US shoppers poised for $730b spree

With Thanksgiving starting the splurge, retailers' group tips 4% rise in spending

US consumers are expected to spend up to $730 billion this year over the peak shopping period bookended by Thanksgiving and Christmas, and much of it will be done online, according to a poll by the National Retail Federation, or NRF.

The annual holiday spending bonanza, which the NRF tracks from Nov 1 to Dec 31 and includes Black Friday and Cyber Monday, is a time-honored tradition that is as much a part of the holiday season for many US citizens as eating turkey with their families.