NEW YORK, USA (AP) — Stores were expected to roll out deals and swim in shoppers on Christmas Eve as stragglers take advantage of a day off work. For retailers, the last-minute rush caps the best year since 2007, and possibly ever.

With Christmas falling on a Saturday this year, Friday was a holiday for most US workers. That lets shoppers hit the stores first thing Friday morning.

“I’m calling it Fantastic Friday, because I really do think it’s going to be one of the busiest days of the year,” said Marshal Cohen, chief fashion industry analyst with researcher NPD Group, in anticipation.

A strong Christmas Eve would round out a surprisingly successful holiday season for retailers. The National Retail Federation predicts that holiday sales will reach US$451.5 billion this year, up 3.3 per cent over last year. That would be the biggest year-over-year increase since 2006, and the largest total since sales hit a record US$452.8 billion in 2007. A strong finish could even give 2010 the crown.

While both are heavy shopping days, Christmas Eve draws a different breed of buyer than Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving in late November and the unofficial start to the holiday shopping season.

“Those who get up and brave the cold on Black Friday are usually looking for hot items, not only to buy gifts but to score something for themselves,” said Kathy Grannis, a spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation. “They’re planners, and they map out what they want to buy.”

Shoppers who come out on Christmas Eve, on the other hand, were either waiting for the biggest discounts or they didn’t have the money to spend earlier, she said. Or they just tend to dilly-dally.

While many Black Friday shoppers relish the hunt, last-minute buyers are harried and focused on getting things done.

And true to stereotype, they are mostly men, said Dan Jasper, spokesman for Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Accordingly, stores push men’s and women’s sweaters in their circulars, while shoes and children’s apparel take a back seat. Jewelry also tends to be a top last-minute gift item, though that category has been strong throughout the season.

E-commerce has driven much of the holiday’s spending growth. For the season to-date, US$28.36 billion has been spent online, a 12 increase over last year. Online shoppers spent US$900 million last weekend alone.

Many people who postponed their shopping this year blame busy schedules. The number of hours US workers are putting in at the office each week has been on the upswing since the official end of the recession in June 2009, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That leaves less time for shopping during the week.

Still, many stores are offering discounts this week. Express’s store at the Manhattan Mall in midtown had a huge yellow sign in its storefront window promoting an “end of the season 50 per cent sale” on selected items.

Macy’s is offering 30 per cent off some bags and jewellery, while the Gap is applying that markdown to everything in the store. At CVS, there are buy-two-get-one free deals on bath-and-body gift sets and discounts on a seven-inch (17-centimetre) LCD TV and DVD player combo.

Retailers say shoppers have mostly stuck to a big lesson taught by the recession: using cash, not credit. Toward the end of the season, they pulled out the plastic a little more often, but that’s normal. Overall, analysts consider the increased spending a sign more consumers have paid down debt and have cash to spend.

Besides sales, retailers are finding other ways to accommodate procrastinators.

Many stores, including Best Buy Co, let shoppers order online and then pick up the merchandise at the store.