Consumers Ready to Add $100 to Holiday Shopping, Survey Says

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Mid-November is "go" time for millions of U.S. holiday shoppers, and this year that means a more financially aggressive outlook for shoppers.

One study puts a dollar figure on the amount by which Americans will outspend their their holiday budgets last year: about $100.

The survey, from Discover Financial Services (DFS) , says consumers plan to bump up their spending to $838 from $748. Women are especially eager to pump up holiday financial volume, telling Discover they will spend $165 more than they did last year.

That's an encouraging sign for U.S. retailers, who consider the holiday shopping season to be a "make or break" deal for annual revenues. If women, widely considered by retailers to handle the family finances, are budgeting more money for holiday shopping, the near-term financial outlook brightens for merchants.