As the countdown to launch of U.S. retailers’ biggest sales season approaches blast-off, Verizon at Home has good news, some not-so-good news, and some tips to share with you.

Big but not bigger crowds

The number of shoppers this year will be about the same as last year. According to a Nielsen research survey, 17 percent of consumers are planning to shop on Black Friday – which means that 82 percent don’t plan on shopping on Black Friday this year, a number that is consistent with levels in 2011 (82%) and 2010 (80%).  Nielsen says this reflects the growing turn to online shopping, a continuing shift of the holiday focus from Black Friday to Cyber Monday. More consumers report that they will shop on Cyber Monday this year than Black Friday, with 30 percent of consumers stating they will be shopping online this Cyber Monday. 

This correlates with the findings of the Verizon FiOS Innovation Index: Borderless Lifestyle Survey, which recently determined that 39% of U.S. adults are borderless consumers – all of whom own a laptop or desktop PC, a smartphone or a tablet – and that 82 percent of survey respondents engage in online shopping from home.

As you map out your strategy for Black Friday 2012, you may want to pause to consider an often overlooked aspect of most holiday bargain safaris: parking.

The International Parking Institute offers insights into the Psychology of Holiday Parking with stress-avoidance and safety tips while shopping this Friday. According to parking psychology researchers (you can’t make this stuff up, folks), shoppers who circle parking lots hunting for an ideal space are wasting time and needlessly stressing themselves. Studies show that when distant parking spots are available, it’s best to just pick one, park and hoof it to the store. And, that familiar practice of "perching" – waiting and following someone to their car – is only effective when a parking lot is completely full.

Here’s a list of parking tips for Black Friday and the holiday season from the Institute: