information, lester, to make that determination. but what we can do is do everything we can to make sure we err on the side of safety, and that s the reason why you are seeing the travel restriction and the renewed emphasis on getting people vaccinated and boostered. some of my conversation earlier with dr. fauci. there is breaking news out of durham, north carolina where a shooting at one of the biggest shopping days of the year sent shoppers running for cover. police say three people were shot and injured, including a ten-year-old child at the streets at south point. another three people were injured in the evacuation one person has been detained and police expect several arrests. those terrifying moments coming just as black friday got into full swing after the pandemic led many to stay home last year. holiday shopping expected to shatter records this year, despite rising inflation and supply problems as online shopping booms, big box retailers like best buy are changing with
so in terms of advice, the shopping experts tell us, you should shop early and have a plan b, c and d. if you are going to be buying something that is a hot item, be prepared to be disappointed in the case of gaming consoles and things like that but overall, we do see that online shopping, though it is a big trend and accelerating because of the pandemic, so far the spending has flatlined. it s $5.1 billion spent online on thanksgiving according to adobe. that s exactly the same as last year. still you may see starting to see the real pain point here. when it comes to record inflation over the last 30 years and also high retail sales that already have been registered, leading into this holiday season, halle. interesting point. jo ling kept kent, great to see you. still ahead, china not happy with american lawmakers after some met with the head of taiwan. we will talk about that new tension next. f taiwan
chain issues an rising costs, what do you need to know to make sure you are not a grinch at christmas? jo ling kent takes a look. reporter: the flood of deals may be everywhere already, but another avalanche is on the way this thanksgiving weekend. i have already started. i love getting ready for the holidays. reporter: as retailers try to capture your spending to make up for a tough 2020. everything we re buying this year is 75% in person, 25% online. reporter: the rush for discounts comes as a clogged supply chain continues to trigger major delays on scores of gifts, motivating some shoppers to get going early. consumers plan to spend $998 on gifts and beyond this season. down slightly from before the pandemic in 2019. despite the rising cost of living, shoppering like here in los angeles are expected to show up in droves. it is the same story here at the
and you are one of the reasons for that, pal. you are always up, always rooting. pretty cool. would have been cool if it was santa too by the way. the white house released this photo of that moment showing the president and the first lady talking on the phone while watching the parade broadcast. happy thanksgiving to all of them. black friday, cyber monday deal this is year may be more important than ever by the way, higher prices even higher demand putting shoppers on alert. and jo ling kent breaks it all down for us. reporter: the flood deals may be everywhere already, but another avalanche is on the way that thanksgiving weekend. i ve already started. i love getting ready for the holidays. reporter: as retailers try to capture your spending and make up for a tough 2020. everything we re buying is 75% at first and 25% on line. reporter: the rush comes as a clogged supply chain continues to trigger major delays on scores of gifts, motivating some
the country, and there s product already in the factory, but we also have to wait and make sure th boxes get printed and the instruction manuals get printed. reporter: the logistics delays now stretch between four and eight weeks. there s only four weeks left till christmas. is the goose cooked? absolutely. if the product isn t being unloaded on a container today, there s literally no chance that it can make it into a store shelf. anything that s sitting in china or on the water, you know, it s next year s christmas toys reporter: back in maine, the factory keeps on churning, ready and waiting to build a little more holiday magic. jo ling kent, nbc news, burnham, maine a toy that once brought me a lot of joy as a kid you will find much more on why so many items are hard to find in an in-depth report on nbcnews.com we ll take a break up next, the lawyer who says facebook is responsible fo teenage girls being pulled into sex trafficking. after more than 42