Video by Eric Keith

As soon as Shelbe and Millie King jumped out of their car, it was on.

The mother-and-daughter shopping duo were like dozens of other Black Friday shoppers, camped in their warm cars in the parking lot at J.C. Penney.

But the second Millie decided she wanted to be first in line, things changed.

"It's her fault," laughed Mark Breemer, another shopper. "As soon as we saw her get out, we knew we had to get out."

Ms. King said that as soon as one person gets out of their car, they all have to get out if they want a good spot in line.

Hundreds of eager shoppers waited in the cold outside dozens of stores Friday morning to take advantage of "door-buster" deals. Many stores changed their hours for the biggest shopping day of the year. Some opened as early as 4 a.m.

"We do it every year," Shelbe said. "We like the crowds. We like diving in."

Preparation for shopping on Black Friday takes some work and definitely a little practice. Dedicated ones search through Thursday's ads meticulously. Store hours, door-buster deals and budgets help create the day's strategy.

If done right, shoppers can cross everyone off their list in one day.

"I usually get mine done on the day or before," said Kim Arthur. The Albany, Mo., woman said she's on a tight budget this year.

"I have to find the deals," she said. "This is the only way I can afford Christmas."

The National Retail Federation estimated that 134 million people would shop on Black Friday, higher than the 128 million who shopped last year. Despite a still shaky economy, St. Joseph and surrounding area residents turned out in droves.

Some shoppers set up camp in front of Best Buy as early as 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, and the line in front of Kohl's and Target stretched about a quarter of a mile.

"Safety is always the biggest thing," said Jake Frye, operations manager at Best Buy. "We go through all the different scenarios."

In spite of all the hustle and bustle of the early morning chaos, Mr. Frye said he looks forward to it.

"It's enjoyable, it really is," he said. "It's a rush."

The electronics store and J.C. Penney both began preparing for the big day at least two months ago. Both stores hired additional staff to bulk up on customer service.

Jason Schimke, manager at J.C. Penney, was trying to do just that by passing out free snow globes to customers waiting in lines throughout the aisles of his stores.

And while electronics are always a top seller, an NRF survey revealed that more simple gifts will make their way under the tree as well.

Jennifer Hall can be reached

at jennhall@npgco.com.