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The equivalent of six times the population of Australia， or all of Japan plus five million， are expected to be out shopping in the United States on Friday， one of the busiest days of the year for US retailers.
And while 133 million Americans out shopping might sound like a lot， that would be seven million less than the 140 million who turned out last year on what has come to be known as "Black Friday，" data released by the National Retail Federation （NRF） show.
This year's Black Friday —— thus named because it helps tip retailers' accounts into the black， or profit， for the year —— could leave stores feeling blue， as Americans reel in their spending due to soaring fuel prices， a crumbling property market， record home foreclosures and a credit squeeze.
To get consumers to forget their economic and other worries —— such as an uncorroborated threat the FBI said it received last month， saying terrorists will target shopping malls this Christmas —— retailers are laying on lavish and quirky events.
"Malls will be offering programs such as pet photos with Santa， caroling by school and church groups， cook-offs， bake sales， and other promotions and contests to keep shoppers in the holiday spirit，" the International Council of Shopping Centers said in a statement.
Near Washington， shopping malls were offering ethnic Santas， Santas who know sign language， children's parades， and interactive Christmas villages with indoor snow， as they vie to create a unique experience that will convince consumers to shop with them.
The Mall in Columbia， halfway between Washington and Baltimore， last week unveiled the "Santastic" interactive Christmas village —— one of only three in the United States —— and held a children's parade to welcome Santa Claus.
"This is all about creating an experience for families. We feel we provide a great environment for our customers. That's why we wanted to do something that has never been done in the industry，" the mall's general manager Karen Geary told AFP， refusing to comment on whether the event was aimed at drawing in potential customers.
"We had tremendous interest. We were expecting 100 children， and we got twice that， with their parents，" Geary said.
One mother at the launch told AFP she had come to the mall just to see the Christmas village with her son， not to spend money.
AFter three hours， a few slices of pizza and a 180-dollar purchase that was reduced to 60 dollars， she was heading home.
"Retailers know that customers are looking for good value this holiday season and many will be offering prices and promotions that are too good to pass up，" Tracy Mullin， president of the NRF， said in a statement.
Earlier this month， the NRF reported that retailers were worried because Christmas shopping was getting off to a slow start.
But， the federation assured， "good news lies ahead for many retailers" because nearly three-quarters of American consumers had done less than 10 percent of their Christmas shopping by early November. 相当于澳大利亚人口的六倍，比日本人口还多五百万的美国人预计将在星期五，美国零售业中每年最忙的一天中倾巢出动去购物。
尽管1.33亿美国人购物可能听起来很多，但根据全国零售联合会（NRF）公布的数据，这个数字比起去年被称做“黑色星期五”的1.4亿还要少七百万。
今年的黑色星期五（之所以这么命名，是这天的销售能反映出当年的零售业是赢利还是亏损）可能会让商店们感到郁闷，因为美国人正经历着着油价猛涨，房价摇摇欲坠，破记录的提前房屋还贷和信贷紧缩而蜷缩在他们的消费中不得自拔。
为了让消费者能够忘记他们经济上的和其他方面的担心（如美国联邦调查局表示上个月他们收到了未经证实的威胁，恐怖分子今年圣诞将针对商场进行恐怖活动），零售商正加大举办奢华活动的力度。
国际购物中心理事会在一个声明说：“商场将举办与圣诞老人合影，学校和教会团体唱歌，烧烤，卖烤面包和其他促销活动，以便在节日气氛中留住消费者”
在华盛顿附近，商场推出了民族圣诞老人，会手语的圣诞老人，儿童巡游，室内冰雪互动圣诞村等活动，这些活动力争给消费者提供独特的体验来说服他们消费。
位于华盛顿和巴尔的摩中间的哥伦比亚的购物中心在上周开放了“圣诞老人版”互动式圣诞村（目前在美国只有三个类似圣诞村），并举办儿童游行来欢迎圣诞老人。
"此项活动是为家庭创造一种新的体验。我们觉得我们能为顾客制造出一种完美的氛围。这就是我们想做这个行业从来没有做过的事情的原因。“该商城的总经理Karen Geary对法新社说，拒不评论这项活动是否主要是为了吸引潜在客户。
"我们有很大的兴趣。我们曾预计100名儿童来参加，而实际参加人数是这个数字的两倍，并且还有他们的父母一同参与。" geary说。
一位妈妈活动开幕时告诉法新社，她来商场只是为了看看圣诞村，并不是为了消费。
三小时后，几片比萨饼下肚，消费了60美元（原价180美元）后，她回家了。
NRF 的总裁Tracy Mullin在一份声明中说："零售商知道顾客们在这个季节正在寻找物有所值的货物，所以零售商将提供打折和促销，让消费者难以抗拒。“
本月初， NRF曾报告说，零售商因圣诞节购物放缓而担心。
但联合会也保证 "对很多零售商而言好戏还在后面" ，因为将近四分之三的美国消费者到11月初只完成了不到百分之十的圣诞节购物。 | 
