Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when department stores and discount outlets roll out their holiday deals, sometimes offering limited quantities of sale items or discounts for a few hours, continues to be a popular shopping event as shown in a photo from 2010 when people camped outside a Best Buy in California, waiting for the doors to open.

What’s especially interesting each year is to learn how many are ditching the traditional shopping experience and going to the Internet to purchase gifts (close to 50% of shoppers now combine their holiday gift giving with online purchases and in-store buying.) In the past week GAP announced it is closing some of its California stores, but expanding into places such as China. And though the nation’s biggest ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif. announced gloomy shipping figures compared to last year, retail experts believe that U.S. holiday spending in 2011 will increase 2.8% to total $464.4 billion. Read more

While some of the big box stores have folded and others have scrambled to increase online sales to survive, what’s clear is that shoppers are eager to strike a deal during the holiday shopping season and most will take advantage of the bargains for self-gifting.

A shopper camping out has done so for nearly a decade. He and family member take shifts to hold their place in line at Best Buy.

What’s hot:

• Internet
• Smartphones
• Tablets
• Gift Cards (over 57% interviewed hope to receive a gift card)
• clothing
• clothing accessories (50%)
• consumer electronics or computer-related accessories (35.4%)
• jewelry (22.8%)
• personal care items (19.3%)