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GREENSBORO — Cristi Driver and her friends hit the stores for Black Friday sales before the end of Thanksgiving Day.

And by 3:30 a.m. Friday she was back at home with her loot and headed to bed. Driver was among thousands of shoppers who completed her Black Friday shopping before dawn that morning. Local shoppers and retailers said early morning bargain hunters faced long lines, but by midday Friday, the crowds at Four Seasons Town Centre and the Friendly shopping centers were less frantic and lines were minimal.

Driver said Walmart Supercenter on Wendover Avenue was the most chaotic of their stops. They arrived about 10 p.m. Thursday and didn’t leave until midnight. Checkout lines wrapped around the store, Driver said. Their next stop, Target, was nearly as busy as Walmart, but checking out went more quickly, she said. By the time they reached Kohl’s, her energy had begun to fade.

“If I’d gone by myself, I would have been irritated, but the fact that I went with friends — we just laughed and had fun,” she said.

Driver said most people she encountered were polite.

“We didn’t see people pushing and being rude,” she said. “It was organized chaos.”

Chaos was not so organized in other parts of the state. Shots were fired at a mall in Fayetteville without injuries, and an off-duty police officer used pepper spray to quell a fracas at a Walmart in Kinston.

The only excitement Driver and her friends encountered was a woman going into labor on the curb outside of Target. Her experience was so pleasant, Driver said, she sees more Black Friday shopping sprees in her future.

Four Seasons Town Centre officially opened at 6 a.m. Friday, but about 40 stores there opened at midnight. Among them was Fox, an apparel store that appeals to teens. Store manager January McCarthy said they were busiest between midnight and 6 a.m.

“It was absolutely worth it to open at midnight,” she said. “I will never not open at midnight again (on Black Friday).”

Mall manager Mark Thorsen said Friday morning that mallwide sales were off to a good start. Thorsen said most of the stores that opened earlier said it was worth the effort.

J.C. Penney opened at 4 a.m., and store manager Mark Travis expected sales to be comparable to last year’s. The store hired an additional 40 people before Thanksgiving, and he expects to hire another 15 to 20 more. His staff worked to streamline checking out so that shoppers wouldn’t have to wait as long in line. Employees removed security tags and hangers and folded merchandise at prep tables before customers reached registers.

At Friendly Center, Old Navy opened from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, then reopened at midnight to a line that extended to nearby Barnes & Noble. The store remained busy through 2 a.m., and shoppers waited in checkout lines that extended throughout the store. By midmorning Friday, though, business was steady, not hectic.

Some Black Friday shoppers were in no hurry to snag early deals. Linda Lathrop and her daughter, Paige Moss, didn’t head out the door until 8:30 a.m.

Four hours later, Lathrop waited on a bench outside of Eddie Bauer with her grandchildren, Landon, 4, and Lily, 7. Moss took advantage of Banana Republic’s 40 percent off sale just before it ended at 1 p.m.

Moss said their approach to Black Friday shopping is more laid back. They don’t get frustrated because they expect it to be crowded. Lathrop said, “So many people get frustrated. We say, 'Don’t go out, then.’ ”

Luanne Bonvouloir, who moved from Greensboro to Florida two years ago, was surprised it wasn’t busier at The Shops at Friendly Center.

Her friend, Jeanie Matherly of Oak Ridge, recalls some years where traffic was so congested at Friendly Center, it was frustrating. They found their visit Friday to be much more relaxed, as did Angel and Chris Wellborn. The Apex couple, visiting family in High Point, hit Target at midnight, where lines extended to Babies R Us. From there, they went to hhgregg, where it took them two hours to leave with their three items. They slipped into bed at 4 a.m. and slept for four hours before heading back out for breakfast and more shopping at Friendly Center. Their crew included 10 people and two vans. Their outlook was cheery and energetic, despite their lack of sleep. Wellborn’s sister, Teresa Clifford, showed no sign of slowing.

“I guess we’ll stay out until we run out of money,” Clifford said.

Staff Writer Jennifer Fernandez contributed to this report.

Contact Tina Firesheets at 373-3498 or tina.firesheets@news-record.com