Merchants bank on Black Friday to start the holiday shopping season, when they can make 25 to 40 per cent of their annual revenue. Despite the beleaguered U.S. economy,moncler outlet consumer spending in the holiday season is expected to be almost $500 billion US, about three per cent more than last year. Shoppers check out a Black Friday deal on an iPad 2 at a Best Buy outlet in Framingham, Mass.Shoppers check out a Black Friday deal on an iPad 2 at a Best Buy outlet in Framingham, Mass. Adam Hunger/Reuters Indeed, a record number of shoppers are expected to head out to stores across the country this weekend to take advantage of discounts of up to 70 per cent. Many retailers have also expanded beyond in-store sales, embracing online shopping and advertising sales on cellphones, moncler saleCBC's David Common said from New York. "Several malls are also experimenting this weekend," Common said Friday. "Tracking customers inside stores using cellphone signals, pinpointing which aisle shoppers are in by where their phone is." Common said they would also be watching how long shoppers linger in one place and where they head next. Lose 1 in 5 shoppers Meanwhile, Canadian retailers were staging their own Black Friday specials in an effort to slow cross-border shopping. Tegin Popowich,moncler sale store who manages a dress shop in Thunder Bay, Ont., said she tries to entice shoppers with her own version of Black Friday bargains. "You have so many local girls going out of town and spending all their money in the States, it's really nice to give a little extra boost to convince people to shop local, especially this holiday season," she said.