Shoppers flocked to stores in Little Rock and across the nation in search of bargains Thursday night and early Friday morning, but some said they did so with mixed feelings.
Big national retailers, many of whom kicked off sales Thursday evening, reported brisk traffic overnight. Sales estimates for Black Friday should start trickling in over the weekend. For the full Christmas shopping season, the National Retail Federation forecasts a sales increase of 4.1 percent to $616.9 billion -- the biggest jump since 2011.
But Black Friday is losing its edge as the first day of the Christmas shopping season. Many retailers unlocked their doors on Thanksgiving Day, and Wal-Mart said it had 22 million customers.
Some Arkansas shoppers said they were reluctant to give up their holiday for shopping.
"I don't like it at all," said Amber McCuien of North Little Rock. McCuien, who was looking for deals at the Target on University Avenue in Little Rock on Thursday night just before midnight. She said her family has its Thanksgiving meal in the evening, making it even more difficult.
McCuien started her shopping around 9:45 p.m., joining Kim Gilbert and Gilbert's daughter, Hannah Kate, in search of discounts on toys and video games.
Kim Gilbert said her shopping included a 6 p.m. Thanksgiving trip to Wal-Mart. She had already been to six stores but left several of them empty-handed because they were too crowded.
Many retailers are luring shoppers into their stores earlier this year in a move to grab their share of consumer spending. As a result, the entire month of November has become an important part of the Christmas shopping season for some companies, analysts said.
An estimated 21 percent of Christmas spending will occur during Black Friday weekend, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP's 2014 Holiday Outlook report.
Traditionally, Black Friday is the start of the period when companies become profitable for the year.
Lee Fannon, the general manager of the Best Buy on Chenal Parkway in Little Rock, estimated 600 people were in line for the store opening at 5 p.m. Thursday for hot-ticket items such as discounted televisions for $199 and Beats headphones for $79.
The crowd was a "little stronger than last year," he said. "We opened an hour earlier than last year so we were ahead of our competitors."
Many shoppers said the Thursday deals diminished time spent with family and were unfair to employees who had to work Thanksgiving.
"I think that it's taking away from family time," said Christie Campbell, who was shopping with her husband, Shawn, at Park Plaza mall early Friday morning.
Others said they liked the changes because sales are now stretched out for longer periods.
"It's stopped the big crowds from rushing in," said Terrance Boston of Pine Bluff.
Boston was at the Best Buy on Chenal Parkway after early Friday morning and was preparing to call it a night after visiting eight stores. He began shopping at Wal-Mart at 7 p.m. Thursday with his children for televisions and an electric fireplace.
This year, the Black Friday crowds seemed to have dwindled by 5 a.m. -- the hour most stores were opening on the Friday after Thanksgiving a few years ago.
Information for this article was contributed by The Associated Press.
Business on 11/29/2014