Crowds of Black Friday bargain-hunters hit the stores

Black Friday drew thousands of shoppers, many fresh from midnight events, who poured into stores at predawn hours as they opened throughout the morning.

First-time Black Friday shopper Norma Zuniga emerged from the Rancho Cucamonga Wal-Mart after its 5 a.m. opening carting a 42-inch and a 32-inch HDTV and a Nintendo DS game console - all for $1,000.

That was quite a bargain for her. The day before she paid $1,200 for a single Sony HDTV at the store -- then returned it when she heard about the impending Friday deals. She got back in line at 8:30 p.m., armed with blankets. By 4:30 a.m., thousands of people were in line.

"I'm glad I waited," Zuniga said. "I tried to go back and get a camera and there was so many people in electronics you couldn't even move. So I gave up on that."

Every year on the day after Thanksgiving -- known as Black Friday and considered the official start of the holiday shopping season -- stores extend their hours and offer discounts on a wide selection of merchandise.

And in this year's tough economic environment, Black Friday bargains are steeper and even more plentiful as merchants reach out for any business they can snag. With many consumers drastically cutting back on discretionary spending, analysts are predicting the holiday shopping season may be the worst in years.

In today's early hours, few shoppers visited a Kmart in Ontario, and a dreary mood also pervaded the Mervyns in Huntington Beach right after it opened at 5 a.m. The chain is going out of business and has held liquidation sales for several weeks.

Only a dozen or so customers roamed the store aisles. Red signs screamed "Entire store on sale!" and "Everything must go!" inside the Orange County branch.

Using a loudspeaker, an employee urged the sparse clientele to lure their friends from busier stores "before lines start happening."

Mary Palomo, 36, an binder equipment account manager from Orange, said she arrived at Mervyns the same time last year and had to wait in a long line.

As she perused men's athletic shirts, she said the economy has taken its toll on her gift-giving plans -- her husband's family is limiting presents to one per person with a $30 maximum, and only children on her side of the family will receive gifts this year. But she might cheat the rules if she finds attractive deals.

"When I go on these shopping sprees, I usually get something for myself," she said.