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GREENSBORO — Finding a good deal on the day after Thanksgiving can be exhausting.

Shopping starts early on Black Friday — so named, according to one theory, because the kickoff of the holiday shopping season often puts retailers “in the black,” or profitable for the year.

But just how early did shopping get under way this year?

Think dark skies and frosty air. Picture long lines. Folks with the same plan: Get as many good deals as possible, especially during this recession.

Heidi Atkins started before her Thanksgiving turkey had even settled, lining up outside Toys R Us on High Point Road about 11:30 p.m. Thursday night. The store opened at midnight, providing the first deals in a marathon shopping stint that ended late Friday morning.

“We’re buying a whole lot because the prices are a whole lot better,” said Atkins, a sixth-grade science teacher from Randleman who sat down about 9:30 a.m. Friday for a break near the glass railing on the second floor of Four Seasons Town Centre .

Atkins and her sister, Haven Hall , spent Thanksgiving Day plotting the best route based on gifts they needed for each family member.

“You have to if you’re going to stay sane,” Atkins said.

Jose Castro and his wife, Juana Montoya, both 34, didn’t start as early as Atkins. But by 5 a.m. they were at Walmart, where they came away with a “good deal” on a 42-inch TV, according to Montoya. The store had sold out of the 32-inch TV she wanted, along with the microwave on her list, Montoya said.

The long day took its toll on 18-month-old Leilani Castro , who slept in a cart surrounded by packages the family couldn’t carry.

Jen Guy, 29 , slept in while family members shipped out about 5:30 a.m . to shop for early morning doorbusters. Her husband started even earlier, camping out at Old Navy about 2 a.m. in hopes of winning an Xbox game, Guy said. He left empty-handed, though, she said.

“He’s sleeping now,” Guy said.

The National Retail Federation expected up to 134 million people to shop over the holiday weekend, beginning with Black Friday, according to a survey earlier this month. That’s up from 128 million last year at this time, the group reported.

Early reports from Best Buy and mall operator Taubman Centers offered some encouraging signs that consumers were buying more for themselves and that crowds were larger compared with last year, the Associated Press reported.

Gerald Storch, the CEO of Toys R Us, told the AP that on average about 1,000 people were in line for the midnight opening for each store.

“So far, we are seeing that consumers are willing to spend a little more than what was on their intended list,” Marshal Cohen, chief retail industry analyst at NPD Group Inc. told the news service. “This is a big gift for retailers. It was missing from the equation last year.”

Discount and department stores were expected to be the first destination for most shoppers, according to the National Retail Federation survey. Many offered deep discounts on flat-screen TVs, computers and other electronics to lure shoppers.

Clothing stores such as Aeropostale slashed prices up to 70 percent. Employees at the Four Seasons store called out deals to shoppers as they passed the store entrance.

“$15 hoodies! Spend $100, get a free bear!”

Employees started work about 2:30 a.m. to get Aeropostale ready, said district manager Jon Hussey. The store opened earlier than it has for previous Black Fridays and offered doorbusters for the first time. Customers joined in as employees sang Christmas carols in the early hours, Hussey said.

Sales were fantastic, enough by 9:30 a.m. that the store could have closed, he said.

“This is as big as it gets,” Hussey said.

The number of shoppers carrying bags at the mall was a sign “that it’s going to be a good holiday shopping season,” said Mark Thorsen, Four Seasons Town Centre’s general manager.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact Jennifer Fernandez at 373-7064 or jennifer.fernandez @news-record.com