At 6 a.m. Friday, South Iowa Street stores were as full of customers as they are many days at 6 p.m.

Welcome to Christmas shopping season.

Hundreds of shoppers converged early Friday morning to take advantage of âÂÂearly birdâ sales on the first official day of the holiday shopping season. Stores began opening as early as 5 a.m.

âÂÂYou have to hit the stores early to buy more; itâÂÂs a tradition,â said Norma Douglas, shopping with her friend Debbie Henning at Kmart. By 5:40 a.m., their cart was overflowing with toys; Douglas was toting an industrial-sized travel mug of coffee.

âÂÂAnd Wal-MartâÂÂs next,â Henning said.

âÂÂAnd Target,â Douglas said. âÂÂAnd KohlâÂÂs.âÂÂ

âÂÂAnd PenneyâÂÂs,â Henning said. âÂÂIf we have enough energy.âÂÂ

It wasnâÂÂt just bargain hunters who got up early. Some shoppers simply enjoy the thrill of the season.

âÂÂWeâÂÂre here more for the experience,â Heather Sharp said at 6:05 a.m. in KohlâÂÂs Department Store. âÂÂIâÂÂve not done this before. I donâÂÂt even have a list.âÂÂ

Her friend, Cheryl Turner, agreed.

âÂÂIâÂÂm just out for the fun,â she said.

But it was serious business for many shoppers. Within minutes of Wal-MartâÂÂs 6 a.m. opening, the storeâÂÂs toy section was so clogged with shoppers, it was impossible to walk more than a foot or two at a time. An employee directed traffic around the checkout lanes.

At Target, a crowd of roughly 75 people huddled outside the store for its 7 a.m. opening, with far more people waiting in their cars.

âÂÂYou get a good buy and save money,â Jeannie Eye of Baldwin said while she waited. âÂÂI live for this every year.âÂÂ

Downtown stores opened more or less at their regular times Friday, but soon they also were hopping with business.

âÂÂItâÂÂs been great,â said Joe Flannery, president of WeaverâÂÂs Department Store. âÂÂIt started off busy, and itâÂÂs just getting busier. This is a fun time of year, for shoppers and people in the Christmas spirit.âÂÂ

While national experts were predicting a relatively slow shopping season, several Lawrence retailers said they expected to do as well or better than last year.

ThatâÂÂs good news, because Christmas usually determines a storeâÂÂs fiscal health for the year.

âÂÂJust like anybody else, the fourth quarter is where the bulk of our sales happen,â said Brett Schubert, store manager at SuperTarget. âÂÂItâÂÂs very critical.âÂÂ

Janene Williams was less concerned with the economy than with furnishing her apartment as she cruised the aisles of Wal-MartâÂÂs electronics section about 6:20 a.m. The sales were too good to pass up, she said.

âÂÂItâÂÂs a good deal,â she said. âÂÂItâÂÂs worth getting up early.âÂÂ