With Scrooge paying a visit to online retailers for the first time since Internet shopping entered the retail landscape, the pressure is on merchants to make the most of Cyber Monday.

A record number of retailers are expected to offer online deals as workers return to the office after a weekend of shopping, according to the National Retail Federation. An estimated 84 percent of retailers will have Cyber Monday deals this year, up from 72 percent in 2007, the Washington, D.C.-based trade group said.

The forecast comes as digital market research firm ComScore Inc. reported an unprecedented 4 percent decline in online spending, to $8.2 billion, for the first 23 days of November.

That means mixed in with e-mails from your boss asking about those sales figures due last week and from your friend announcing leftover pumpkin pie for everyone, you’re likely to be inundated with messages from retailers about one-day sales, hourly deals and free shipping.

Of those workers who have access to the Internet at work, 56 percent are expected to shop online Monday, according to the retail federation. That is up slightly from 55 percent last year and 45 percent in 2005.