – Today is Black Friday, one of the biggest days of the year for retailers.

The day after Thanksgiving has traditionally been the unofficial kickoff to the holiday shopping season, but it’s not like it used to be.

Many holiday deals now start as early as Halloween.

Still, the National Retail Federation says a record 183 million people are planning to shop in-store and online between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday this year.

Overall, Black Friday is expected to be the most popular day to shop.

Despite the convenience and ease of online shopping, about two-thirds of Black Friday shoppers surveyed plan to shop in stores today.

This year, holiday spending is expected to hit a record of nearly $1 trillion.