For Lakeland Square and Eagle Ridge, Black Friday -the nickname for the day after Thanksgiving when annual retail sales result in profits -- was busier than a year ago. Both are owned by General Growth Properties.

Approximately 500 shoppers were waiting outside Sears to get a holiday jump on Crafts-man tools, jewelry and shoes -- this year's hot items -- and Victoria's Secret reported sales were up almost 75 percent from a year ago, Scherlacher said. Lines were also out the door for Bath & Body Works.

In an improving but still challenging economy, merchants seemed to be even more aggressive in wooing the big crowds from a year ago, luring them with such come-ons as free money in the form of gift cards.

For the first time, Macy's, a division of Federated Department Stores Inc., was giving away a total of $1 million in gift cards to early bird shoppers. Some retailers, like J.C. Penney Co. Inc. and Wal-Mart, threw open their doors earlier in a bid to keep them shopping longer in their stores.

At a Sam's Club in Plano, Texas, some of the biggest draws were 1,200 thread-count sheets on sale for $97.88 and Samsung 7-megapixel digital cameras, priced at $199.47.

Lines of about 1,000 formed during the early morning hours outside of J.C. Penney, which opened at 5 a.m., and the Disney store had to regulate crowds to avoid violating state fire codes.

Shoppers packed the store for deals such as 20 percent off all jewelry, 50 percent off all toys, $99 portable DVD players and 247 other sale items. Checkout lines backed up to the rear of the store, about 100-shoppers deep.

While many of the major retailers drew the crowds for hot, early morning deals, shoppers didn't forget about downtown Lakeland's specialty retail shops.

"I have had some trouble parking," said Anne Furr, executive director for the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority. "Traffic is busy and I have seen a lot of people out."

This is cache, read story here