Up to 138 million shoppers are expected to hit stores Black Friday weekend—up 3% from last year when an estimated 134 million people crammed into retail outlets, according to a preliminary Black Friday shopping survey conducted for the National Retail Federation (NRF) by BIGresearch.

Retailers, anxious to jump-start the shopping bonanza, are opening stores extra early after Thanksgiving Day, which this year falls on Nov. 25. For the first time, Sears and Toys "R" Us are opening their stores nationwide on Thanksgiving night, CNNMoney.com reported.

Extra deep discounts and free online shipping offers from Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy have also rejuvenated consumers' interest in the annual kickoff to the holiday shopping season after a two-year slump.

According to the NRF Black Friday survey, approximately 60 million people say they will definitely shop at the stores, while another 78 million are waiting to see if the bargains on toys, e-readers, appliances and high-definition televisions are worth braving the cold and the crowds.

"The rules for Black Friday have changed significantly," said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. "Instead of waiting until Thanksgiving Day to announce their promotions, many retailers are getting shoppers excited about Black Friday by offering sneak peeks of deals in advance, using social media to create buzz or teasing upcoming deals on their Web sites."

According to the Shop.org eHoliday survey conducted by BIGresearch, more than half of retailers (54.9%) will send a special e-mail to customers about Black Friday deals, and nearly four out of 10 (39.2%) will use their Facebook page to reach out to shoppers. Additionally, many retailers will utilize their Web sites (31.4%) and Twitter (21.6%) to announce and promote Black Friday deals.

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