month-long event. >> i do think that the reason the crowds are not that bad this year is because of online shopping, but definitely people are trying to get back out there. >> reporter: in addition to supply shortages, the national retail federation says excitement about the holiday season is also driving consumers to spend money. >> i got it! i did it! >> reporter: big-box stores like target, walmart, and macy's were closed on thanksgiving, but online shoppers spent $5.1 billion on thursday, an average of 3.5 million a minute. today, the amount spent by online shoppers is expected to increase to as much as $9.6 billion. >> business has been really, really good. >> reporter: small businesses are also benefiting. margot owns watcham book salers. after struggling to stay open during the pandemic, she's grateful customers are returning in person. how important is black friday for your bottom line? >> so, we used to ignore black friday, but 10 years ago, we