Q. I'm thinking about doing my Christmas shopping online this year. Are there any tricks I should know?

A. You're not the only one thinking about doing this.

According to the National Retail Federation, the trade group that represents most major U.S. retailers, the number of people planning to shop on the Internet will rise to 47 percent of consumers from 36 percent last year.

But your question is timely because you need to get going soon if you plan on shopping on the Web. The Friday after tomorrow is the traditional start of the holiday selling season, when retailers prime the shopping pump by offering deep discounts on so-called doorbusters.

The day is termed "Black Friday," because the myth that it is the first day of the year some retailers supposedly go from recording red ink for the year to recording black ink — turning a profit, in other words. If you want to take a sneak peak at the Black Friday ads, at least those set to run on the Mainland, go to http://bfads .net.

Some people contend that the online shopping season starts the Monday after the Thanksgiving weekend because that's the day people return to work and use high-speed Internet connections on their employers' computers to do their shopping during lunch hours. Some online retailers have even tried to take advantage of that by offering specials that day.

Here are some things to keep in mind while you cruise the Internet looking for gifts: